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CNN Sunday Morning
Pope's Farewell Tour; Weather Forecast; Bleacher Report; Brangelina Winemakers; Small Plane Violates Flight Restrictions Near Obama's Florida Resort; Victims of Super Storm Sandy Use Up Life Savings to Repair Their Homes; Oscar Nominees Luncheon
Aired February 17, 2013 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND. Good to see you.
And here we go again. More snow blanketing the eastern U.S. causing massive pileups. We're going to show you one.
Also, new details about Oscar Pistorius alleged murder of his model girlfriend. What his family is telling us now about the fallen superstar.
And, did you know who's turning 50? A look back at the career of the man, the athlete, the legend, Michael Jordan.
It is Sunday, February 17th.
Well, good morning to you. Getting up early today. I'm Christi Paul, in for Randi Kaye. Thank you so much for sharing your time with me here.
I want to start with you in Vatican City, first of all, for a beginning and an end of sorts here. Pope Benedict XVI is reciting the Angelus from St. Peter's Square right now. This is one of the last appearances, of course, that he's going to make as pope. On the other end of the spectrum, though, it's audition day for some of his possible successors. They're speaking to congregations around the globe today. And joining me now from Rome, CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman.
So, Ben, I want to start with Pope Benedict, of course. How's he going to spend his last 11 days now as pope?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now what we see is a much larger crowd that he's addressing in St. Peter's Square. Numbers as high as 150,000 people. On a normal Sunday it wouldn't be even half that number.
Now, he's going to give this Angelus prayers. He'll address the faithful in a variety of languages. Right now in Italian. But he'll also probably speak -- be speaking with them in English, in Polish, in Spanish, in German.
Also today, however, he is going to go into a week of retreat for the period of Lent. And during that time, he will be meeting in prayer and contemplation with many senior bishops and cardinals. And, obviously, when that week comes to an end, he will resume his normal activities, which include public audiences, meeting with senior officials within the Vatican and from without as well. So it's going to be a very busy last 11 days for Benedict XVI before he steps down on the 28th of February at 8:00 p.m. Rome time.
Christi.
PAUL: Look at all those people.
Hey, Ben, I know we've heard it, the new pope is expected to be in place by Easter, which is the end of March. So that's a pretty big gap. I'm wondering, is there an allotted time that they'll allow to pass without having a pope and how does the, you know, the College of Cardinals start that whole process?
WEDEMAN: Well, according to Vatican regulations, between the time that the papal seat is vacated, either through death or resignation, there's a 15-day period which allows the cardinals who will participate in the conclave to come to Rome and sit for the conclave and elect a successor to the pope. In this case, what we're hearing, however, since unlike in previous instances the pope, actually, we know when he's going to leave his position. The senior Vatican spokesman yesterday suggested that the conclave could be moved up a bit. We know that the cardinals do want to be done with the job of electing a new pope by Palm Sunday, which is the 23rd of March. And the Vatican officials have said that they are confident there will be a new pope by Easter, which is at the end of March. So, we may find that because of these pressures, that, in fact, the pope will be elected earlier than previously expected.
Christi.
PAUL: I know Pope Benedict, even before he was pope, helped put a lot of the church leaders in place. Does he have any hand then in picking his successor, especially when you look at why it is that he's stepping down?
WEDEMAN: Well, directly, he will not, because he will not be sitting in on that conclave. But it's important to remember, the conclave will is expected to include 117 cardinals. He has appointed 67 of those. The other 50 were appointed by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. So, directly, no, he will not have any input into the conclave. But, indirectly, because he had such an important role in appointing those cardinals, he will have some role to play, but not directly, as I said.
Christi.
PAUL: All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much, as we look at live pictures there from Vatican TV. Thank you, Ben. Appreciate you.
Coming up in our 8:00 hour here, we're going to take a closer look at the intrigue and the secrecy in the church, as well as Hollywood's obsession with the Vatican. You know it's there. I want to talk to you about what's happening back here at home. A blinding whiteout in Detroit. Look at this massive pile-up. This is on a major freeway there. And believe it or not, no reports -- at least not immediate reports, of fatalities. We're talking about 44 vehicles that collided Saturday. This is on Interstate 75. You see the heavy snow squalls there. They also closed stretches of I-94 and other roads across the region. And, now, listen to this couple, who was caught in the middle of that I-75 smash up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just like somebody suddenly threw a white sheet across the windshield and we couldn't see anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We couldn't see nothing ahead of us. More cars, you could hear them smashing each other behind us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you could hear everybody behind us just one after another banging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: That's got to be frightening. Detroit is not the only place getting blanketed by snow, though. Areas that were buried under mounds of it from last weekend's blizzard are getting more of it today. Here's meteorologist Samantha Mohr with a look at our forecast.
