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CNN Live Sunday

Troops Sent to East Timor to Calm Rising Violence; Paul Newman's Latest Project; Memorial Day Concert Emphasizes Meaning of Holiday

Aired May 28, 2006 - 18:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Emergency aid and food arrive in Indonesia, 36 hours after a quake kills more than 4,000 and leaves almost a quarter of a million homeless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL MOONEY, COMEDIAN: Much to do about nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Paul Mooney uses it all the time. But is it OK to use the n-word?

And Brad and Angelina have a new addition. So why go all the way to Africa to have a baby? This is CNN LIVE SUNDAY and I'm Carol Lin. But first, let's update you on what's making headlines right now.

The death toll from the Indonesia earthquake is now more than 4,600. And some 200,000 people have lost their homes. Rescue crews are searching for survivors and emergency aid has finally started to arrive. We've got a full report from the region in just one minute.

And it was an emotional day for Pope Benedict XVI. Today he stopped at the former Nazi death camp, Auschwitz. The pope is German and he feels a special duty to follow John Paul, who visited the camp in 1979.

A noisy display at the nation's capital today -- You're just seeing some of the tens of thousands of motorcycles which roared through the streets. It's the annual Rolling Thunder Ride honoring veterans and prisoners of war and Americans missing in action.

Barry Bonds finally takes the Babe down a peg. Tonight, San Francisco's embattled slugger hit his 715th career home run in front of his hometown fans. The homer put Bonds one over Babe Ruth's record. Hammerin' Hank Aaron is right on top of the list at 755 home runs.

A hate crime trial of Nicholas Minucci resumes this week in New York. Minucci is accused of beating an African-American man while shouting the N-word. Now, his defense argues that using the N-word does not constitute a hate crime.

Right now, we want to ask you. Should anyone ever use the N- word? That's our last call question tonight. So give us a call at 1- 800-807-2620. We're going to air some of your answers at the end of the program.

All right, those are the top headlines. But right now, this is the top story. It took 36 hours to get food, water, medicine to earthquake survivors in Indonesia. But rough weather is making it very difficult for aid workers. The government says 4,600 people died, and the death toll is still climbing.

And these pictures that you're looking at right now give you an idea of the incredible scope of human suffering and devastation. CNN's Dan Rivers is on the ground with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Picking their way through a shattered landscape, the survivors of Indonesia's latest strategy. This is all that remains of the village of Mbulus Kulon, near the earthquake's epicenter. I met one survivor, Saratman (ph), clambering across the debris. Ninety-five percent of the houses here have been destroyed.

He vividly describes the moment he was jolted awake in terror. We went to the skeleton of his house, where he relived the awful moment he found his father's body crushed beneath the rubble. The trauma of this disaster is raw and painful.

(on camera): Saratman's (ph) house is completely destroyed and you come in here and it's just full of the debris of everyday life. Bookcase full of CDs and children's toys. And this is where Saratman's (ph) father died and miraculously, he, his wife and his two children somehow managed to escape.

(voice-over): Across this province, the injured are continuing to arrive in overwhelmed hospitals. Many in agony after being crushed in the collapsing homes. The Indonesian army continues to recover the dead. Village after village has been flattened by this earthquake, which struck just before dawn as this rural population slept.

Back in Mbulus Kulon, Saratman (ph) takes me on a tour of what remains of the main street in his community, now just a collection of splintered homes. Like so many of the survivors, Saratman (ph) is now living in a tent. It's barely waterproof, but for now this is home for some 30 survivors, including Saratman's grieving mother, Wagona (ph).

She is 75-years-old and suddenly a widow. I leave him as a collection of freshly dug graves. Saratman's (ph) father, his aunt and his two cousins have all just been buried. They all perished in an instant, changing his world forever. Dan Rivers, CNN, Mbulus Kulon, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Unimaginable grieving there. Now oddly, there were two other earthquakes this morning, in Papua New Guinea and Tonga. They hit ten minutes apart from each other. And each was about as strong as yesterday's 6.3 magnitude quake in Indonesia. Now, so far there are no reports of anyone being hurt.

