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 allen. happy holidays to you.

no one expected "the interview" to get a good review from north korea and they did not disappoint issuing a scathing criticism of the comedy about a fictional plot to assassinate kim jong-un. they say the film is illegal, dishonest and contrary to the u.n. charter but they saved some of their harshest language for u.s. president barack obama and paula hancocks is following the story for us from seoul south korea and joins us now live from seoul. paula? >> well, as you say, this was expected. we knew that pyongyang was furious about this movie release. we knew they were happy when it was put on hold and, of course, we knew they weren't going to be happy when it did decide sony pictures decided to go ahead with the release. so we've had this statement from the national defense commission. this is a very powerful institution in north korea showing how seriously they take this. and they've said this saturday they blame sony pictures but they linda stouffer personally

blame the u.s. president barack obama. they're effectively saying they believe the u.s. has president put pressure on the sony pictures entertainment and they forced them and blackmailed them they say to carry out this release so they're really blaming and also ip sulting president barack obama calling him reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest. so they really are targeting some very personal insults at him. it's not the first time we've seen this from pyongyang but it shows how angry they are that they went ahead with the release. they denied once again they had anything to do with the hacking of sony pictures. this was hacking claimed by a group called guardians of peace. the u.s. says they found linksing to north korea. they believe north korea was behind this but pyongyang is denying that once again and furious that washington is blaming them. we've also seen over the past five days intermittent internet

outages in north korea that the state-run media has been disrupted. their state run newspaper and also other networks and internet pages associated with north korea. they now blame washington for that. of course, we've had no comment from washington at all. but the tat for at that time tat is continuing between the two countries. relations are souring between the two countries and sony pictures is getting publicity that it could not have bought from all of this controversy from north korea and the fact they are so angry. we are even in south korea seeing thousands of people illegally downloading this movie. this wasn't going to be one of the countriesing that sony was targeting for movie release but of course, now with all the controversy, people here want to see it. natalie. >> yes, absolutely. a little movie that might not have been seen by many now it will be viewed by a lot. and what about north korea?

you were telling me earlier they don't appreciate parody, not one bit. but what are the chances the dvd could fall into hands of people there in north korea? >> it's certainly possible. we have heard from at least one activist here in south korea, a defector who escaped from north korea he intends to launching some propaganda balloons as they're called, helium balloons launched from south to north korea carrying dvds, carrying money, carrying other things. in the past, those dvds have had documentaries on them showing what they say is the truth about north korea trying to educate the north koreans and try and cut through some of the propaganda they're being fed by their own government. ac,ist is saying he's going to be sending copies of the dvd. it is possible that a very small minority of people within the country may see the movie. as we do know from some

deconnect withers those have gotten in hands of people along the border region before. this is something pyongyang will be very concerned about. they have built this cult-like personality around the current leader but the entire kim dynasty. they don't want that bubble to be burst. natalie. >> yes, and they have worked very hard to try to keep that from happening. we'll wait and see if what we hear about the film making it its way into north korea. it's being downloaded. let's talk about how the film did at the box office. it earned $1 million on christmas day playing in only about 300 had u.s. theaters. sony had planned to release the film in 2,000 to 3,000 theaters before the hacking issue. sales figures for online viewing not in yet. again, it has been downloaded many times illegally online.

meantime, at least two cybersecurity firms are now raising new doubts about whether north korea was indeed behind the hacking of sony pictures. here's brian todd. >> the forensic trail of the sony hack, it's mysterious, dli difficult to follow and sparking increasing doubt over the fbi's belief that hacker working for north korea are responsible. >> it's clear to us based on both forensic and other evidence that we've collected that unequivocally,cally, they are not responsible for orchestrating or initiating the attack on sony. >> sam ha guideline's cybersecurity form norse did its own investigation of the 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 hacker stole the computer credentials of a sony insider. norse believes it was given out and tracked it to one potential suspect a woman code named lena who guidelines says worked for sony for several years. he 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 employee 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 and been movie and other content and how they had been prosecuted in the u.s. and other countries. >> experts have lingering doubts