SAMANTHA MOHR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Christi, once again this weekend, we're getting walloped of the wind and the snow across the Northeast. This low formed off the Carolina coastline, moved on up into New England and is dumping heavy snow and bringing in some very gusty winds as this low continues to deepen right off the coast of New England. So that travel on I-95 being discouraged today.
Winter weather advisories in place. Winter storm watches here in the blue. In the orange we have blizzard watches in place. Winds here gusting up to 50 miles per hour today. We're talking heavy snow. Not as much as we saw last weekend when we had the top 10 record snowfall in Boston, but definitely will be getting a good six inches or so throughout today as that snow continues to pile up here.
And this is not the only weather story. Look at this cold air settling in across the deep south into Florida. Morning lows well below freezing here. And overnight tonight into tomorrow morning, the coldest night of the season so far, we're expecting to see that hard freeze continue. Bad news for all of the crops in Florida, especially that citrus crop. And it's going to feel, just if you're out and about in southern Florida as you head out the door this morning, we're talking wind chill factor in the 20s. So, a whole different change here as this very cold air mass settles in across the eastern U.S. We'll be following this and let you know how it will affect your travel as we head through today.
PAUL: All right, Sam, thank you so much.
I want to take you to Washington now and a first draft of the president's immigration plan. "USA Today" reporting that the draft -- again, just a draft -- sent to several federal agencies includes an eight-year path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Also in there, increases in border security and an expansion of the e-verify system. Now, in the Senate, the so-called group of eight are also working toward concrete legislation on immigration. A White House spokesman says the president's plan is a way forward if Congress fails to act.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, meanwhile, is part of the gang of eight and he says the president's plan would be, quote, "dead on arrival" in Congress. Now, he released the statement yesterday saying, "President Obama's leaked immigration proposal is disappointing to those of us working on a serious solution." He went on to say, "this legislation is half-baked and seriously flawed."
And, boy, what a week for him. He slammed the president's immigration plan, as you just heard, gave the Republican response to the State of the Union, and right now he's in the Middle East. He's visiting Israel and Jordan, talking to leaders in both of those countries. And President Obama is scheduled to travel to Israel next month.
You know, we're now hearing from Jesse Jackson Jr.'s family as they speak in support of the former congressman just a day after details of his plea bargain were made public. Jackson admitted to misusing campaign funds for personal expenses, such as a $43,000 watch and some fur coats, apparently. His brother talked about how Jackson is handling these recent events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN JACKSON, JESSE JACKSON JR.'S BROTHER: Still under a strict regimen with the doctors and he's had -- he's had to deal with the compounding issues of his health, as well as legal issues. And so he's been working through both simultaneously. So we ask that you continue to be mindful that he's not able to speak for himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Remember, Jesse Jackson Jr. stepped aside to deal with his health problems. Jackson could be sentenced to as many as five years in prison.
OK, let's go to Los Angeles now where some are showing support for cop killer Christopher Dorner. The group protested outside the LA Police Department yesterday saying, while what Dorner did was wrong by killing four people and injuring others, they still believe his accusations of racism and unfair treatment by his former department. The protesters say police corruption needs to be addressed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there are a lot of honest policemen out there trying to serve the people, but it's just atrocious what Mr. Dorner did and we don't want it to happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PAUL: Now, officials say Dorner died from a single bullet wound to the head during a standoff last week.
And track and field's biggest star, Usain Bolt, tells CNN he's, quote, "in shock," over the news fellow sprinter Oscar Pistorius is accused of killing his girlfriend. We're going to bring you his interview. Stay close.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Well, he may be known for wearing number 23, but today it's all about the big 5-0 for his airness. Michael Jordan celebrating his 50th birthday. Now, for you kids watching, this is before there was LeBron, before there was Kobe. Michael Jordan was wiping the floor with his competition in a Chicago Bulls uniform. The five-time NBA MVP won six NBA championships. Here's a quick look at the career of a man considered by many to be the greatest basketball player ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JORDAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I'd do anything to win. Limits like fears are often just an illusion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) for the circle. Puts the shot in the air. Good!