All right, so who is giving money to help? Well, we want to show you. We're tallying it up ourselves. The European Union, for example, pledged just under $4 million. And Australia is pledging $2.7 million. Now, the United States, remember how criticized it was for not giving enough during the tsunami? Well, the United States committed $2.5 million. And other countries are giving supplies and food.

Now, if you want to donate money, you can call 1-800-Red Cross, or go their Web site. A lot of help is needed on the ground.

Now Pope Benedict XVI is back in Italy. It has been an emotional day for the German-born Pope. He spent it honoring victims of the Holocaust at Auschwitz and Poland. And as he prayed, a rainbow pushed through the clouds. The Pope said it was a sign that God was watching over the place. Here's more now on his visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

REPORTER (translating, voice-over): In this place of horror, and this place of crimes against God and against man, which has no parallel in history, in a place like this, it is hard to find the words. And perhaps the only thing that is possible is silence. And the silence, interior silence, which is a cry to the Lord, why have you been silent? In front of these stones, we see the destiny of innumerable human beings. Humanity has gone through the period of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the dark valley. And that remembering will help to resist evil and will make love triumph.

Pope John Paul II was here as a son of the Polish people. I am here today as a son of the German people. And this is exactly why I have to -- and I have to say, like him, I could not not come here. I had to come. It was in front of this truth and the -- right in front of all those who had suffered, and in front of God, it was my right to be here, as a successor of John Paul II, and as a son of the German people.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: But there was a shadow cast on the Pope's visit. Poland's chief rabbi was attacked. Rabbi Michael Schudrich was attacked last night by a man with pepper spray. The man shouted Poland for Poles. The police are treating the incident as an anti-semitic attack.

Now, coming up tonight at 10:00, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner, Elie Wiesel, walked the grounds of Auschwitz with Oprah Winfrey, reflecting on the terrible loss of so many lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIE WIESEL, AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR: How many Nobel Prize winners died at the age of one? Two? And whose shoes are here?

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Yes.

WIESEL: One of them could have discovered the remedy for cancer, for aids.

WINFREY: How many scientists, how many...

WIESEL: The great poets, the great dreamers.

WINFREY: ... contributions, yes, contributions to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Elie Wiesel was 15-years-old when he was sentenced to Auschwitz. And he watched as his mother and sister were killed by the Nazis. Elie Wiesel is an icon of the Holocaust, and he is my guest tonight at 10:00 Eastern.

In our world wrap right now, Ariel Sharon is now at a long-term care facility near Tel Aviv. It is a sign that doctors believe the former Israeli prime minister will not regain consciousness. Sharon has been in a coma since he suffered a stroke back in January.

And Australia is sending hundreds more troops to east Timor to try to calm rising violence there. Rival gangs have been battling in the streets and burning buildings in the capital. Tens of thousands of people have cleared out.

Boy, an amazing discovery on Mt. Everest. Get this. An Australian mountain climber left for dead is found alive. Fifty-year- old Lincoln Hall collapsed from altitude sickness while climbing down the world's highest mountain. Now, his guides had to leave him Thursday when they ran out of oxygen. But Friday, an American climber found him still breathing, and he called rescuers.

A British film won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" beat 19 other contenders for the prestigious Palme D'Or award. Now, the movie is about Ireland's struggle for independence.

And Brangelina's baby girl -- We have a report from South Africa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No other group had to tell their people, their community, to not use a derogatory term to relate to themselves.

LIN: Should the N-word be abolished? That's our discussion in 20 minutes.

And thousands of bikers roll through the nation's capital. Hear their message.

UNIDENTIFIED VOICES: Ow! Oh, man! Oh! Ow! Ow!

LIN: That's Lighting McQueen, the star of a new movie coming out by Pixar and Disney.

Doc Hudson is played by Paul Newman. And he is really terrific.

PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: Wounded and as a result he's become -- he was shortchanged. And as a result, he's become a recluse. LIN: Paul Newman talks exclusively with me about his first film in four years, and what he would change about his life. You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, this is what you Web surfers are voting as the most popular stories on our Web site. Pat Tillman's last moments -- CNN studied thousands of documents to create an animated depiction of what happened to Pat Tillman in Iraq.

