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CNN Saturday Morning News

Winds Damage St. Louis Airport; Airstrike Near Gadhafi Compound; Syria Tense Following Protests; Royal Wedding Six Days Away; "Words Can Be Hurtful"; Home Brewer Tries Ancient Lenten Fast

Aired April 23, 2011 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there. Good morning, folks. From the CNN Center, this is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.

It is April the 23rd. It's 6:00 A.M. where I stand, here in Atlanta, Georgia, but it is 5:00 A.M. in St. Louis, and that's where we're going to have to start this morning.

There's been a massive storm there that has ripped through part of the city, but look at the airport. That airport this morning is shut down indefinitely. Reports of windows blown out, people bleeding, kids crying.

We will be talking to the people who were at that airport and who had to be evacuated even from their planes as this was believed to be a tornado by some. Not confirmed yet, but believed to be hit last night.

Also, the streets of Syria, getting violent - more violent, some would tell you. Demonstrators continue to protest against their government and the government firing back.

Now, President Obama has issued a stern warning, a stern statement to the government of Syria. You will be hearing that.

But let me get back to St. Louis right now where the airport there has been closed indefinitely this morning. No arrivals, no departures. Why? The airport was hit by high winds last night.

You're looking at a van there that is teetering on the edge of a parking garage. It was pushed there by the wind. Now, imagine if that had fallen on people. This could have been a lot worse than it was. Still, witnesses say it was a tornado that swept through, hasn't been confirmed yet, as I mentioned a moment ago. But even if it was just a bad storm, it doesn't matter, this is a lot of damage, no matter what.

It tore apart part of one of the terminals there. About half of the windows in one terminal, we're told, blown out. Planes were rocked on the tarmac. Some of the people were on those planes at the time. A few people injured by a lot of flying glass. A few people reportedly had to be taken to the hospital, some of them treated on the scene, but we're not getting word of any serious injuries.

We're also getting stories of people having to huddle inside bathrooms. The police chief says he's amazed that more people were not hurt.

It's not just the airport. The airport is about 11 miles outside of downtown St. Louis. But homes also in some neighborhoods in the area were damaged, roofs torn off, gas leaks as well that we're told about. Also some downed power lines.

I want to turn now to our Karen Maginnis who is keeping an eye on weather for us this weekend.

Not a tornado. We have to wait for those official words. But what is our guess right now?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Exactly. To me, this damage looks like either an EF-0 or EF-1 due to the damage. If it were flattened, we'd be talking about a different situation.

That is my estimate. They're going to send out survey crews to look at the damage and just kind of assess what kind of winds were associated with it and does the damage look like it was caused by a tornado? Usually what you see is debris that is swirled around as much as 360 degrees, if you will.

But they're saying out of that main concourse area, just about all of the windows were blown out, the roof was lifted off of a portion of one of the concourses. And you can imagine just how terrified folks were when this severe weather rocked this region.

Now, could it have been a tornado? Certainly, it could have because we're even seeing some very strong storms erupt across extreme Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. This is the core area right now that is seeing the most severe weather.

I just checked St. Louis. St. Louis is seeing just a few light showers, overcast skies, but the main threat of severe weather for today - let's just go ahead and show you what that is expected to be.

This is our possibility or probability of severe storms for today. You've got this warm, moist air which is coming out from the gulf, and, indeed, it is quite warm. Temperatures all across the southeast are expected to be more summer-like rather than Easter-like. There is definitely much cooler air behind this, and then this dry air, this - these are just key ingredients for severe weather enhancement. And, indeed, this is going to lie all the way down through the Ark-La-Tex region, all the way into West Virginia.

After last week, and we saw all the way from Oklahoma, into the Carolinas, the devastating damage and the fatalities, about 45 fatalities. This is going to be another interesting weekend, and it's very typical of Easter weather.

HOLMES: Yes.

MAGINNIS: It can be so violent.

HOLMES: All right. Good to have you, as always. Karen Maginnis, keeping an eye on things for us.

MAGINNIS: Thank you, T.J.

HOLMES: We'll talk to her plenty.

I do want to get back to St. Louis, some of those pictures - amazing pictures - from the airport. Just a - a harrowing night for a lot of people there, and some of them were actually on planes, getting ready to take off when all of this was going on.

One of them is Brett Knewitz. He is joining me on the line right now. Brett, thank you for taking some time with us.

Tell me, you were sitting on a plane? When did you knew - know something was certainly not quite right, but it was this bad?

