. north korea lashes out at the u.s. president over the release of "the interview" and uses insulting language in the process. also ahead, several experts raise doubts about claims north korea is actually responsible for the sony hack. then who was? we look into it. also, more than 100,000 people are fleeing major flooding in malaysia. we'll have a weather report for you live here. also the red carpet gig can be far from glamorous, did you know. we'll have a behind the scenes look from one of cnn's own. welcome to viewers in the u.s. and around the world. i'm natalie allen. happy holidays to you.

we begin this hour at the box office where sony pictures controversial comedy "the interview" is a hit. the film earned $1 million christmas day playing in only about 300 theaters across the u.s. sony originally planned to release the film in 2,000 to 3,000 theaters. sales figures for online viewing on sites like youtube and google play aren't in yet but one blog says "the interview" has been shared illegally about 750,000 times. meantime, north korea which tried to stop the film, has issued a statement denouncing the release of the interview" and paula hancocks joins us now live from seoul, south korea with more about what they had to say. paula? >> well, natalie, we know that pyongyang was not going to be happy with the fact this movie went ahead and did air. certainly we're hearing that today from the statements from state run media. it originated from the all powerful national defense

commission. this is a very powerful institution in north korea showing just how seriously pyongyang takes the fact that the interview" went ahead and was released. now they're blaming not only sony pictures for the release of this movie but also the u.s. president barack obama singling him out for criticism saying that heectively bullied the cinemas into releasing this movie. let's read some of that statement. it says "u.s. president obama is the chief culprit who forced the sony pictures entertainment to the indiscriminately distribute the movie and took the lead in apiecing and blackmailing sinna ma houses and theaters in the u.s. mainland to distribute the moiv." it goes on to say obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest. insulting the u.s. president. it's not the first time that pyongyang has done that and certainly it's not probably not going to be the last we see that relations between the two

countries deteriorating over this one movie. what we are seeing hearing in south korea anyway as we are seeing around the world is that there are an awful lot of illegal downloads of the movie. it hasn't released here in south korea. it hasn't released around the world. just in the u.s. at this point. but the it has been illegally downloaded thousands of times. which is interesting because this wasn't even going to be one of the main targets for sony to release this movie. there were reports before that they weren't even managing to find cinemas willing to distribute the movie but now it's been talked about so much, many people in south korea are trying to watch it. interestingly, it's not just people in north korea who are annoyed with the movie. we are seeing online many citizens of south korea complaining that the sea, east sea as it's called in the rest of the world, sorry the ec, in south korea it's called the sea of japan to the rest of the world, a very contentious here

in north korea. that is being focused on by south korea. really both sides of the peninsula at this point, there is some anger at this movie. >> well, it was meant to be an outrageous comedy and it is certainly garnering some outrageous responses. and also, what about efforts, paula, for those in south korea who try to smuggle things into north korea to get people there to try to be able to see it? >> well, this is certainly going to be one of pyongyang's biggest concerns that this movie could make its way into north korea. we've seen these so-called propaganda balloons and activists sending dvds showing exactly what is happening in north korea across the border in helium balloons. we know that many of them do make it to north korea. we've heard from some defectors they have seen some of the dvds and cds.

of course, that's a concern for pyongyang that this dvd will be the next one being sent over. we've already heard from one of the main activists who carries out the balloon launches he intends to send them north. kim jong-un the leader in north korea is deified. he has shown a cult like personality shown to be untouchable by the regime. they have built him up to this god like figure and certainly don't want the majority of the residents in north korea to see this movie because they have no sense of humor when it comes to this movie. things like parody and satire don't exist in north korea and they certainly don't want a peeve being seen by residents that questions the very fact that their leader is as god-like as they are trying to show him. natalie. >> yeah, exactly. we understand. no, they don't seem to want satire, parody or understand it when you consider the language they use for president obama is somewhat immature language they

use there. paula hancocks following developments of this just story that many of us felt would probably end like in this, the movie becoming very popular because of attempts to try and block it. sony playstation and microsoft xbox users are still reporting outages with their online gaming networks. a hacking group called lizard squad has claimed responsibility for disrupting service for millions of gamers starting christmas eve. microsoft acknowledged the problem on its twitter feed. sony says it's working to resolve it. in other news, we're following the u.s. plans to move as many as five guantanamo bay detainees in the coming days, part of an effort to reduce the population at the u.s. naval base in cuba over the next six months. 64 of the 132 remaining detainees have been ruled eligible for transfer. in an interview with cnn, president obama explained why he believes the controversial