about north korea's bait t carry out such a sophisticated attack. >> it's beyond the skill level we've been able to observe. >> if north korea did commit the hack, analysts say it would have been done by the reconnaissance general bureau which they say conducts cyberwarfare commanded by general kim young chal, a former bodyguard for kim jong-un's father and grandfather. >> so them have somebody that's an intim mat to the family and also a very effective manager, supervisor. that actually shows the importance of north korea's national security apparatus places on electronic and cybercapabilities. >> north korea has denied hacking sony. as for the tracking of the hack to a former sony employee named lena, sam guidelines of norse corporation says his firm has 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 fbi nor sony would comment on any of it. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> while many moviegoers saying they're seeing the interview" as a way to defend free speech rights, others say the film may be undermining those rights. >> three weeks from tonight, i will be traveling to pyongyang, north korea to interview president kim jong-un. >> and that is because the move's main characters are journalists. cnn's chief international journalist christian na amanpour says the film may threaten journalists safety and writes the interview might be very funny. i wish it weren't more fodder for the deluded who see us as their mortal enemy. i isha sesay spoke about this issue. >> christiane raises very valid points. the main point is that enemies

of free press frequently confuse journalists doing their jobs with being enemies of the state. and whenever we see this sort of depiction of journalists in mainstream media, you know, it's not ideal. we've also seen how sort of the humor in america does not always translate into other countries. christiane mentions british iranian journalist bahari who appeared in some skits for the daly show that beak the point of those skits was to show how alike iranians and americans are. unfortunately authorities there did not see the humor in that and he was detaineed. so it's a very fine line with this kind you have humor. >> you're right. it is indeed a very fine line. it is what's stressing many would say these, you know, james francoen an seth rogen clearly are bumbling idiots and so extreme caricatures of

journalists that you can see offense in just about anything. these guys are harmless buffoons. at least that's what the film is putting out there. >> fair enough. again, they seem like buffoons to us. we don't know how they're going to seem to other people in other countries. so that was her point which is incredibly valid. meanwhile, the other thing going on with this film we saw earlier this month was acts of self-sensorship which we've almost never seen in the united states on this level which is another attack on freedom of expression. that was an incredible angle of it that happily is not playing out as feared. >> and again, "the interview" made $1 million on its opening day in 300 theaters in the u.s. other news we're follow,ing, the u.s. plans to move as many as five guantanamo bay detainees in the coming days part of a stepped up effort to reduce the population at the base in cuba

over the next six months. 64 of the 132. ing detainees have been ruled eligible for transfer. several dozen are still considered too dangerous to be moved including khalid sheikh mohammed known as the mastermind behind the september 11th attack. despite success it will air strikes targeting isis militants, the group is expanding and the u.s. is one of its biggest targets. but isis is far from the only group wishing to strike the west. here's cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> 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 nasser al wahishi. 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 a major terrorist attack on western soil. this is a group with up to a thousand western recruits. >> and al qaeda in yemen 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 of 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 the attack, claiming responsibility for an assault on a military base in mogadishu saying it was their revenge for a u.s. air 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. pakistan security forces say they killed a key taliban commander believed to be responsible for a school massacre that left 145 dead a couple weeks ago. officials tell us they conducted a raid in the khyber agency on thursday. the man known only as saddam is suspected of organizing the

school attack earlier this month and also believed to have been involved in the killing of other security personnel and tribal elders. india's army said it is leading a full intensity pons to deadly tribal attacks in as sam states. they've sent 5,000 extra armed police. on tuesday, 72 people were killed when suspected militants targeted another tribal group. it is the scene of several long-running complex and often violent ethnic conflicts. one of the deadliest involves the region's native bodo tribe. the group known as the national democratic front of bodolan has been linked to.attacks over nearly 20 years. the group claims they are neglected by as sam's regional government and demands the creation of a celebrate state for the tribe. much of the tension stems in a perception that muslim

immigrants from bangladesh are disrupting bodo culture. two more people have been arrested in connection with alleged threats made towards new york police officers. that brings the total to nine since the two the policemen were shot and killed a week ago. the funeral for officer rafael ramos will be held just hours from now. we'll bring you coverage of that. a wake was held friday. funeral services for his partner officer wenjian liu are pending. in the next half hour, we'll show you how the community is helping the officers' families. and ahead here, what russians think of their president as the country deals with crimea and a slumping economy. but his numbers are interesting as far as his popularity goes. also ahead here, the latest on severe flooding in southeast asia na has tens of thousands of people on the move to higher ground.