BRETT KNEWITZ, EVACUATED FROM PLANE (via telephone): Well, I suppose that it was about the time that the plane started rocking from side to side.

HOLMES: Wow.

KNEWITZ: And I thought, well, we're not really supposed to have turbulence on the ground.

HOLMES: Well, Brett, how far had you gotten away from the actual gate? Were you out on the tarmac? Were you getting ready to take off? Where was the plane?

KNEWITZ: No, we were actually still at the gate. The ramp had been closed because of the - the lightning storms. And then, the - like I said, the plane started rocking side to side. And then they told us to leave everything and go, go, go. Get off the plane.

HOLMES: Did they - the way, I guess, they were telling you to get off the plane, were people panicked or was this fairly orderly?

KNEWITZ: They were pretty freaked out, actually. I - I think everybody was an American, and the TSA were doing a great job. But, as you might imagine, it was - it was a pretty panicked moment.

HOLMES: But they get you off the plane. Where do they take you?

KNEWITZ: Well, at first we were just put into the Jetway, and - but then, after we all got in there, they - at first they wouldn't allow us into the terminal, and I - my thought was -

HOLMES: Wow.

KNEWITZ: -- you know, the Jetway, this isn't really safe.

HOLMES: Stable. Yes.

KNEWITZ: But the reason being was because the - the roof was going to collapse inside. HOLMES: How long did all this take place from the - I guess that - that rocking and the shaking of that plane that you were on until, I guess, things calmed down? How - how long would you say all this was?

KNEWITZ: I would say about 30, 45 minutes.

HOLMES: Oh, wow. So this storm, you're getting rocked for quite some time.

Well, anybody that you could tell injured as far as the passengers, fellow passengers or any of the people once you finally did get back inside the terminal?

KNEWITZ: Once we got back in, I saw an American Airline gate agent who was bleeding pretty badly. And, again, when we got inside, all of the windows had been blown out of the C Concourse, and it was - it was very, very frightening.

HOLMES: All right, last thing, Brett, when are you getting home? When are you getting to where you're supposed to be going?

KNEWITZ: Well, I was visiting my parents in Illinois. I'm supposed to be going back to Albuquerque.

I hear that I may not be leaving St. Louis till, oh, Sunday-ish.

HOLMES: Oh, wow. OK. Well, yes. Right now, the airport, we're told, closed indefinitely. We'll see when they start getting things back up and running.

But Brett Knewitz, we appreciate you taking some time, sharing your story with our viewers. Thanks so much and good luck getting home, buddy.

KNEWITZ: My pleasure. Thank you very much.

HOLMES: All right. Again, we're keeping a close eye on that. Our Karen Maginnis, keeping an eye on the weather. Again, just a rough night for folks there in St. Louis.

I do want to turn overseas to Libya right now, where an airstrike on a parking lot outside Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli has killed three people. That strike presumably from NATO forces.

A government spokesman said he does not yet have the identities of those people who were killed in that air strike. The government also announced that forces loyal to Gadhafi will withdraw from the coastal city of Misrata, the third largest city in Libya, and allow tribal leaders to deal with opposition forces. But an opposition spokesman just laughed off any suggestion that tribal leaders will now intervene and possibly try to order an attack on the rebels.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Senator John McCain visited Libya, met with key leaders of the opposition. He is pushing for greater involvement in helping the rebels overthrow Gadhafi. Get more now on what's going on in the key cities of Misrata and Benghazi. Our Fred Pleitgen is in Tripoli for us now. Fred, hello to you, as always.

What do we know exactly about what is going on in Misrata right now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a very good question. We know that the Libyan deputy foreign minister, T.J., yesterday told us that in fact the forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi would withdraw completely from that city, and he said that this was basically an initiative that was brought on by the tribes themselves. Apparently the tribes contacted the Libyan military and said that clearly they weren't making any headway in trying to take back Misrata and therefore the tribes would take the matter into their own hands.

Now, according to the Libyan foreign - deputy foreign minister, the tribes are on the side of Moammar Gadhafi and they would negotiate with the rebels there in Misrata, and if the rebels don't come to a conclusion with them, then they would attack the rebels.

The rebels themselves, as you noted, have laughed off that notion. They say that this is not something where the rebels are holding siege the city but it is in fact uprising by the whole people of Misrata, and therefore the tribes are actually with them rather than with the Gadhafi military. We're going to have to wait and see whether or not that's actually the case. But, of course, this announcement comes at a very interesting point in time in that the rebels last night also told us that they'd effectively taken back the city center of Misrata from Gadhafi's forces militarily.