prison should finally be shut down. >> it is something that continues to inspire jihadists and extremists around the world, the fact that these folks are being held. it is contrary to our values and it is wildly expensive. we're spending millions for each individual there. >> several dozen gitmo detainees are still considered too dangerous to be moved including this sketch of this man here, khalid sheikh mohammed known as the mastermind behind it the september 11th attacks. the funeral for murdered new york city police officer rafael ramos will be held in a few hours. ramos shown here on the right and his partner liu were shot and killed while sitting in their squad car last weekend. plans for officer luiu's service have yet to be announced. >> meantime, thousands lined the streets to offer condolences to

ramos field. alexandra field has more on that as well as the legacy ramos leaves behind. >> present arms. >> the final salute for one of new york's finest officer rafael ramos, his casket brought to his family's church attended by his brothers and sisters in blue. >> as a community, nevertheless, it's one thing to pray for something in another part of the country. it's a whole other thing when it hits this close to home. >> ramos was set to graduate from a chaplaincy program the same day he was gunned down in his patrol car. his partner wen gin liu by his side. he joined the force two years ago. he turned 40 this month. the married father of two remembered as a hero by his oldest son justin who says i'm going to miss his loving presence and i can't even begin to fathom what life is going to be without him. >> despite it the tragedy, the hate and rhetoric continues. >> any statements suggesting

violence against the police need to be reported to the police so we can stop future tragedies. >> this week seven people arrested in connection with alleged threats against police officers. one person targeting the home of the fallen partners. >> make no mistake about it, they died for you and died to keep you safe. this isn't a matter of a little charity here and there. you owe them this mon. >> the tunnels to tower foundation announcing the mortgages of both officers will be paid. the new york yankees will pay for the children's education. >> jetblue is working to fly in more than 600 officers from around the country for the funeral saturday. the airline also, woulding to bring officer liu's family in from china once arrangements are made. his wid would he racked with grief comforted by loved ones. both families seeing support from an entire city. alexandra field, cnn, new york. >> and since that report was filed, two more people have been

arrested in connection with alleged threats against new york officers. that brings the total number of arrests to nine since liu and ramos were killed. >> as alexandra reported offers have poured in to help the families among the largest is from the stephen siller tunnel to towers foundation that she mentioned. it will pay off the mortgages for both families estimated to be $800,000. >> it gives people a great sense of security. everybody wants to know they're going to have a place to live and not have to worry about it. that's what it does. even though the they will be getting benefits but there's a difference between receiving benefits on a monthly basis and paying a mortgage on a monthly basis as opposed to having your house free and clear. >> yes, that is quite a generous donation. if you want find out more ways you can contribute to helping the families go to our website, cnn.com/impact. a pilot from jordan is in

the hands of isis after his plane went down in syria. now the queen of jordan is weighing in on his fate. also coming up here, russia's president says nato and the united states are a threat. what he did on friday to deal with the perceived danger he's talking about. more about that in a moment.

instagram to support a pilot

from her country now held captive by isis. mos an al casa ba crashed in rocca province in syria wednesday. isis claimed it shot down his plane but the u.s. says that's not true. queen ron yap promoted the hash tag we are all moaz. she spoke about isis and their path to extremism. >> this is really a battle between extremism and moderation. and nobody can afford to be sitting on the fence because this is a fight for what the world is going to look like for the next generation. and we all have to take a position with regards to that. and it's important to understand that you cannot defeat extremist ideology just on the battleground. you know, this group has made it very clear what they stand for and they've made it very clear how far they're willing to go and the means they're willing to use in order to fulfill their

objectives. so the battle ground is one area, but you cannot shoot an extreme ideology with a bullet. they are powered by an idea. and you have to look at the enabling environment that allows this kind of ideology to grow and fester. you know? we've seen lawlessness in countries like syria. it's all but a failed state. so much violence in iraq. you know, 7,800 people were killed last year. that number is going to go up this year. you need to see the environment that provides a fertile ground for extremist ideology to grow. democratic values must be instilled. it's not a battle that you can fight on the battleground. you have to fight it in the mosques and schools, scholars, islamic scholars the moderate ones have to not just condemn what's happening but confront it. >> the queen of jordan speaking with us back in october.