And a federal grand jury found a wealthy couple in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin guilty of harboring an illegal immigrant and forcing her to work as their maid for 19 years.

And it's a girl. The Brangelina baby is born. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie celebrate the birth of a girl, a little baby in Namibia. CNN.com has more details.

All right. So, why go all the way to Africa to have a baby? Well one possibility is getting away from the paparazzi. And even inside Namibia, news of the country's newest baby has been slow getting around. Details from CNN's Robyn Curnow.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Although she's only a few hours old, the newborn daughter of Hollywood superstars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is no doubt already one of Namibia's most famous daughters, not that Namibians would know.

The news broke a little bit too late last night for it to make the Sunday papers. And, in fact, about ten hours after the announcement by Brad Pitt's L.A. publicist, many major news organizations and news networks in Namibia weren't aware of the birth.

But that's not to say that Namibians aren't excited and intrigued and somehow have enjoyed and felt honored by the presence of the celebrity couple in their country. In fact, in an informal radio poll, 52 percent of listeners voted for there to be a public holiday declared on the day of the birth. So when the news eventually does filter out, I'm sure there will be very many proud Namibians.

Also Namibia's very accepting, as I said, of the couple in the country, because they feel that it may boost tourism and, of course, put this remote African nation on the map.

And as for Angelina Jolie, who is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, the birth of little Shiloh Nouvel is no doubt a welcome addition to her very own United Nations family. The little girl joins adopted children from Ethiopia and Cambodia. Robin Curnow, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Well, many people in Namibia are just delighted about the news of the baby. Jolie is a United Nations goodwill ambassador and first visited Namibia back in 2002.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was born here to movie star actress, and maybe one day she will come back and see where she's born.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very good news for me, because I mean, she's adopted two children from other nations already, and to have one of your own, it's -- I mean, it's very good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now she can go to America and say, yes, she's a Namibian. She's from Africa. Now that's really wonderful.

LIN: Well, the media frenzy surrounding Jolie's baby, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Tonight on "CNN PRESENTS," a fascinating look at society's obsession with celebrities. "Chasing Angelina" airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and again at 11:00, only on CNN.

Well, especially on Memorial Day, you may have trouble dealing with this next story.

TONIA SARGENT, MILITARY WIFE: Bill collectors were calling. They did not care that my husband was injured. They wanted me to send a minimum payment. $7. They said, we'll call back next week. Can you send $7. And I said, you don't understand. I have no money. It's either feed my children or pay you.

LIN: When they're most vulnerable, military families are starting to take care of themselves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Every week, we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. So today, we're going to tell you the story of a military wife making a difference. CNN's Kareen Wynter has this remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNETH SARGENT, INJURED MARINE: These are the actual goggles I had on my head. They were on my eyes, of the day I got shot.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kenneth Sargent doesn't remember much about the ambush attack in Iraq nearly two years ago that almost killed him.

KENNETH SARGENT: One bullet really tore me up.

WYNTER: Sargent showed us a piece of metal the bullet ricocheted from before shattering his skull.

KENNETH SARGENT: It went through my right eye. It came out the left side of my head.

WYNTER: After he was evacuated home, his wife Tonia left their two teenage daughters in California and flew to the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, where her husband was being treated.

TONIA SARGENT: I'm thinking how do you replace 17 years of memories? What am I going to see?

WYNTER: And where would she stay? Tonia says the military had limited long-term lodging for families of the sick or injured, but for a fee. She says the Marine Corps referred her to a nonprofit organization called Fisher House. It provides free housing at major military medical centers.

TONIA SARGENT: It was a big slap in my face that I have to rely on a nonprofit?

WYNTER: The brain-injured marine was recovering, but still had months of treatment ahead of him. The couple left Maryland a month later and moved closer to home, a V.A. hospital in Palo Alto, California with again limited lodging, and no Fisher House.

TONIA SARGENT: Bill collectors were calling. They did not care that my husband was injured. And I said, you don't understand. I have no money. It's either feed my children or pay you.