JORDAN: When the light comes on, I'm as competitive as anybody you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jordan to drive. Hangs, fires, (INAUDIBLE)!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: And the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, is speaking out about fellow sprinter Oscar Pistorius. Pistorius, as you know, accused of killing his girlfriend on Valentine's Day. Here's what Bolt told our Rachel Nichols.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
USAIN BOLT, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: When I heard, I was like, what? Who? As in, the amputee, the guy who ran the 400 meter? I was asking all kind of questions because this can't be the same guy that I've seen that I know. And I still can't process it really. I'm trying to process what really happened. What's going on. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm just listening now to the news, hear what's up, follow Twitter and let's see what's going on because, for me, I'm still in slightly shock for what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Now, Danica Patrick turned the attention off her personal life and on to her driving after she was the fastest on the track in preparation for the Daytona 500. Joe Carter joining us now with this morning's "Bleacher Report."
Hey there, Joe.
JOE CARTER, "BLEACHER REPORT": Hi. Good morning, Christi.
You know, for those of you out there that have not been keeping up with Danica's personal life, let me fill you in real quick. She's dating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He's also a Nascar driver. He's her competitor and he happens to be five years younger. I know, it's very juicy stuff.
On top of that, Danica, in the off season, has been criticized, saying that she's not ready for full-time Nascar. That's what her critics are saying. That she's more of a publicity stunt. A ratings grabber. Well, yesterday Danica Patrick shut them all up by letting her driving do the talking. She ran the fastest practice lap of the day. She clocked it in at 196 miles per hour. That puts her in great position today to become the first female to ever win the pole at the Daytona 500.
You know what's become more of the curse than a blessing to be number one in college basketball? Last night, the top ranked team lost, again. Number one Duke had a chance in the final seconds to win the game. Right here, 2.8 seconds left. But the shot is no good. Unranked Maryland wins 83-81. In the last five weeks, the top ranked team in college hoops has lost. This means only March Madness is going to be total chaos.
In my opinion, it's the best part of the NBA all-star weekend. I love me some dunk contests. Defending champ Jeremy Evans dunks over a painting. That painting is of himself dunking. And it's a painting that he painted himself and then signed himself. Send it to eBay.
Terrence Ross, he plays for the Toronto Raptors. He would upstage the previous dunk. His former hero, dunk champ Vince Carter, he does the reverse jam off the side of the backboard. Terrence Ross is the 2013 dunk champion.
And for all your entertaining sports news, go to bleacherreport.com. All-star game coverage begins today, Christi, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. That's on TNT. The NBA all-star game. Let me see, it's going to be about 300 combined points. No defense and a whole lot of dunking. Enjoy.
PAUL: Who knew a basketball player was such a good artist.
CARTER: Actually, he brings a sketch pad on the road with him to sketch.
PAUL: Does he really?
CARTER: Yes. Yes.
PAUL: Interesting. I wonder how much all of those would go for. Hey, thank you so much, Joe.
Look, I don't know if you've heard about this, but as a parent, this is disturbing. The Idaho man accused of slapping a toddler on a Delta flight has been charged with assault now. That's not the only trouble he's facing, though.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Well, an Idaho man accused of slapping a crying toddler on a Delta flight, can you imagine, and using a racial slur has been suspended from his job, we heard. Joe Rickey Hundley is an executive with an aerospace company. The company calls the allegations against him disturbing and he is facing assault charges. Here's what we know happened. The boy's mom says her son started to cry because of the altitude change upon descent. We all know how that goes, right? Well, the slap, she says, only made him scream louder. And you're going to hear from her in the next hour, by the way.
In Atlanta, students at Morehouse College are going to have a pretty special guest for commencement. President Barack Obama. The president is going to give the address at the historically black men's college in mid-May. Now, the new president at Morehouse has an in with the White House. He's a former member of the Obama administration. So, I'd say that's a pretty good connection to make it happen.
Hey, if you want to own a piece of Camelot, it's probably time to pull out your credit card. Later this morning, hundreds of pieces of Kennedy family memorabilia are going to hit the auction block in Massachusetts. We're talking about items like JFK's Air Force One bomber jacket, a birthday card signed by John Jr. to his dad, and a marked up itinerary for the slain president's November 1963 trip to Dallas. The items were found in the home of apparently one of JFK's special assistants.