despite successful air strikes targeting isis militants, the u.s. is still one of the group's biggest targets but isis is far from the only group wishing to strike the west. barbara starr reports. >> in iraq and syria, propaganda videos of isis's bloody violence intimidation and killings. in yemen, the al qaeda affiliate puts out its new video showing pictures of its top leader nasr al waheshi. the two the terror groups now vying for power. >> having to compete with isis for recruits from the arab world for attention global jihadist community. >> and the u.s. may be in the crosshairs as the rivalry grows. >> i don't think there's any doubt if isis decides to, they have the ability to launch a new jersey terrorist attack on western soil.

this is a group with up to a thousand western recruits. >> and al qaeda in yem posting a new edition of its magazine again calling for attacks on the west complete with updated instructions yet again on making explosives. the type of instructions that inspired the boston marathon bomb attack. the chaos in controlling al qaeda in yemen made more difficult after a senior yemeni intelligence official was kidnapped by an anti-government rebel group. working with yemen intelligence agency vital to president obama's policy of supporting fragile allies. >> the strategy i have taking out terrorists who threaten us while supporting partners on the front lines is one we have successfully pursued in yemen and somalia for years. >> but in somalia, another sign the al qaeda linked group there known as al shabaab still on attack claiming responsibility for an assault on a military

base in mogadishu saying it was their revenge for usair strike killing their leader in september. both groups have stated the intent to attack the united states. the only question may be, when and if they would make their move. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> u.s. senator john mccain live tweeted his trip to baghdad friday. he sent out a photo of his arrival followed by a picture with a meeting with the iraqi parliament speaker. he also met with six sunni tribal sheikhs to discuss how to fight the isis militants. mr. mccain was in kabul the day before. ukraine's government swapped prisoners of war on friday with pro-russia separatists. a few hundred prisoners were exchanges between the two sides part of petro poroshenko's plan to end a pro-russian uprising in the east we have been covering here for months now.

more than 4700 people have been killed in the conflict. meantime, the russian president signed a doctrine on friday calling the u.s. and nato top military threats. russia is in the middle of a standoff with the west over ukraine. erin mclaughlin has more from moscow including what this doctrine could mean for peace talks. >> russian security analysts tell me that they see this in new doctrine as the kremlin's response to western sanctions and political statements on the situations in ukraine and while calling it defensive in nature, the new doctrine identifies nato expansion and western military activities on russia's doorstep as areas of deep concern. in previous doctrines, the focus had been the situation unfolding in central asia, but analysts tell me that the kremlin is essentially signaling that

russia's response 0 to nato and europe will be an area of primary concern in its long-term planning which will include the military buildup along russia's western border. now, nato issued a response saying that nato poses no threat to russia. and its activities are purely defensive. it also said that nato will continue to seek a constructive relationship with russia. but that russia is breaching international law in ukraine and undermining european security. another round of peace talks apriled at ending the crisis in eastern ukraine was called off today. that according to media reports. pro-russian rebels as well as members of the ukrainian government met in the minsk on wednesday. now, reason for that cancellation was not given. erin mclaughlin, cnn. >> and we have more evidence of

western sanctions affecting russia. russian news agency toss says mastercard and visa have stopped servicing banks in crimea. according to tas, the companies informed banks they cannot process any more credit transactions because of expanded u.s. sanctions. earlier this month, the u.s. imposed a ban on doing business in crimea. the conflict in ukraine and russia's economic crisis aren't threatening vladimir putin's popularity. an independent polling agency says 85% of russians approve of how he's doing running the country. compare that to the u.s. where most voters disapprove of president obama's job performance. a recent cnn/orc poll gives president obama a 48% approval rating which is a 20-month high. still to come here, malaysia's worst flooding in decades. forcing a record number of people from their homes. derek will bring you that.

also ahead here, an american woman held for months on drug charges in east timor is finally free. we'll talk with stacey addison's mother about her daughter's ordeal next.

we have been bringing you video out of northern malaysia for many, many days here showing you the flooding and now the situation appears to be getting worse. derek van dam joins us from the international weather center. my goodness, this has been going on for some time. >> it has. it is the rainey season across that part of the world.