There - there were snipers on the buildings there. There are were tanks in the streets there. They say they've pretty much taken all of downtown Misrata back, and so, therefore, they're saying that Gadhafi is trying to make what is effectively a retreat from Misrata look as though it were a responsible withdrawal, looking for a solution, T.J.

HOLMES: Fred, I was talking to your colleague, Nic Robertson, yesterday, and he was talking about how McCain's visit, to have him sitting down with opposition leaders, kind of legitimizes them, helps their cause. He'll go out into the international community now and kind of spread that message back here in the U.S. as well.

How is his visit being viewed there in Libya by all sides? And do we really have any reaction to the - Gadhafi and his - and his administration to the visit by - by McCain?

PLEITGEN: Well, we certainly have reaction by Gadhafi's administration in the form also of the Libyan deputy foreign minister who yesterday at the press conference obviously brushed off that visit by Senator McCain, saying Senator McCain is someone who in the past has actually spoken to Gadhafi himself, that he was very disappointed by Senator McCain's visit, but, at the same time, said that he in no way feared that Senator McCain's visit could in fact drum up more support for the rebels.

Now, if you go to Benghazi, obviously the reaction is a very different one. They were absolutely thrilled to have Senator McCain there. They welcomed him as a hero of sorts, if you will, and Senator McCain, in return, of course said that the rebels to him were heroes as well. And, as you said, also called for more intervention and more - more involvement of the U.S. there with the rebels, to try and help them overthrow Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

And, certainly, it looks as though internationally, the - simply the fact that he came here, that's such a high level representative of the United States, even though he's obviously not acting on the part of the U.S. government. His trip certainly was sanctioned by the U.S. government, and that alone lends the rebels more credibility than they had before, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Fred Pleitgen for us in Tripoli. Fred, we appreciate you, as always.

I want to turn now to Syria, where more deadly violence from anti-government sentiment is taking place there. At least 43 people killed in a bloody day of confrontations in several cities.

Take a look, take a listen to this. This is happening on the streets.

(VIDEO CLIP))

Now, reliable figures about the numbers of dead, difficult to come by, Syria not allowing CNN to report from inside that country. Amnesty International has a different death toll, says at least 75 people were killed yesterday.

Meanwhile, President Obama issued a statement condemning the use of force by the Syrian government. He said, "The Syrian people have called for the freedoms that all individuals around the world should enjoy: freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and the ability to freely choose their leaders. President Assad and the Syrian authorities have repeatedly rejected their calls and chosen the path of repression."

Well, can you imagine being forced to evacuate your home. Finally you're able to return to your home, and there's nothing there.

That's what happened to a lot of these folks who are in those cars you see lined up right there. They are Texas wildfire evacuees who sat bumper to bumper to get home. Many of them find home all gone. We'll be hearing from one woman who lost everything.

Also, a lot of people out there keeping a close eye on those gas prices. You know it, you've been going to fill that tank up day after day, week after week. You see those gas prices getting higher, getting close to $4 on average in this country. They may continue to rise.

As gas prices go up, so will a lot of other things. WalletPop.com has released a list of 11 prices that will go up with the price of gas. Among them, would you believe, chocolate, one of them. Will cost you more because of the rising cost of transporting cocoa beans. Also, orange juice, coffee, bacon, beef could all go up by 50 percent or more. Rising produce means you'll pay more for bananas, potatoes, tomatoes. Stamps for postcards and packages could also increase.

But the top two things, one of them you probably could guess. The other maybe you haven't thought about. I'll tell you both of them in just a moment. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Sixteen minutes past the hour at the CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Before the break, I was telling you how high gas prices are going to impact 11 other things in your life. Listed several of them. But the top two, one of them you could guess - airline travel. Of, you see those ticket prices go up as you see the cost of fuel go up.

But this is the other one maybe you didn't think so much about is fast food. You could pay up to 30 cents more for that favorite burger or fries. McDonald's is one company that has announced that, yes, in fact, they will have to increase prices. Some - some airlines said they could cost you for your tickets between 6 and 17 percent more than they were last year.