So let's move on to a modern day Camlet. You might have different ideas of who that might be, but we're talking about the Jolie-Pitts. As if dozens of, you know, movies, six kids, a jet-setter lifestyle weren't enough to keep them busy, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can now add winemaker to their resume. And here to tell us more about it, our favorite star watcher, editorial producer Nadia Bilchik.
OK, so, why wine?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Brangelina are now making wine. They obviously love wine. But they're doing it with a renowned French winemaker, Marc Perrin. So the label is going to say Jolie- Pitt-Perrin. And apparently they've been very involved. They've been to blending sessions and they've even been involved in the very unique design of the bottle, as you can see. And you may remember that Brad Pitt does have a penchant for design. He sort of fancies himself as an amateur architect. So interesting wine and an interesting bottle.
PAUL: Well, it's interesting because you say interesting wine. You can attach any name you want to it, but it's got to be good wine to sell, right? So what do we know about the quality of this?
BILCHIK: Well, we know they're starting with a rose. It's going to be called Miraval Rose. And interestingly enough, this particular rose used to be called Pink Floyd because Pink Floyd recorded "The Wall" on the Miraval estate, where Angelina and Brad live and have lived since 2008. One thousand-acre chateau Miraval estate in the Correns wine district of France, which is conducive to growing grapes organically. So we know they're going to start off with a rose and then they're going to go to whites and then eventually reds.
PAUL: Boy, they're living the life, aren't they?
BILCHIK: Aren't they. And, Christi, you know, you may ask why. There are various reasons that celebrities will do this.
PAUL: Yes.
BILCHIK: There's tax rebates. Maybe because they really love wine and their own use. And also because it's very lucrative.
PAUL: But there -- I mean, there are a lot of celebrities that I did not know that are involved in wine. Tell me.
BILCHIK: Antonio Banderas, Francis Copeland (ph) and his wife (INAUDIBLE) Napa Valley (INAUDIBLE) interviewed him on his wine farm.
PAUL: And that was a gem assignment.
BILCHIK: That was a gem assignment.
And then we have Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas has a winery in California. Kyle MacLachlan from the "Twin Peaks," from Walla Walla in Washington. And you might be most intrigued that Lil' Jon has Lil' Jon Winery.
PAUL: Lil' Jon, the rapper?
BILCHIK: Lil' Jon the rapper.
PAUL: Lil' Jon?
BILCHIK: And, yes, he does. And Nancy Pelosi herself owns vineyards.
PAUL: What? But they -- so they don't put their names on all of it, obviously?
BILCHIK: Well, they are called -- Lil' Jon, Lil' Jon Winery, Lil' Jon Wine. But I thought, you know, what about Christi Paul Southern Sauvignon Blanc.
PAUL: Yes, I do tend to go towards red. Merlot.
BILCHIK: Oh, the Christi Paul Merlot.
PAUL: Yes, I like the Merlot.
BILCHIK: It's got a nice ring to it.
PAUL: I don't know if anybody's going to take you u on that, but I'll take it. Nadia, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Boy, I've got to tell you about another round of winter weather. Oh, it's headed to New England. We're going to tell you what's in store. Just a week, of course, after that monster blizzard hit.
And victims of Superstorm Sandy say they're begging for money. We'll tell you what's going on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Good morning, Washington. Look at that gorgeous sunrise. Who wouldn't want to get up today? If you know that is what you're going to expect, although it's going to chilly in Washington, D.C. And you could see some snow a little later today. We'll talk about the weather in just a minute. But I just want to say good morning to you and then thank you so much for spending some time with me here this morning. A special welcome, too, to our troops who are watching on the American Forces Network. We appreciate your service and the service that your family members, of course, give, as well, as they wait for you to come home. I'm Christi Paul in for Randi Kaye.
Half past the hour right now, and military fighter jets chased down two planes near the Florida resort where President Obama is staying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a little, little plane and two F-16s up in the air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: The Secret Service and FAA are looking into why a Cessna 152 violated flight restrictions around noon. This was yesterday. Five hours later, fighter jets accompanied a smaller two-seater aircraft to its destination. The president, by the way, taking some R & R this weekend. He sits in the fairways in Pal City while the first lady and their daughters hit the slopes in Colorado.