this amount of rainfall so quickly left scenes like this. the five most northern states in malaysia, the situation is very grim at the moment. 100,000 people being evacuated from their homes and businesses with scenes like this playing all over the northern parts of malaysia at the moment. 100,000 evacuees sets it over record set back in 2008 when flooding occurred across that region in terms of the number of people being evacuated from their homes. you can see on the forecast going forward, a very active weather pattern across the region. rainfall you have totals across indonesia from today through the next 48 hours will total between 25 and 100 millimeters of rainfall. you add this additional rainfall on an already saturated environment, you guessed it, that means the possibility of flooding continues. take a look at some of the footage coming out of the

region. extremely high flood levels and continued bad weather have made relocating these flood victims very, very difficult. even the transportation of food and supplies by helicopters has been proven very challenging. this is all coming about because of a phenomenon known as the northeast monsoon. this area is very used to getting heavy rainfall this time of year. it's just that we've seen so much over this period of time recently. this is the setup. we get strong area of high pressure that develops across the eastern parts of europe and into northern china. what that actually does is drives a northeastly wind down south from the south china sea and eventually picks up that moisture and creates our heavy rainfall across malaysia indonesia and into parts of southern thailand leaving unfortunate sights just like this. you can see the businesses and communities inundated by heavy rainfall. we're also monitoring a low pressure system bringing heavy raef to sri lanka. some locations receiving more

than double their monthly average just in the past eight days. this storm is going to also, however, bring relief to the dense fog that's been unindating new delhi over the past week. lots to talk about here in the world weather center. natalee, we'll send it back to you. >> the family of that american woman released from jail in east timor is anxious as you can imagine for her to come home. stacey addison was held for months on drug charges. her mother spoke with cnn affiliate station kobi. leisle arns has our report. >> bernadette got a call from a lawyer on christmas eve her daughter was being released from prison. >> she was able to call me on his cell phone and you know, of course, i was crying and happy and just really good to hear her voice. >> addison was arrested when a fellow passenger in a cab was found with meth amphetamine. while that passenger has said

addison wasn't involved, addison's been behind bars until yesterday. >> she, of course, was happy and to be out of there. but just kind of in shock. >> but addison can't leave tim more until she gets her passport back. >> i've also heard that they can keep her for the trial. >> she is still cat sitting for her daughter and while addison's release made for a merry christmas, she was still hoping for an even happier new year. >> that she can have that passport in her hand, get on a plane and you know come home. >> we'll let you know when and if that happens soon. stacey addison quit her job as a veterinarian in 2013 to travel around the world. harsh new criticism from north korea over sony's release of the film the interview". just as cybersecurity experts raise new questions about who is really behind the hack of sony's

computers. we'll look into that when we come back. also the ebola death toll is approaching another grim milestone. at the same time, a mix-up at the u.s. centers for disease control may have possibly exposed a worker. that's next.

welcome back. i'm natalie allen. our top stories this hour, the u.s. is planning to transfer at least five detainees from the guantanamo bait detention facility in the coming days. a u.s. official telling cnn efforts to reduce the population of the controversial facility will accelerate in the next six months. president obama vows to close gitmo during -- he vows to do that during his 2008 election campaign. the ukrainian government and

pro russia separatists exchanged hundreds of prinners friday as part of a plan by ukraine's president to end the pro russia uprising. this is the largest prisoner exchange between the two sides. sony's new film "the interview" is getting a lot of attention at the few theaters running it. it earned $1 million in a very limited theatrical release christmas day. figures for online sales are not in yet but one piracy blog reports the film has been downloaded illegally about 750,000 times. north korea as expected lashing out at the u.s. for releasing "the interview." the film is about a fictional plot to assassinate north korean leader kim jong-un. a statement from the country's defense commission calls the movie illegal, dishonest and contrary to the u.n. charter. north korea is especially critical of president obama calling him the chief culprit who forced sony to distribute

the film and also says and we quote "obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest." actually monkeys in tropical forests are quite smart and brilliant. odd wording as usual from north korea. meantime, at least two cybersecurity firms are raising new doubts whether north korea was behind the recent hack on sony pictures. here's brian todd. >> the forensic trail of the sony hack, it's mysterious, difficult to follow and now is sparking increasing doubt over the fbi's belief that hackers working for north korea are responsible. >> it's clear to us based on both forensic and other evidence that we've collected that unequivocally, they are not responsible for orchestrating or initiating the attack on sony. >> sam klein's cybersecurity form norse did its own investigation of the sony hack. norse and another leading security firm called cloud flair