Well, the FBI has released clearer photos of a possible suspect in an attempted bombing at a Littleton, Colorado mall. Two of the photos, you're seeing one here, show the man's face for the first time. It's a pretty good view of him there. A pipe bomb and two propane tanks were found at a Southwest Plaza Mall and they were found on the 12th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

Also, these cars in Texas filled with people trying to get into areas burned out by wildfires. Evacuated residents got the first look at their charred neighborhood since being forced to flee. But they had to leave again because more fires could flare up. The wildfires have burned nearly 1.5 million acres so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLYN BENNIS, LOST HOME IN FIRE: I kept saying to myself, you can't prepare yourself for this, you know, and you really can't. And I really did think that I would go and start bawling when I saw it, but it's just so - it's just so gone. There's nothing really to cry over.

You just drive up and go, really? How did this happen? Because last Saturday it was there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: High winds this weekend could cause more trouble for the hundreds of firefighters trying to control those fires. Well, an unknown white substance leads to some anxious moments for an Alaska Airlines flight crew. The plane was surrounded by emergency and Hazmat crews when it landed in Santa Ana, California. The powder was discovered in the bathroom. That's where it should have been. It was actually just residue that had come off the toilet paper in there. But still, they had to take these precautions.

Also, here is your Lindsay Lohan update. She was actually sentenced to 120 days in jail, but she only spent about five hours in custody before putting up the $75,000 bond to get out of jail last night. A judge gave her that 120-day sentence for violating parole by allegedly stealing a necklace from a jewelry store. She is now appealing that jail time, but still has to start serving community service at a Los Angeles women's shelter and at the L.A. County morgue.

Well, a lot of guys have asked the question before, can man live on beer alone? At least one guy and probably some other guys, too, one guy in Iowa says, of course, you can. I'll tell you how he's doing it, how exactly it ties back in to a Christian tradition.

But first, bookies in London, they're taking bets on just about anything related to the royal wedding. Believe it or not, a favorite topic for the royal bets is what color will Kate's wedding dress be? You may be surprised, but white is not the top choice for the odds makers. What does that say about Kate? The answer in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Twenty-one minutes past the hour.

I was telling you just 90 seconds ago that a London bookies taking bets on the royal wedding. A favorite topic is what color will Kate's wedding dress be? Bookies' favorite right now, four to six odds is that it's going to be ivory. Second on the list, white, five to two. The long shot is red. Now, you know, this woman is not going to step out on this day with the world watching in a red dress. Nobody should take that bet.

Now, something else that royal wedding watchers are wondering about right now - the couple's first dance. This is very traditional. Certainly, any wedding you've been to you've seen this. So what are they going to do here? Right now, a dance is not planned at the reception, a first dance, and we might know why.

I want you to look at your television screen now and this may explain why there's no plan for a first dance for the couple. Check this out.

Yes. That might not be his strong suit. I don't know what they call that. He - the royal shuffle maybe. I don't know. But that's Prince William. This was a few years ago. He was caught dancing. This was an all-star concert for Diana. This is back in '07. His brother there, Prince Harry, hanging out with him, telling, please, stop, somebody is filming this, my man. We're not sure what he's doing, but that was his dancing. Maybe that's the reason why. But, yes, here we are a week until this royal wedding, less than a week now. A lot of people, you remember your wedding, other people's wedding. What are they doing before the wedding - the week before? Making sure the dress, flowers, cake, all that stuff is set.

But is that what the royal couple is doing as well? Zain Verjee joins me now from Westminster Abbey. Good to see you as always. You know what? Skip all of that stuff I just said about a week before. We got some - can I call this breaking royal news? We now have this official book and we're getting more details about the guests, who's going to be there, where they're sitting. Give me the breaking news.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's going to be 1,900 guests, about 650 are going to be invited to a lunchtime reception from the Queen and a lucky 300 only to the evening reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Prince Charles.

But their - the names, you know, basically go from the royals, to heads of state, to the defense and political establishment. So the names, T.J., that stuck out to me, Elton John, close friend of Princess Diana. He's going to be here. Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean, he'll be here, too. Even the friend of Prince Charles, Mrs. and Mrs. David Beckham also invited. Guy Ritchie, filmmaker and also, you know this guy, don't you, T.J.? (INAUDIBLE) will be here, too.

HOLMES: How did he get invited?

VERJEE: Good question. Apparently, you know, Prince William was in Australia, he met with him and he really supports some of the charities (INAUDIBLE), you know, for kids health and education and that kind of thing. And they hit it off and he supports it. And Australia is also part of the Commonwealth, so they have a representation there. But I think it's like a personal invitation.

HOLMES: OK. Well, things certainly seem to be buzzing. Several things are going on. I know it's a Saturday there. We're going to be talking to Zain plenty throughout the day. Well, just a little preview here, but a lot more to ask you about when it comes to maybe that wedding list changing, also security going on there as well.