In South Africa, relatives of Oscar Pistorius are strongly disputing prosecutors' claims that Olympic star committed premeditated murder. The double amputee known as blade runner is charged with killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day. He is in jail right now awaiting a Tuesday bail hearing. And Pistorius's agent said, his client denies the allegation and his uncle spoke yesterday to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY PISTORIUS, UNCLE OF OSCAR PISTORIUS: After consulting with our legal representatives, we deeply regret allegations of premeditated murder. We have no doubt he is no substance for litigations and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence strongly refute any possibility of premeditated murder. Or murder as such.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: A South African network, by the way, as you know is going ahead with Reeva Steenkamp's reality show. Is that the right call? Everybody's been asking. We're going to take a look at the show itself, tackle that issue coming up this morning at the top of the hour.
Now, we showed you video earlier of the havoc snow squalls caused yesterday on Detroit roads. Now the northeast is facing another round of severe weather and it's just a week, of course, after last Sunday's monster blizzard. We want to go to CNN Weather Center and meteorologist Samantha Mohr. I understand New England is going to get socked, again, today?
SAMANTHA MOHR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, here we go again, the timing much like last weekend, Christi, and also, the wind much like last week. Good news is not as much snow this time. You could see we even had some lightning associated when this snow moved in through the Carolinas and now heavy snow being dumped across New England and, once again, it's those winds that is really going to cause problems here. Especially at the airports with delays and then traveling along I-95 with the blowing snow causing whiteout conditions.
So, heavy snow in Providence and in Boston, eastern Long Island, as well. We have a winter weather advisory in east Hampton and eastern Long Island, and all the way on up into Boston where we could see around six inches of snowfall and those winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour and a blizzard warning, once you - blizzard watch once you get on up into Maine, so places like Bangor, Indecalais, (ph) seen some whiteout conditions with those gusty winds, and, of course, that's going to make these wind chill factors feel like it's down in the single digits at times.
Check out the winds. They'll be peaking later on this evening. It should be up around 50 miles per hour at times in the Boston area. And we know that it's going to cause problems out there. And a lot of the snow melted from last week. So, that's not so much the accumulating snow we're going to worry about here, it's going to be those winds causing that snow to blow around and really limiting that visibility. So, gusty winds expected with those gusts up to 50 miles per hour as we head throughout the afternoon and evening hours. Current temperatures look like this. So, with those gusty winds, you know it is feeling a whole lot colder than this outside. Good news is, in the northeast we'll see a little bit of a warm up once we get on into our Tuesday. So, this episode will at least be short lived in retrospect, I think.
PAUL: I like that calling it an episode. Let's go a little further south. I know North Carolina is under a winter weather alert. How serious is it?
MOHR: Well, in North Carolina, the snow has ended now. I think now, it's going to be a problem with the temperatures as we head in through the morning hours and then overnight tonight, too. Some of the coldest air of the season has settled in across parts of the deep south. So, we're going to continue to be concerned with these very, very cold temperatures. Look at this, we have a freeze warning in place across much of northern and central Florida. We are concerned about the citrus crop, once again, Christi.
PAUL: All right. So good to see your smiling face today, Sam, thank you.
MOHR: Good to see you, too.
PAUL: Victims of Superstorm Sandy say they are begging banks to release insurance money and while they wait, some have had to use apparently their life savings to complete repairs. CNN's Deb Feyerick followed one of the 6,000 families that are dealing with this right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CATHERINE HALL, SUPERSTORM SANDY VICTIM: I'm not going to get my money.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Begging for money is not something Catherine Hall ever thought she would have to do.
CATHERINE HALL: I had to run to the bank two Fridays ago and beg them to give me a loan, just so that I could pay my contractor. And once he's finished doing this segment of the work, we have to stop because we don't have any more money.
FEYERICK: Nearly four months since Superstorm Sandy destroyed her home in Island Park, New York, Hall has been calling her mortgage banker almost every day. She's begging them to release insurance money so she and her family can rebuild and go home.
CATHERINE HALL: We have a 4-year-old little boy who basically we spent his college fund. You know, the money that we've put by since his birth towards being able to send him to college later in life is what we've spent. It's gone.
FEYERICK: Hall, who is originally from Britain and her husband, Bob, and four-year-old son, Nathan, have been living in a hotel since November. The Halls are among more than 6,000 families still waiting for insurance money. New York's governor blamed unnecessary red tape and accused banks of failing to release more than $200 million worth of insurance. The problem is some lenders require proof the repair has been made before they will reimburse for the cost of that repair.
BOB HALL, SUPERSTORM SANDY VICTIM: There is a lot of older people here that, you know, that just don't have any money and they're being told that, you know, do 30 percent of the work and then they'll get 30 percent of the money. Do 50 percent of the work, you'll get 50 percent of the money.