raise serious questions about the fbi's claim that the malaware used in the attack is similar to malaware used in other attacks by north korea. these firms say that malaware was leaked a long time ago and could have been used by hackers anywhere in the world. previously u.s. investigators said they have evidence hackers stole the computer credentials of a sony insider but norse believes it was given out and they track the attack to one potential suspect. a woman code named lena, a former sony employee who he says worked for sony for several years. guideline says lena has ties to the hacking group guardians of peace which claims responsibility for the sony hit. guideline says lena was a security staffer with sony who had what he calls super user access to the company's cybersecrets. user names and passwords to critical systems. he says lena had two motives for hack. >> first of all, how sony treated its employees layoffs that were going on in the department but also a bigger

issue around piracy and how sony is treating those. who had pirated music have and movies and other content and how they had been prosecuted in the u.s. and other countries. >> experts have lingering doubts about north korea's ability to carry out such a sophisticated attack. >> it's beyond the skill level that we've been able to observe. >> but if north korea did commit the sony hack, analysts say it would have been done about i asia doey unit of the government which they say conducts cyberwarfare. it's commanded by general kim young, a bormer bodyguard for kim young u.n.'s father and grandfather. >> somebody who is very effective manager. that shows the importance that north korea's national security apparatus places on these -- on electronic and cybercapabilities. >>ic north korea has denied hacking sony. as for the tracking of the hack to a former sony employee named

lena, sam guideline of norse corporation says his firm shared that information with the fbi. we reached out to the fbi and to sony regarding the findings on lena and we asked the fbi for comment on the overall doubts that north korea did this. neither the nba nor sony would comment on any of it. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> well, we want to tell you about a wake for one of the officers who was killed last week in new york. thousands of mourners watched as an honor guard carried the coffin of murdered new york policeman rafael ramos to his wake friday. rap mos and his partner wenjian liu were shot and killed sitting in their squad car last weekend. wabc reporter josh inanyone ger has more on the tribute to ramos. ♪ >> you prayers reverberated through there queens neighborhood tonight while thousands of officers today? silence watching rafael ramos'

son and sister speak to him. >> my deer brother, my heart aches so much right now. help me understand why god took you. >> dad, i'll miss you. i'll miss you with every fiber of my being. >> cops and civilians lined up for blocks to offer condolences to the family whose body arrived this morning in a flag draped casket under crisp salute. ramos was deeply religious and volunteered here as an usher helping people to their seats, seats filled tonight in his honor. >> officer ramos was a man who saw being a policeman as his ministry. he was being prepared to be a chaplain for the nypd. and to see him lose his life this way is difficult for anyone to understand. >> governor cuomo and mayor

deblasio among the many dignitaries who called on the family tonight but it was the legions of police officers from across the country who waited hours to get in. >> for him to have given his life is just, we have to pay tribute to that. >> diana pereira of hollywood, florida, took advantage of free airfare on jetblue to cop home to new york where with the nypd she used to patrol the bronx. cory fitch and four others flew from minneapolis. >> it breaks all our hearts when something like this happens. it could be any of us at any time. that's what hits home. >> officer ramos's funeral will be held in a few hours and cnn will be providing coverage of that. we have some devastating new numbers to report on ebola. the world health organization counts nearly 20,000 confirmed or suspected cases of the disease still in west africa. more than 7600 have died.

the vast majority of those in liberia and sierra leone. who officials report a handful of deaths in mali, outbreaks of ebola in senegal and nigeria have been over for some time. >> there are new questions about safety at the cdc after a mistake may have exposed a technician to ebola. as joe johnson reports, it's the latest development in the effort to study lethal viruses and bacteria while fighting them at the same time. >> it's a potentially deadly mistake at the u.s. institution that handles some of the world's most dangerous biological materials. the centers for disease controlen an prevention said a small amount of material possibly containing live ebola virus was miss takenly transferred from one of the facility's most secure labs to a lab not equipped to handle the virus. so far the technician has no symptoms of the illness, no quarantine. but the lab tech will be watched