WYNTER: Overwhelmed by the military's medical system, Tonia says she began campaigning for reforms -- funding that would help families of disabled or injured. Today, the Sargents look back at the event that changed their lives.

TONIA SARGENT: Do you want me -- hand on my shoulder?

KENNETH SARGENT: Yeah.

WYNTER: Kenneth Sargent still has trouble walking, talking, remembering the past. Tonia helped form her own nonprofit organization for military families and raised funds for a Fisher House in Palo Alto.

KENNETH SARGENT: We can help as many young marines and Army guys that are out there that need help. That's what I love the most, even though we were -- I was injured myself.

WYNTER: The Sargents say every day is a challenge. But they find comfort in knowing their work will help other families who suddenly face a similar crisis. Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: In Washington, rolling thunder makes itself heard. The motorcycle caravan of veterans rode to the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials today. They Vietnam vets are paying tribute to fellow veterans and bringing attention to POWs and MIAs.

Hip-Hop music laced with the N-word, black comics even want to trademark it. Well, I have a comedian Paul Mooney in five minutes.

And that's our last call question tonight. Is it every OK to use the N-word?

Now, Florida's counted its alligators. Guess how many? You've got places to go and people to see, and the last thing you want to do is stand in line. So where do Americans most hate to wait? Sorry, but you're going to have to wait for the answer. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Let's catch you up on the news right now, especially in Indonesia, where it's a race against time. Search crews are on the ground, trying to find survivors from yesterday's deadly earthquake. And emergency relief supplies are finally arriving. It's taken some 36 hours to do so. 200,000 people lost their homes.

Pope Benedict XVI -- It is his last day in Poland. And he made a somber stop on his final day to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

And talk show host Oprah Winfrey also went to Auschwitz, but with Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Elie Wiesel. They talked about continuing the relevance to the next generation of what happened at Auschwitz. And we're going to have much more on this tonight, including a live interview with Elie Wiesel at 10 o'clock.

Hey, Barry Bonds is beating out the Babe. The San Francisco Giants slugger hit his 715th career home run this afternoon. Now, he's only second to Hank Aaron on the major league baseball's home run list.

And the long-awaited baby -- Brangelina, that's actually our nickname for it. Angelina Jolie gave birth to Brad Pitt's daughter in the African nation of Namibia. And a Namibian doctor says the mother and daughter are doing well. Her name is Shiloh.

There is a trial underway in New York this week, in which a white man is accused of beating an African-American while shouting the N- word. Now the defense argues using the N-word does not signify a hate crime. But now a Web site, abolishthenword.com, is trying to get rid of the word altogether.

Now we must warn you that the images from their site are graphic, and you might find parts of this segment offensive. CNN understands the sensitivity of this topic, and as part of our standards and practices, we do not use or write the full spelling of the N-word. Here's our Tony Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(MUSIC)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): You hear the word in music, in movies, too much so for abolishthenword.com founders, Jill Merritt and Kovon Flowers.

KOVON FLOWERS, CO-FOUNDER, ABOLISHTHENWORD.COM: The music industry, I feel, is, like, in a state of emergency.

HARRIS: In fact, it's so common place, a New York lawyer says he plans to use the word's frequent use to help clear his white client of hate crime charges. Nick Minucci is accused of beating a black man with a baseball bat last June while yelling the N-word during the attack in Brooklyn. Minucci's attorney says use of the word cannot be a criteria for a hate crime, because blacks frequently use it as a term of endearment. Minucci, a fan of rap music, says he hears the word all the time from artists 50 Cent, Jay-Z and others.

JILL MERRITT, CO-FOUNDER, ABOLISHTHENWORD.COM: It is not a term of endearment. It is a derogatory, racial epithet. It always will be. It always has been.

HARRIS: It's that history of the word the site's founders are counting on to change public opinion.

(MUSIC)

When you log on, you see pictures of lynchings, beatings and other powerful images of the civil rights era -- images put there with one purpose in mind.

MERRITT: Shock.

FLOWERS: Definitely a culture shock.

MERRITT: A wake-up call. Some people cry. I cried when I first saw everything put together.