CATHERINE HALL: The reason that they do that, I think, is they're scared that you're going to get the check and leave, and leave them with a property that's not sellable. You know, but we've invested a lot of money in this house. You know, and it's our home.
FEYERICK: Banks contacted by CNN including Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Citibank and Bank of America tell CNN they've distributed more than 75 percent of all insurance money. The Hall's mortgage lender, who they ask we not name did not respond. CATHERINE HALL: You know, we came here to live the American dream and now we're living the American nightmare because they're holding our money and we can't get it and it's not fair. You know, it's not fair on anyone. And everybody is in the same position. Everybody. Like I said to you, I don't know a single person who has had a dime.
FEYERICK: And the waiting and uncertainty is taking a toll, as devastating as the storm itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: I just feel for these people. CNN's Deb Feyerick, by the way, with that report. And if you'd like to get some more details about Sandy families fighting to get their money, just go to cnn.com.
New Jersey's firefighters are hoping to bring comfort to some of those victims, though. Not just those affected by the Superstorm either, the firefighters union is collecting donations for the Sandy Ground Project. The fund is going to help to build 26 playgrounds in areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy. That number 26 stand out to you? Bet you know why. It's the number of victims killed in the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. The playgrounds will honor each victim killed in that tragedy. That's something, isn't it?
All right, listen up, ladies. You are about to get some relationship counseling.
REV RUN: It's a manual. So ladies won't be manipulated.
PAUL: Rev Run and Tyrese there in the studio to reveal the secrets in your man's mind.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All right, ladies, right now we're going to give you some expert love advice from an unlikely couple. Not me. Singer Tyrese Gibson and the minister known as Rev Run, they co-authored this new book "Manology: Secrets of Your Man's Mind Revealed." Now Rev Run is one of the founding members of hip hop pioneer group Run DMC and Tyrese Gibson, of course, a model, actor, singer. So, earlier our Susan Hendricks talked to them and asked about the book and what women should do when he just won't put a ring on it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TYRESE GIBSON: Well, we have this scenario that we talked about in the book. I think if the goal --
REV RUN, ORDAINED PENTECOSTAL MINISTER: Football and basketball.
GIBSON: Yeah, yeah, please start that.
REV RUN: When you win a football game and it's all over the championship, you get the ring, and the game is over and you go home. But when a woman gets a ring, the difference between the game being over and the game just gets started.
SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true.
REV RUN: A woman like I can't wait to get that ring. I can't wait to get that ring. But it's not nearly over. That's when the whole game starts and you have to then make sure that the marriage lasts before you know, you're throwing the ring in his face --
HENDRICKS: Yeah.
REV RUN: -- and all that other crazy.
GIBSON: And then the flip of it is, I would say, if you're doing really well for yourself as a man, financially, we can give you a ring in three weeks, three months or three years.
HENDRICKS: Right.
GIBSON: So, I think instead of putting the emphasis on the ring, you should pay more attention to the actions of the fiancee.
REV RUN: The man.
GIBSON: The actions of the husband and say, is your act - does your action represent that you're ready to really settle down and be committed or are you just a man doing really well for yourself and you're able to buy rings for everybody?
HENDRICKS: Because it's not just about the wedding, it's about the marriage --
REV RUN: It's about --
HENDRICKS: -- and the work there after.
REV RUN: After.
GIBSON: The ring becomes a validation thing that a lot of women have --
HENDRICKS: Little girl --
GIBSON: Oh, he bought me a ring. It's just like --
REV RUN: They have songs out there, put a ring on it.
GIBSON: Put a ring on it. You know, that's cool.
HENDRICKS: I know. Rev Run, why write this book together? What inspired you to do it?
REV RUN: Well, Tyrese kind of came into my life. I write these words of wisdom in the morning and they go out to different celebrities and people and friends, and he was on list and I didn't know him and he responded.
GIBSON: He wrote some chapter about cheating and infidelity.
HENDRICKS: Oh, do tell us. Do tell us.
GIBSON: Yes, it was the words of wisdom.
REV RUN: Right.
GIBSON: And then I had a problem with some of the elements of that --
REV RUN: I guess he was (inaudible) with some girl.
GIBSON: And I responded. I was. And so, I hit him up and he actually responded to it. I thought it was a mass email and if you responded it wouldn't go to him.
REV RUN: I got you.