Zain, we'll check in with you here again shortly. Thank you so much. And to our viewers, you can see all the royal updates and Zain's Twitter now, it's @zainverjeecnn. Be sure to check out the special wedding page on CNN.com. You'll be able to have a complete guide there to the wedding along with inside looks of the fashions and the food. Again, that's at CNN.com.

Well, a lot of people, you remember this name? Amy Chua. Well, if the name doesn't sound familiar, then the title might sound familiar - Tiger Mom, America's most controversial mom. Well, now she's been named one of the world's most influential people. She'll be here with me live just ahead.

But first, take a look at this. People use the phrase "getting thrown under the bus." I use that phrase all the time. They literally threw a prize under the bus. Details in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, we're getting close to the bottom of the hour now.

NBA Playoffs in the midst right now. But one NBA game looking like a hockey game. Check this out. This happened in Atlanta, right next to where I sit right now. A little bit of head butting and a little swipe to the face.

This is the Hawks and the Magic last night. That was the Magic guard, Jason Richardson, going up against a much bigger guy. You see him there? Number 27? Zaza Pachulia. A little bump, a little head butt. Ah, a little smack to the face. Both of these guys end up getting ejected. The Hawks ended up winning the game. Now having the series lead, two to one.

Ah, let's turn to New York. Well, they say Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in the world. Well, some bad basketball being played there by the Knicks. Last night, the Knicks blown out by the Celtics. The Knicks have not won a playoff game in, what is it? Is it 10 years now? Do I have that right? Haven't won a game. Last night, no exception. That continues for them now.

Also we'll turn to - I guess things are all right with the world now, now that the Lakers are back on track. But last night, went to New Orleans playing the Hornets. They're now up two games to one over the Hornets, final score 100 to 86 there.

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers may be trying to do some damage control after the Lakers highest score and highest profile player, and, really, one of the most famous athletes in the world, he hurled a derogatory slur at a referee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS GUARD: There are all kinds of different of people in the world. That's what makes the world special, so whether someone is different than you -

LAMAR ODOM, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: And race -

PAU GASOL, LOS ANGELES LAKERS POWER FORWARD: ethnicity -

SHANNON BROWN, LOS ANGELES LAKERS GUARD: political beliefs -

RON ARTEST, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: Religion -

BRYANT: -- or sexual orientation, words can be hurtful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

***30 HOLMES: There again, you are seeing a PSA there, that the team, Kobe included, recorded. Bryant was also fined $100,000 for that slur. He and the Lakers organization are also planning to team up with GLAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, to address anti-gay bias in sports.

Well, the football fans in Madrid waited 18 years to get their hands on the trophy, the King's Cup, is what they call it. That is why, check this out, do they even deserve it? They finally got it after 18 years and look at how they treat it. There it is. Yes, team celebrating on the bus. The guy drops it, not just drops it, he runs over it. Now, this is a coveted prize, folks. I can't explain it enough. It's one of the highest -- the most coveted prize there in Spain.

The guy who was showing it off got a little excited, dropped it, went under the bus. They run over it. They got the trophy back and put it back on the bus. They say it wasn't damaged. We'll see about that.

Coming up in just a moment, what inspired one man to turn a holy period into a month-long happy hour? That story just ahead.

But first, we were telling you about the severe storms and now the airport in St. Louis is shut down indefinitely. Passengers report that planes were shaking, kids crying, people bleeding. We're hearing from them after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're at 34 minutes past of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us.

Let's get caught up on some of the stories making headlines now.

Including in Libya where an airstrike hit a parking lot outside Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli. Killed three people killed, the strike presumably from NATO forces. No word yet on the identities of the people killed. The government also announced that forces loyal to Gadhafi will withdraw from the coastal city Misrata to allow tribal leaders to deal with opposition forces.

To Syria now where the unrest is going, at least 43 people killed Friday in confrontations between protesters and government forces in cities across that country. Thousands of protesters defiantly marched against the government following the weekly prayers, calling for political change.

Also back here in the U.S., the St. Louis airport closed indefinitely. Look at the pictures and you will understand why. It was hit by high winds last night, some witnesses say in fact it was a tornado. The main terminal building, badly damaged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sirens started going off and so we hurried in, and almost instantaneously, all the windows just started blowing out like at one time. The next thing we know, we heard crashes, and all the poles were falling. And they told to us go down to a bunker underneath the airport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: About 500 people were inside the airport at the time. No serious injuries, though, reported.