HARRIS: Merritt says it's important to associate the word with hate and lynchings.

MERRITT: That word was very prevalent. That was the label that was used. The slave owners and plantation masters, they did not use black person. They did not say Negro at that time. They used (bleep). That was the word that they used.

HARRIS: It's a fact they say that has been lost on a generation.

FLOWERS: Saying the "N" word is not hip hop. It's so not hip hop. And, you know, a lot of people think well, I only can write a rhyme unless I say it. I can't -- I can't -- I don't see where I can't say it. How do I come up with an alternate word?

MERRITT: No other group has had to tell their people, their community, to not use a derogatory term to relate to themselves.

HARRIS: Merritt uses an e-mail from the site to sum up her feelings.

MERRITT: This teacher said it perfectly to her student -- every time you use that word, it's like you're re-lynching someone. Every time you use that word, it damages the person who's hearing it and it damages your soul.

HARRIS: Tony Harris, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: On Saturday, I spoke to a man who uses the "N" word all the time. He's dissected it, analyzed it, and he performs comedy routines around it. Paul Mooney built his career pointing out the contrasts between black and white America. Now from his days from writing for Richard Pryor to his stand up, legendary in its own right. Mooney told me the "N" word doesn't bother him in the least.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL MOONEY, COMEDIAN: If a white person calls me that, it doesn't bother me. And you can ask me why. Say why.

LIN: Why?

MOONEY: Because I like a little salt on my cracker.

LIN: Salt. You know, the woman who is working to abolish the "N" word says that every time it is uttered, it's like a lynching.

MOONEY: No.

LIN: It's like another lynching.

MOONEY: No, she's under the illusion of inclusion.

LIN: What do you mean?

MOONEY: She's under the illusion. She thinks she's included. She thinks that she's a real American.

LIN: Well, what is so funny about the "N" word? You use it in comedy routines. You...

MOONEY: Yes, it's funny...

LIN: What's funny about it?

MOONEY: It's funny because it conjures up demons. That's why I like it.

LIN: But it is a demon.

MOONEY: Yes, but it comes...

LIN: It is something that was used in slavery...

MOONEY: Right.

LIN: ...that the white man...

MOONEY: Oh, yes. The white man...

LIN: ...used to denigrate the slaves.

MOONEY: Yes, the white man created it. That's why -- yes.

LIN: So why is it funny?

MOONEY: That's why it's payback. Because it's pay back. Because it's funny because it has to be to get through it. Because humor is powerful.

Because if you don't use humor -- listen, I've been called it enough to say it whenever I feel like it. I'm from Louisiana. I'm from the South. I've been called the "N" word enough to be able to use it. I own it.

And there was nobody around when the word -- it doesn't mean anything now. When it really meant something, there were no brave black people. There were no brave anybody. Everybody kept their mouths shut. They had places down South where it said don't let your black -- let the sun go down on it here. You couldn't be there overnight. OK? Or they would lynch you and screen it out. Nobody said a word because everybody was terrified.

And you have to take the word...

LIN: And now it's part of a comedy routine?

MOONEY: Yes. Now you have to take the word so you can take the power from it. It's much to do about nothing. It's just a word. It's much to do about nothing.

LIN: It's more than a word. I mean, Damon Wayans wants to copyright it. I mean, he wants to use it as a trademark. Is that appropriate?

MOONEY: Well, I'm sure. Well, he's a comedian. I'm sure that he does. He may change his name to Mr. -- I don't know, but the point is that -- listen, I don't if you -- in the streets if you see prostitutes, they will call each other whore. OK? All right?

LIN: Yes. But is it OK for you to call them a whore?

MOONEY: If you say whore, they'll beat you up.

LIN: So what's the difference here?

MOONEY: It's honor among thieves. The difference is it's you don't own it.

LIN: Because I'm Asian?

MOONEY: Yes, you don't it.

LIN: Or someone else is white?

MOONEY: You don't own it.

LIN: All right...

MOONEY: Right, you don't own it.

LIN: So in this case...

MOONEY: You've had no experience with it. You have no experience. And it's also used in the black society. And it's used as a passionate word. It's used sexually. You're my -- be my -- you know, it's used in a lot of words.