pore the standard 21 days as a precaution. it's the kind of mistake the director said he was determined to avoid repeating earlier this year. >> what we're seeing is a pattern that we missed and the pattern is an insufficient culture of safety. >> at that time, frieden was on the hot seat addressing laboratory lapses handling anthrax bacteria and avian flu. cdc put tough new controls in place. >> these were unacceptable events. they should never have happened. >> in line with the new procedures following the latest incident, lab was closed pending review and decontaminated. the material was destroyed. an investigation was launched. the incident was reported to health and human services secretary can the sylvia burwell and others up and down the chain of command. as for the possibility of anyone else coming into contact with the material, cdc says a handful of others who entered the lab have been contacted. they will be assessed for possible exposure. but only the one technician is

being monitored. the cdc does not believe anyone outside the lab could have been exposed. >> the cdc tells cnn the lab tech is still not showing any symptoms. lab has been working on a project to try to determine how long the virus remains viable on a dead person because so many people in africa contract ebola after handling a body. sheriffs an investigators have conducted new interviews in the mysterious death of a teenager in the u.s. state of georgia. kendrick johnson was found dead inside a rolled up gym mat at his high school nearly two years ago. investigators say they closed the case but this month they interviewed about two dozen former and current students according to records, johnson and a former student had a confrontation the day he was last seen alive. that student would have been in another city when johnson is believed to have died but there are inconsistencies about the timeline. johnson's family believes he was

murdered. next here just how much americans plan to eat this holiday. while britain comes out with a plan to battle its own obesity problem. while britain comes out with a

a little overeating. apparently more americans are indulging this holiday. in a cnn/orc poll of 1,000 americans, 30% said they'll watch what they eat while a whopping 62% said they plan to

eat whatever they want. that's a big jump from last year when 53% of americans according to the poll said they would not count calories during the holidays. the u.s. isn't the only country that has an issue with overeating. britain's obesity rate is about 25%. its rate is about 25% according to the health and social care information center. now, it is apparently doing something about growing obesity there. here's christina mcfarland. >> the national health service in britain has announced new plans to fight the battle of the bulge. under a new national program family doctors will be asked to identify any patient who have gained weight and are at risk of diabetes. patients will then be offered tests for the disease and given healthy lifestyle advice along with close monitoring to insure they're eating better and exercising more. the announcement comes following a landmark decision by the eu last week ruling that in severe cases obesity can be treated as

a disability. the united kingdom is the second most obese nation in europe according to oecd data. but nhs chief executive simon stevens said that this was daft saying it was more important to take action now to prevent the country sleep walking into the worst public health emergency for last three decades. christina mcfarland, cnn. >> ireland's high court ruled doctors can withdraw life support from a clinically dead woman. 1 weeks pregnant. her family asked that her treatment be stopped so she could die with dignity. doctors refused out of concern for the legal rights of the unborn child. but the court found that medical evidence showed the prospect for successful delivery of the baby was virtually nonexistent. the fbi is investigating who may have vandalized a nativity scene on christmas morning. church officials in massachusetts were shocked when

they found a pig's head in the place of the baby jesus. frank holland of affiliate wcvb reports. >> a church nativity scene vandalized and violated on christmas morning. part of the display broken. the statue of baby jesus taken. something gruesome put in the place of the sacred symbol. >> a real pig's head. black in color and it was just there laying in the center of the creche. >> what police are describing as a freshly severed pig's head discovered minutes before the 7:30 mass. father john delaney sharing the disturbing details with parishioners at sacred heart parish after friday's mass. >> why would anybody desecrate christmas through just after 11, police finding what could be a major clue on the church property, a plastic bag with remnants of blood. an hour earl, the father, the mayor and police asking for the

public's help. >> we're asking for the assistance of any local farps, any butcher shops. if they've anything comes to mind with them, if they've sold any whole pigs. >> have ril police working with the fbi on the case they know the statue was stolen after midnight mass ended on christmas morning an before volunteers returned at 5:30, but the motive is still unclear. >> certainly if our investigation leads us to believe that the person that did this was motivated by prejudice towards religion, then it will be treated as a hate crime. >> again, wcvb reporting from massachusetts. coming up here, using the power of comedy to help solve world issues. we'll hear the thoughts of two medians how to deal with one of the world's longest lasting conflicts. that's coming up.