People have been asking this question for a long time, can a man live on beer alone? Probably not recommended, but it sounds like a good time, doesn't it? A man out of Iowa made a bizarre but intriguing sacrifice for Lent. He is giving up food. For the past 45 days he's lived off beer. Yep. You can live off beer alone. Jay Wilson joining me now live from Iowa.

Jay would you say it's true, a man can live off beer alone?

JAY WILSON, MAN GIVES UP FOOD FOR LENT: Well, beer and water anyway. I've certainly been drinking water for hydration and everything has gone well. Yes, I guess with a caveat.

HOLMES: We can't help but notice, Jay, you look a little lighter since you started this.

WILSON: Yes. I've lost about 26 pounds, I think maybe as of yesterday. So -- but I knew that was going to happen. I bulked up beforehand. I gained 20 pounds in advance so I'd have something to lose. I'm a fairly slender individual to begin with.

HOLMES: A lot of people have the question, how much beer were you drinking every day? And also wondering are you drinking at work? Don't answer that yet.

In two minutes my conversation with Jay will continue with those two questions. We're right back in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Thirty-nine minutes past the hour.

Catholics usually give up something during Lent, that 46-day holy period leading up to Easter. But Jay Wilson gave up food. Yes, and for the past 45 days he's lived off beer. He has a day to go. I'll continue my conversation with Jay, who's joining me from Iowa now.

The question a lot of people had, and I certainly had, how much beer a day were you drinking?

WILSON: It's basically been four or five beers a day. I started out four beers a day during the workweek and five beers a day on the weekends, because my schedule is a little looser. And that would give me the opportunity to get just a little more nourishment. In the last week or so I've kicked it up to five beers per day just as I get into the home stretch here. I just wanted a little bit more. I knew it was not really being a problem for me to drink four beers a day. I can totally function fine. I tried for the sake of a few more calories added in that fifth beer, full time now.

HOLMES: Have you had a beer yet this morning?

WILSON: No, not yet this morning. At this point drinking a beer at 7:00 or 8:00 o'clock in the morning is my breakfast.

HOLMES: Wow. How do you handle-you have a day job, I have that right?

WILSON: Right, right, yes.

HOLMES: How do-I assume you have colleagues or bosses, they OK? Because you have to get this beer in at some point during the day?

WILSON: Sure. Yes, I couldn't be doing this project without the blessing of my boss. I need to have these beers spaced out in my day. It's not a matter of getting to 5:00 and then, you know, slamming back four or five beers.

So I approached my boss a year ago. And said I'm thinking about doing this project next year. I'm looking to write this book. I'm wanting to conduct this experiment.

And so one of my publishers happens to be a home brewer himself. You know, he'll shoot me e-mails during the workday asking me advice on, you know, brewing this kind of beer or that kind of beer. I've been a home brewer for 14 years. We have these conversations. It's a real supportive environment for that. Not very many people can do this job, but I'm able to do it.

HOLMES: And Jay, a lot of people might hear this initially, that a guy is just drinking beer for Lent and they just think it sounds silly. A guy's going on a binge but this has roots.

WILSON: Yes.

HOLMES: Hundreds of years back, monks used to actually do this. Did this actually -- I mean, what was the purpose? I won't put word into your mouth. What was your real purpose in doing this besides just an experiment?

WILSON: Sure. The idea came to me because I'm a home brewer for the last 14 years. I'm a craft beer enthusiast. I just like the tradition and the history of some of these beers. Dapple Boch (ph) is particularly intriguing. Because it has a history in the 1600s. It was developed by German monks outside of Munich. So, I just really found the story of its origins, this is the beer they consumed during their liquid fast, during the duration of Lent. I thought, well, I wonder if you could really do that? Is that true? That kind of thing. So, I thought I would check it out for myself firsthand. HOLMES: Jay, it looks like you made it through. You told me the first thing you're going to eat tomorrow -- not really eat, you have to ease back into it is a bacon smoothie. Ah, sounds great, Jay? Congratulations on making it through this thing, buddy. Congratulations. We'll talk to you down the road. We look forward to seeing that book come out. Thanks so much.

WILSON: Thanks. Take care.

HOLMES: To our viewers, about 42 minutes after the top of the hour. "Time" came out with their list of the 100 most influential people in the world this week. I invited all 100, called them all, to ask them be on my show this morning. Only one said yes. She'll join me, next.

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HOLMES: About a quarter to the top of the hour now.