GIBSON: Long story short, we had a four and a half hour conversation, our first conversation, and we argued and kind of went back and forth and then he became my mentor.
HENDRICKS: What did you want women to know about men? Your inner deep secrets?
REV RUN: Go ahead, lean with it.
GIBSON: Well, the thing is, I have a five-year-old daughter, he has a beautiful wife. I'm seeing somebody on and off, but, basically, we said we have to put our hearts on the pages and we have to say instead of us exchanging our wisdom and knowledge and insight on relationships how to make them work and fully function, we're going to put it out there. And we have a problem with what women don't know. For the things that you know and you figured out, beautiful. Instead of us, with what we know sitting back and witnessing a woman get 15 heartbreaks shattered in the pieces before she finds the right man with this bold, uncomfortable truth in this book, we feel like we can get in front of 15 heartbreaks before you find the right man. And then we also put a powerful message in there for the men.
HENDRICKS: What was your favorite part about writing this book and the message you want to get across?
REV RUN: I just said it's (inaudible) to handle Tyrese's old stories. Running around just the stage (ph), singing and all his antics and how he's cleaning it up.
HENDRICKS: Tyrese, what about you?
REV RUN: He is calm, he's calm, covering the tattoos a little bit.
GIBSON: You know what? What I love about this man is that he's my mentor, my best friend and, more importantly, he's exposed me to how to treat a wife. He's been married for 19 years. He's shown me through his physical actions how to be a great father and that has done more for my spirit and my life than anything. That is the new blue print of my life and that's what "Manology" is for those who --
REV RUN: It's a manual so ladies won't be manipulated.
HENDRICKS: Oh, I like that.
REV RUN: I can't read - wait to read the book.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: That was a good one-liner to make you remember.
Hey, the Oscars, controversial executions, Lance Armstrong deadlines. Grab your calendars, I'm breaking down big events in the coming week that you're going to want on your radar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: I know it's probably still darn cold where you are this morning, but the first day of spring is just about a month away. So, it might be kind of start thinking about your garden now. I don't know if you knew, you don't need a yard to grow your own healthy fruits and vegetables. You can do it on a funny porch or a patio. And Mark Macdonald is going to tell us how to do this. He is a nutrition expert, author of "Body Confidence." So, let's talk about fruits first. I mean is this really easy to grow indoors?
MARK MACDONALD, NUTRITION EXPERT: Well, the reality is that we need at least 12 servings of fruits or veggies a day and --
PAUL: Who gets that?
MACDONALD: That's not the easiest thing --
(LAUGHTER)
MACDONALD: -- so we've got to keep it fun, creative and make it adventurous. And growing your own is the best way. You get the freshest, it's economical and it's simple. You can simply get some seeds and get a pot and feed it with some sunlight and some water.
PAUL: Is there anything in particular that grows better indoors than other fruits?
MACDONALD: Yes. The fruits that I love, as you have blueberries, you have strawberries great for a smoothy, great for yogurt. And then you have lemon. You know, people - people don't like to drink a lot of water and you need water.
PAUL: Right.
MACDONALD: So, simply by adding lemon to your water allows you to keep doing it. And these are simple to grow.
PAUL: What about vegetables?
MACDONALD: Well, vegetables, you know, I love tomatoes -- PAUL: Yes.
MACDONALD: -- and a lot of people love them for sauce and salads. So you could - you have some seeds and right in here, you have some tomatoes right there. You have peppers. People love the (ph) of peppers.
PAUL: Are they easy to grow?
MACDONALD: They are. I mean all of it, you can either get like something already made or you can do the seeds and make it an adventure with kids.
PAUL: Well, I was going to say, if you got your kids, and this is what we're hoping to do.
MACDONALD: Yes.
PAUL: If we get our kids involved in it, if they made it, maybe they'll eat it, you know, maybe they'll feel invested.
MACDONALD: That's the biggest thing. I think right now you say we need to eat 12 a day, but people don't do it because they're not invested. This makes it fun and experience. I'll tell you, today, Hunter and I, my son, eight-year-old son, we're going to go get some of these things and we're going to plant it and we're going to live it, and he's going to be invested in the process.
PAUL: We hope. Yes.
MACDONALD: Yes.
PAUL: We hope. Yeah. What about herbs?
MACDONALD: So, you have oregano and parsley, which are great for - to spice up your meats, great things like this. You have chives for like potatoes.
PAUL: Oh, yes.