LIN: All right, so...

MOONEY: It has a lot of different, you know...

LIN: I cannot see it as a word of passion. But let me ask you this, in this criminal trial of this white man who is accused of beating up a black man and using the "N" word in the act, the prosecutors are trying to say that it's a hate crime.

The defense attorneys say hey, this white kid listened to rap, listened to hip hop. He just thought it was just another word of slang. Is that acceptable to you?

MOONEY: No, not really, because it could be a hate crime. It all depends on if they knew each other and they had a relationship. It has a lot of other meanings to it. And you can't judge a book by its cover because you don't know.

And the whole thing is this, too. This word is very American. OK? It's very much a part of America and the slavery. And there's no getting away from it. And white and blacks, they don't get along and they call each other names because of slavery, because of the mixing, because we're family. And nobody hates like family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: So we want to hear from you. Weigh in on this. Tonight's last call, should anyone ever use the "N" word? Give us a call at 1- 800-807-2620. Your responses coming later.

So, are you impatient on the street? In the car? At the job? Most Americans are. The No. 1 place we hate to wait, straight ahead.

And the voice of Paul Newman revs up a new high octane thriller. I sit down with him in a rare interview in 10 minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A wedding dress designer saying I do to more than fashion on today's blue chips.

If you're a red carpet watcher, chances are you've seen her gowns. Vera Wang's name is synonymous with modern, evening and bridal wear. The former "Vogue" editor started her label 16 years ago and is known as the woman who infused fashion into the bridal industry.

VERA WANG, FOUNDER AND CEO, VERA WANG GROUP: Because design goes by so quickly, and things are old by the time they get to market. You have to be very vigilant about what is going on around you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, Wang's multimillion-dollar empire has expanded to lingerie, jewelry, fine papers, a houseware line and much more.

WANG: One of the most important things in any career is to feel passionate about what you do. And that makes the effort that much easier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Let's bring you some news across America now. It was a razor-close finish at the Indianapolis 500. Sam Hornish Jr. wins the big race, taking the lead from Marco Andretti by just six-hundredths of a second.

And five men are safe and sound after they may day'ed radio for help last night in gale force winds off the coast of Massachusetts. Their sailboat was damaged and tossed about. The Coast Guard came to the rescue and air lifted them to safety.

And a new survey finds more than a million alligators in Florida. You remember when those animals were nearly extinct just 40 years ago? Well this year, more hunters are expected following three fatal alligator attacks earlier this month.

All right, we were telling you about this story earlier. Do you hate waiting at the supermarket? Get in line, because that's where most Americans say they hate waiting the most according to a new "A.P." poll. They also don't like waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles. No surprise there.

All right, millions of you are traveling this holiday season. You might be waiting in line to get through the toll booth or wherever you may be. Jacqui Jeras, what's the weather going to be like?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Well Memorial Day is tomorrow and after the parades and the barbecues, perhaps something a little more meaningful. A stately show of respect, American style. Now what you're looking at right now are the rehearsals for the Memorial Day concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, which is now a grand tradition. And hosting this year is actor Joe Mantegna. Well I spoke with Joe Mantegna this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Joe, what does the occasion of hosting this event mean to you, on Memorial Day?

JOE MANTEGNA, ACTOR: It's very meaningful, partly because I think before I did this concert, which -- this will be my fifth year now involved with it. I think -- or perhaps far too many Americans, it was a holiday that we think for barbecues and watching stock car races and things like that and we tend to forget about what the true meaning is, of Memorial Day.

And so from the first time I was involved in this convert, it brought into strong focus just why we have designated this holiday as a national holiday. So, it's just -- it's been very important and meaningful for me to be part of it, and to help share that with the nation.

LIN: We know you from stage and from screen. What should we know about your personal side, that makes Memorial Day so deeply meaningful to you?

MANTEGNA: Regardless of anyone's political feelings or this, that -- that should be put aside on a day like today. And the thing that we should remember is we have to support the memory of those who for over 200 years paid the ultimate price to afford us the ability to have a holiday weekend like we have.