She was dubbed the country's most controversial mom, after some people thought she suggested that American mothers were inferior to mothers in China. But now, Amy Chua being recognized as one of the most influential people of the year.

She's author of "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." You probably heard of it by now. The book got people pretty worked up about her tough love parenting style. Now she is one of this year's "Time" 100, the magazine's ranking of the most influential people of the year. She's the one out of the 100 who would agree to be with me this morning.

So Amy, good to see you again. Good morning.

Now, I'm going to let you try to explain one more time, were things taken really out of context after that "Wall Street Journal" ran an excerpt that said why Chinese parents are superior. Do you think that was the, or maybe one of the moments where people got the wrong idea and turned against you, because they thought you were saying Chinese parenting was better than American parenting?

AMY CHUA, AUTHOR, BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER: Oh, my gosh, I was shocked when I saw that headline. It actually says the opposite on the cover of my book. It's about how I was humbled by my 13-year- old. So I think that is what caused the controversy.

But you know, in retrospect now, T.J., I feel like I had some tough moments, but I feel like the fact that people wanted to have this conversation, and to debate, I think it's a sign of the vibrancy of the country. I really do. This is not an apathetic country. It's one that wants to have a conversation, try to get it right.

HOLMES: You certainly with this book now have had influence but what do you think now? And congratulations on being named one of the "Time" 100 but what do you think your influence has been?

CHUA: First of all, it is such an honor. I mean, I was so surprised, to be on a list with people who have changed governments in the Middle East, and saved lives, and all these great artists, it's very humbling -and very exciting.

My daughters just can't believe I'm on the same list with Mark Wahlberg. I sort of feel like I was an accidental catalyst. I really do. This is a country that, you know, we have conversations. And I think parenting is one of the hardest -- it probably is the hardest thing that I've certainly ever done. There's no one right answer. I deeply believe there are many good ways of parenting, but I think we can learn from each other.

My book is in some ways about my mistakes, but I think in some ways Americans also are interested in maybe-maybe what we're good at, as you know, teaching our kids how to be free, and to think outside of the box. And to, you know, that's what we're good at, to be creative. But maybe we can also teach our kids to be a little bit more self- disciplined, a stronger work ethic in the early years. It's a fiercely competitive world out there. I think we'll be better, I really do.

HOLMES: It sounds like it wasn't meant to be a parenting guide. It was meant to be more, self deprecating.

CHUA: No.

HOLMES: You were making fun of yourself, and your upbringing, and the way you parent now. But do you think, and it sounds like you- the little advice in that last answer you gave-but do you have some advice for those American parents?

CHUA: You know-

HOLMES: Yes, go ahead?

CHUA: You know, I really don't -- it's not so much advice for any specific family as, again, we can all learn from each other. You know, it's interesting. China is looking to the United States right now. We have the most creativity, the most dynamism, top universities in the world. China is looking to the United States to try to learn how to be able to generate more creativity. I think we should do the same in America. We don't want to be complacent and say, hey, we're the best. I think we should build on our strengths.

Here's what we do well. You know, we generate so much energy and independence. But maybe we can do better. Maybe our kids can learn at an earlier - you know, an early age to sit still, focus a little bit better, work a little harder, especially in this day of iPods and all these distractions. I think we can -- we can just improve.

HOLMES: To wind down, I know we've had you on before, had plenty of conversations about the book, and that parenting aspect. I wanted to have you on as you being one of the 100. And part of that is your photo shoot for the "Time" 100. We're going to put this up. When I first saw it, Amy, I thought those tigers were brought in with some kind of fancy, you know, computer generated tigers. That was the real deal. CHUA: They were real.

HOLMES: Was it not?

CHUA: They were real. They were supposed to be-they told me they would be little six-week-old cubs the size of dogs. But there was a mistake and they were six months old. They were huge 200-pound things. It was the most exciting thing for our family actually. I think I was just too ignorant to know--

HOLMES: That you should be scared?

CHUA: Had I known how dangerous they were--yes.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: The last thing, your daughter now has a blog, as well. And your daughter, has she decided where he's going to school?

CHUA: I think she's going to Harvard.

HOLMES: She is going to Harvard. You're a Yale professor.

CHUA: Yes.

HOLMES: But she wants to go to Harvard?

CHUA: Yes, she needs to be a little farther away from me.

HOLMES: OK.

CHUA: But she's great.

HOLMES: She's great. I know she has a blog and she's taking some of that same temperament and using some of that same humor, quite frankly, you used in your book, on her blog and try to make fun.