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tempers flared during a boxing day session of georgia's parliament. the brawl started when an opposition member swore during an address to the ruling party insults and more swear words flew then fists and bodies. some members of parliament even tore microphones from decks to use as weapons. well, sometimes the only way to broach a sensitive or taboo topic is through humor. that could be true for one of the world's most troubling

issues. ian lee asked an israeli and a palestinian comedian what they could do to bring change to the middle east. >> a historic moment for jerusalem. peace talks that will achieve their objective. make people laugh. >> it all goes out the window. >> comedy for a change festival hosted these not so diplomatic peace talks. both israeli and palestinian comedians put their plans on the table for what we'll call creative solutions. >> i think you say that to all the religions. >> the city-wide blackout threatened to derail the talks until two of the comedians the israeli and the palestinian american agreed to sit down with me to tackle some of the tough issues. starting with the occupied west bank settlements and hundreds of thousands of settlers. >> au settlements tomorrow. and the day after tomorrow demand the rights to return to the settlements and that way

we'll just switch ownership every 4 hours, palestinians and jews like hotel rooms. >> next to jerusalem judaism holiest's site anise lam's third. >> you benched jerusalem. let's have medina in return for jerusalem and 20,000 billion gallons of oil and we want 60% of any merchandise you sell from jerusalem and future sales to other religions. >> i have no comeback. anything i say right now would get me a fatwa. he's good. this is how good the jews are. >> and to the moderator who should pick up where the united states has failed. >> i think zimbabwe. >> what deal did you cut with them ep already. >> there are no arabs in zimbabwe. >> there are no jews there. >> there are diamond mines. you know there are jews around. >> a fair negotiator between us. and how do comedians find comedy in such a serious

conflict. >> it's the only thing you've got left. this is all you've got left in terms of humor if there is any humor. >> it became a very sad interview interview. >> taking on a conflict only israeli and palestinian comedians can. ian lee, cnn. >> humor is good. have you ever wondered i'm sure you have, what it's like to cover the red carpet movie premieres. >> ryan curry rhymes his way through his star-studded story. >> whenever there's a premiere, you'll find me here in lie ses ter square two hours before the talent show, we stand and wait nowhere to go. we hunker down, prepare for battle, locked in pens like restless cattle. to left and right, a camera crew obscuring almost every view. from hobbits to the hunger games we hope to harness famous names.

>> orlando. >> sometimes they simply walk on past. and leave us the supporting cast. >> adam brown. >> no thanks. >> at first three questions are allow but as actors struggle through the crowd they're running late with home to two, then one between the three of you. but wait a star is on his way. just in time to save the day. they move on down the line and then hello, i'mally from cnn. >> final lingering memory of working on these three films. >> i don't have one. >> we've been here three hours. it's freezing and sum total of interviews we've got is no wizards, no elves, no orks. a couple dwarfs. one hobbit, one producer, no directors. so pretty average kind of night really. going to go back to the bureau now. >> the stars have gone to take

their seats. the call goes out to clear the streets. the magic carpet's had its day cut, rolled up and thrown away. the media pens unlocked again. we're racing back to cnn to cut the story, get on air. with fresh nuls from -- news from the premiere. >> all right. the other side of the red carpet. well, this story here may remind you of a rather famous delivery around this time of year. one woman gave birth on december 25th in a rather humble place. a subway train in philadelphia. she didn't quite get the three wise men but she got two. two transit police officers and they helped her deliver the baby. both officers said they were very happy to be a part of the birth. which went all right. one man took christmas gift giving to a whole new level to repay the family members who

reared him. watch as this man in the video a successful app developer from new york gave his parents an envelope while recording their reaction inside a note sa said, he paid off their mortgage. both parents overcome with emotion as you can see start to cry. clearly a very, very sweet and generous christmas gift. >> i love you. >> coming up in the next hour of our special live coverage, the latest from north korea blasting u.s. president obama on his handling of the sony hacking situation. and they're furious "the interview" has made it to theaters. we'll have their reaction, plus more on severe flooding in malaysia. at least 100,000 have evacuated and the situation there getting worse. i'll be back with these stories and more in just a few minutes. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

north korea called u.s. president barack obama the chief culprit behind the release of the interview". we'll tell you what else pyongyang is saying about it. also, two fallen new york police officers are remembered as more threats are leveled against their fellow officers. also ahead this hour it, preparations under way in california for the rose bowl parade. how do they make those floats? and what is inside them? we'll have a report for you. welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. you're watching cnn live coverage. i'm natalee