LIN: What do you think is the best way to do that then?

MANTEGNA: Actually, I think, and it's not because I'm trying to plug this concert, because it's not a commercial kind of enterprise -- you know, we're on PBS. But I think taking that 90 minutes to watch this concert will do a lot towards that because the things that we cover, we do readings. We have Colin Powell is going to be doing this wonderful kind of speech about the meaning of Memorial Day.

And I think if you just caught Colin Powell's speech, people would be very taken and educated in a way, as to the meaning behind this holiday. So I think if people just took 90 minutes this weekend, Sunday night, tonight, and watch the show, I think if nothing else, they'd come away with -- they've had wonderful, hopefully a three-day weekend, a holiday weekend. But for that 90 minutes, they were able to take a moment of pause and be able to say, this is why we have this holiday, and this is why it's important.

LIN: Give it meaning to the men and women who are still fighting today and risking their lives.

MANTEGNA: Absolutely so.

LIN: Joe Mantegna, it's going to mean a lot for all those troops around the world to see the presentation as well. Thanks so much for your time.

MANTEGNA: My pleasure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: The National Memorial Day Concert airs tomorrow evening at 8 p.m. Eastern on PBS.

Well Paul Newman is one of these cars. Not that one, that's the surprise. At least his voice is going to be on one of the cars. I'm going to be talking with him about his latest role in three minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: All you "American Idol" fans, listen up. You have heard them sing, but now it's time for them to talk. "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee gave CNN's Larry King their first primetime interview since Wednesday's big finale. And Hicks talked about what it was like to deal with Simon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR HICKS, AMERICAN IDOL WINNER: I knew I had an uphill battle to climb. And you know, I'll tell you what -- if anything that Simon Cowell did the whole season, was drive me even more to succeed.

RYAN SEACREST, HOST, AMERICAN IDOL: That's interesting.

RANDY JACKSON, JUDGE, AMERICAN IDOL: But that's good.

SEACREST: So it would agitate you, but to the point where you would try harder?

HICKS: It did. It really ticked me off.

KATHARINE MCPHEE, CONTESTANT, AMERICAN IDOL: I don't think you can ever be prepared for how grueling the schedule is going to be. And it doesn't even really get as grueling until, like, about, halfway -- well even past halfway. Beginning is more just, you know, your hours are very long, but you're mostly just sitting and waiting. It's like -- hurry up and wait thing that Hollywood always talks about. And it's very true. And I just -- yes, I was exhausted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Boy the two of them really poured their hearts out to Larry. So watch, they're going to talk about their plans for the future. Tune in to that special "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

All right, the checkered flag met the red carpet at the Loews Motor Speedway, where the animated movie "Cars" premiered Friday night. Now the premiere married Disney's magic to NASCAR's P.R. muscle. And it raised more than $1 million for Paul Newman's charities. He voices one of the most surprising car characters, and I got to talk to the stars about the movie, life in the fast lane, and finding true love.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN (voice-over): The movie is about an upstart race car, Lightning McQueen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rookie sensation came into the season unknown.

LIN: Owen Wilson's character is obsessed with stardom and its perks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show me the move, baby. LIN: But on the way to the race in California, Lightning gets distracted with disastrous consequences.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Morning sleeping beauty.

LIN: And he gets stuck in a strange little town called Radiator Springs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like you already.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Folks around here are not firing on all cylinders, if you know what I mean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know your type.

LIN: It's Doc Hudson, played by Paul Newman, who provides the story's moral background, and a big surprise, which I've sworn not to give away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When is the last time you cared about something except yourself, Hot Rod?

LIN (on camera): What do you think about Doc?

NEWMAN: He's been wounded and as a result, he's -- he was shortchanged. And as a result, he's become a recluse.

LIN (voice-over): Paul Newman, who is 81, took the role because he loves race cars, and frankly, it was easy.

NEWMAN: You're not rolling film. You don't have to wait until the end of the film and do the tape over again. And then it becomes the animators obligation to imitate, with gesture and with facial expression.

LIN: Animators invented new technologies for this film that created metallic reflections and facial expressions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, dude. Are you crying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm happy.