CHUA: She's really funny.

HOLMES: Amy Chua, it is good to see you. Thank you for being the only one of the 100 who was willing to come on with me this morning.

CHUA: Thanks, T.J. for having me.

HOLMES: Thank you so much. I'm sure we'll talk to you again down the road. Thanks so much.

CHUA: Thanks.

HOLMES: All right. We're getting close to ten minutes to the top of the hour here now.

Combat photographers, as we know, often risk their lives trying to bring images to the world. Well, just this week, two of them, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros killed covering the conflict in Libya. Back in the early '90s four photographers caught the world's attention because of the extraordinary risks they took, and the pictures they took as well during South Africa's turbulent four-year transition from apartheid to democracy.

Their story has now turned into a book and a movie. It's called "The Bang-Bang Club." We spoke with Ryan Phillippe who plays one of the original members of that group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN PHILLIPPE, ACTOR, "THE BANG-BANG CLUB": Re-enacting the moment when Greg shot his Pulitzer prize-winning photograph, I had seen a day or so before actual video of the incident, that still haunts me when I think about it. That left an indelible imprint.

And I think also just having, you know, the actual -- South Africa, Johannesburg and the townships haven't changed that drastically from the time in which the story took place. I think experiencing the people and their reaction to us filming the movie was incredibly powerful because of how fresh and raw it still seemed in the minds of the people who lived through it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: You'll hear more of our interview with Ryan Phillippe. And also from the man sitting next to him. That was one of the original survivors, excuse me, one of the photographers and now he is only one of two surviving members of that group of photographers. Their story, coming up.

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HOLMES: More on a story we showed you just a moment ago. Those photo journalists, the combat photo journalists, risk their lives bringing us the images from the front lines of war. Now a book and a movie called "The Bang-Bang Club" shows the extraordinary lengths four men took to get the perfect shot. And how their emotional detachment from the violence they witnessed later affected their lives.

Our Nadia Bilchik, here with our "Morning Passport."

You talked to one of these photographers. It was a group of four of them, right?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN PRODUCER: It was a group of four known as The Bang-Bang Club.

Why the Bang-Bang Club? Because they witnessed so much shooting. They took these very violent pictures between 1990 and 1994. So, Mandela had been released from South Africa but yet to become president. It was a very volatile time. It makes one realize how much Mandela really contributed, because it was a very, very conflicted time prior to that, and how he united the country.

These four gentlemen, of the four, one committed suicide, one was killed. Greg Marinovich, the one who is sitting next to Ryan Phillippe, in the interview, was shot several times. And one recently Ross Silver, had his legs literally blown off in Afghanistan last year.

So you ask yourself why do journalists do this? We've just seen two being killed, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros. So, I asked Greg Marinovich, who is the person that Ryan Phillippe plays in the movie, why do journalists do this? So, let's hear what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG MARINOVICH, COMBAT/CONFLICT PHOTOJOURNALIST: For those who go into conflict zones, I think, most should, or do, understand that there are risks involved. You can't go into a war zone and think you're a inviolate and some are going to get away with this unscathed. One never expects to die or be mutilated, but it does happen, sadly.

I think that's part of what certain people do. It's -- I think it's very sad that it happened to these two guys and many other journalists, there are several missing in Libya as we speak. But it mustn't overshadowed what is happening to the people who are not there voluntarily, the civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BILCHIK: Greg Marinovich is a Pulitzer prize, award-winning photo journalists. I asked Ryan Philippe why this role, why this movie. So let's hear from Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPPE: I'm drawn to true stories. And I think that's a huge part of it for me. I think also the fact that there was an education that I could experience. I loved the preparation for this film. I loved getting back into shooting on film photography. And, yes, I was compelled by the historical relevance of this subject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BILCHIK: I have to tell you, his South African accent is "bia hut" (ph). He knows how to say how's it? I said how's it, Ryan? And he said, "How's it?" And it was perfect.

HOLMES: Of course, our Nadia Bilchik with the South African roots. And when will this-is the movie out yet?

BILCHIK: The movie is out on video on demand and in several cities. "The Bang-Bang Club" directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Steven Silva.

HARRIS: All right. Nadia Bilchik, again, bringing this one to our eyes. This is-and you were the one who brought this to our team's attention. I'm glad we were able to do this, this week. Nadia, thank you so much.

Well, an air strike on Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Libya was a direct hit. We'll be live in Libya in just a moment to find out exactly what happened here.

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