MACDONALD: This is chives right here. You can just put those on some baked potatoes. So, it allows you to really enjoy your food and feel like you're part of the process.
PAUL: Is it - how easy is it to continue this process, though? I mean do they - does anything go dormant during certain seasons?
MACDONALD: No, as long as you have sunlight - you've got to feed it. So as long you have some plant food, some sunlight and some water, they'll be consistent throughout that and you can have fun. Just instead of building a whole garden, just find the ones that you can use consistently --
PAUL: Yes.
MACDONALD: And you enjoy and just start simple. Start one. I mean my call to action for everyone right now is find one of these --
(CROSSTALK)
MACDONALD: -- and make it happen and you'll see, it is going to be fun and then you'll keep expanding. That's how we really create a culture of health in our society.
PAUL: And it may help your bill, too.
MACDONALD: Exactly.
PAUL: Your grocery bill. Good, thank you.
MACDONALD: It doesn't get better than that, right?
PAUL: So good to have you here. Thank you for being here. We appreciate it.
You know it's called the annual Oscar nominees luncheon. I don't know how much home grown fruits and vegetables they have at that luncheon. But we were there. Talking with all the famous faces, hoping to win the most recognized trophy in the world, of course. Highlights from the ultimate Hollywood celebration, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All right, guys, we want to make sure that you're all ready for the week ahead. So, let's check out what's going on. First of all, Monday, did you know, Yoko Ono is turning 80. Michael Jordan 50. I know if you are feeling old yet? I know I am. Tuesday all eyes on Dell computer's Q4 earnings report. This is a big deal, of course, since they announced they'd go private last week. And then also on Tuesday, let's get to it here. We've got Warren Lee Hill, the death row inmate who has been declared mentally disabled. He is going to be executed in Georgia.
Moving here to Wednesday, if Lance Armstrong has any hopes to get his lifetime ban reduced, he has until Wednesday to speak with the USADA under oath about his performance enhancing drugs. And then also Wednesday, former New Orleans Ray Nagin going to be arraigned. He is accused of money laundering, of fraud. Accepting more than $200,000 in bribes. So, obviously, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Thursday, Friday, Saturday, not a lot going on yet, but you know it will fill up. Lots of good stuff, though Sunday to watch on TV.
First the Nascar Daytona 500 kicks off in Florida. Later that night, we have the 85th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills. So, we just want to make sure you knew what was coming up and you can set your calendar, I can say, accordingly. Can't wait, say, maybe for another week for Hollywood's biggest award show. I know that people want to see it, you're in luck because entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner - she got the gem assignment. She got to sit down with all of the nominees for a special Oscar look ahead. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of my favorite parts.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The annual Oscar nominees luncheon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today was the first day where it felt like, oh, this is really happening.
TURNER: A great excuse to get dolled up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I normally stay in my pajamas forever.
TURNER: And break bread --
(CROSSTALK)
TURNER: Or not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we have a lunch?
TURNER: With the who's who at this year's Academy Awards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To hug Steven Spielberg and say hello, it's ridiculous.
TURNER: No winners, no losers, just nominees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's some of them now.
TURNER: For some the beloved tradition is a reminder of early Oscar memories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My father worked for Price Waterhouse. When the accountants used to come on the Oscars, we would go crazy. I remember, one year my dad saying, I had a meeting with that guy once. And we - I just thought my dad was it. So, for me, this is something beyond the realms of imagination.
TURNER: For others the occasion validates years of sacrifice.
NAOMI WATTS, BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE "IMPOSSIBLE": It just seemed like it was too hard to continue to struggle.
TURNER (on camera): Right.
WATTS: I can't take this rejection any more. And then suddenly just as I made that decision I would get to the point where I bought my ticket home and then I would get a call.
TURNER (voice over): It mixes the excitement of youth --
(on camera): How did I get here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am looking around to all these legends and heroes.
TURNER (voice over): With the confidence of veterans. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Older and wiser.
TURNER: For the ultimate Hollywood celebration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is incredible. I saw Helen Hunt today and I was able to sort of communicate how much I loved her performance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Sally Field, I got to know Sally Field through this. You know, someone I've idolized my whole life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luncheon today, it's just the epitome of how lucky we are.
TURNER (on camera): What was the most fun part about today?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: All of it.
TURNER (voice over): Nischelle Turner, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: I want to thank you so much for sharing your morning with us. So we've got so much more ahead on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" for you, which starts right now.