LIN: Pixar Studios say it took 17 hours to produce each frame of animation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help!

LIN: But animated genius aside, it's the moral of the story that struck a cord with the actors. That life's about enjoying the ride, not the destination.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't you big-city race cars ever just take a drive?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh, no.

LIN: Bonnie Hunt plays Sally, a 2002 Porsche, who left the fast lane in Los Angeles for the quiet life of Radiator Springs.

BONNIE HUNT, ACTRESS: Women like us, we're professionals. We've been on the treadmill for awhile. And you get to the point where you're afraid to the risk of slowing down.

HUNT (voice-over): Forty years ago that interstate didn't exist. The town got bypassed just to save 10 minutes of driving.

(on camera): You know, sometimes I wonder, which risk is bigger, slowing down, or not taking that chance to slow down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know, Tahiti maybe.

LIN: Plus, she liked the love connection between her character and Owen Wilson's.

OWEN WILSON, ACTOR: I don't get it, what do you mean?

HUNT: Owen's got a lot of options, like they say. So, you know, he's a bit of a ladies man.

LIN (on camera): Was that what you learned in the filming?

HUNT: No, I dated him for a couple years.

LIN: I had no idea.

HUNT: No, I didn't.

LIN: We made news!

WILSON: Yes. It was very nice to share a love story with Bonnie.

LIN: She said that you're quite a ladies man and she was very impressed with some of the people that you brought to the set.

WILSON: Yes. Oh really?

LIN: Yes, Bonnie's telling tales.

(voice-over): Owen Wilson, famous for improvising and slap-stick comedy is actually a pretty serious guy who very much wanted the chance to work with Paul Newman.

WILSON: People say, did you have any great stories? What was he like to work with? And I'll tell you, just on the notes that he gave that day about his character, and the story, they went back and reworked the script.

LIN: Even at 81, Newman isn't afraid to suit up and hit the racetrack. But he's always careful about the film projects he takes on.

NEWMAN (voice-over): These are good folk around here who care about one another. LIN: The story of "Cars" is close to his heart as he looks back on his 52-year long career.

NEWMAN (on camera): I wish I had known as much as I know now. I wouldn't have worked as hard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know I made a good choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My best friend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well Paul Newman just about never gives interviews anymore but he's a fan of CNN, so I got to spend some time with him at the Loews Motor Speedway. The great passion in his life? His wife, Joanne Woodward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Is it true that she threatened to divorce you in 2006 if you continue to race?

NEWMAN: I don't know. Ask her. I don't think she'd go quite that far, but -- she might take away my beer privileges which of course would be, of course, a staggering defeat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Now, in the 10:00 show, Paul talks more about his racing life and his regrets, and thoughts about remaking "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 10:00 tonight, 10:00 Eastern.

Well there's much more ahead on CNN this evening. Next, we're going to continue our coverage of the latest breaking and developing stories right here on CNN. At 8:00, "CNN PRESENTS: Chasing Angelina." Who's more obsessed with the stars, the fans or the paparazzi?

And at 9:00 Eastern, "LARRY KING WEEKEND." And tonight, Larry's guest is the winner and runner up from "American Idol." And I'll be back at 10:00 eastern with the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

But before we go, your calls tonight on our last call question. Is it ever OK to use the "N" word? Here's what you had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Charles, my hometown is St. Louis. And I definitely think the "N" word should be abolished, simply because I have never heard it used in a positive manner at all. I have never heard used in a loving way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Brian from Centralia, Illinois. I think as long as black people should use the "N" word as a term of endearment or empathy, or whatever it is, I think it should be all right for anybody to say it and it should not be a hate crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roosevelt Taylor (ph), Detroit, Michigan. African-America, no, not even rap music people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that anybody who is not of African heritage never use the "N" word. And, yes, if anybody of African heritage or African-American heritage wishes to use the "N" word as a term of endearment, that's their prerogative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my name is Jason in Minneapolis, Minnesota. No, no one should ever use that word, whether they're black, brown, red, yellow or white. The word actually has no positive impact on humanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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