the ukrainian government and pro-russian separatists swapped prisoners friday, their largest prisoner swap yet in this round of fighting. the swap is part of ukrainian president petro poroshenko's plans to end the pro-russian uprising in the east. more than 4700 people have been killed in the conflict since russia and neched crimea from ukraine back in march. expanded u.s. sanctions over that annexation force mastercard and visa to stop service in crimea, according to russian news agency tas. tas says the companies informed banks they can't process any more credit card transactions. earlier this month, the u.s. imposed a ban on doing business in in crimea. russia's economic issues and the conflict in ukraine do not appear to be a threat to vladimir putin's popularity. the country's independence polling agency says mr. putin's approval rating is at 85% in

december. meantime, mr. putin signed a new doctrine on friday listing the u.s. and nato as top military threats to his country. erin mclaughlin has more for us from moscow. >> russian security analysts tell me they see this new doctrine as the kremlin's response to western sanctions and political statements on the situation 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." now, 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 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 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 aimed at ending the crisis in eastern ukraine was called off today. that according to media reports ot. pro-russian rebels as well as members of the ukrainian government met in minsk on wednesday. now, reason for that cancellation was not given. erin mclaughlin, cnn, moscow into this was the scene in georgia's parliament.

>> this all outbrawl starred when an opposition member score during an address to the ruling party insults and more swear words flew, this enfists, then a few bodies flew. some members of participant even tore microphones from desks to use as weapons. it has been a decade since a monster tsunami devastated south asia. coming up, the people gather to remember their lost loved ones from the tsunami. plus, a tribute for a new york police officer of shot and killed in the line of duty.

houses and businesses have been submerged by weeks of rain in malaysia and the situation appears to be getting worse. derek van dam joining us now. this is the rainey season but it just is unrelenting this year. >> that's correct. in fact, we've got new numbers coming out of that area. over 115,000 people now evacuated from their homes and businesses. hardest hit across the northeastern seconds of malaysia, leaving scenes like this. you can just see how communities have been inundated by this floodwater moving through the region. they've had record rainfall. in fact, receiving two times their monthly average in the period of eight days. so impressive stuff. and it has led to serious concern obviously displacing hundreds of thousand of people and causing quite a number of concerns. the weather pattern continues to be very active over the next 48

hours. you can clearly see the thunderstorm activity across indonesia into thailand as well as northern malaysia. this is the area we're very concerned with near the border of southern thailand and malays malaysia. we could see an additional 50 to 100 millimeters of rain. very saturated environment leads to the possibility of more flooding across this region. look at some of the visuals coming out of the state. the five most northern states in malaysia all seeing this mass evacuation of people due to the rising waters. and this continued bad weather has made relocating these people very, very difficult. even the transport of food and supplies by helicopters has proven very challenging because of the rough weather overhead. the reason we're experiencing this flooding rainfall is a phenomenon known as the northeast monsoon. this area is prone to flooding

and prone top consistent rainfall this time of year. of course, we're peeking at our rainey season but it's just that we've seen so much in such a longer stretch of time. this high pressure overture asia has forced what as a northeasterly wind south china sea. when it encounters land, gets the necessary uplift to bring us the rainfall to malaysia and indonesia and southern thailand leaving scenes just like this. we're also tracking a low pressure system just off the coast of sri lanka. if you recall a few weeks ago, we had an extremely deadly landslide that took place across this region. thanks to the heavy rainfall that's fallen across that region. with more wet weather in store, you can bet that the risk of landslides and mud slides will continue across have i lavin ca. look at these impressive rainfall totals. 651 millimeters since last

saturday. lots to talk about here. >> right now we're going to do a look back. it's been ten years, i'm sure you know this, since the tsunami. it's hard to believe ten years have passed. >> this area has just seen one national disaster after another. >> we're going to look back at it now. many communities in southeast asia have now recovered from those massive waves in 2004 when more than a quarter quarter million people were killed. yesterday, ten years to the day, people remembered those they lost in one of the deadliest natural disasters in our history. ♪ >> this day on december 26th, 2004, we witness the ultimate power that water has over humanity. water has the capability to nourish us, but can give a

population with its abandoned presence or crippling absence. ten years ago today, when the tsunami hit land, it killed 230,000 people. and ruined the lives of many more. the human cost was immeasurable. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the light of the candles symbolizes love and remembrance of those we lost who are now shining as stars up above. >> it is a day that the survivors and those who lost loved ones will always remember. i salute the courage and bravery of survivors and those who lost family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and who have spent the last ten years rebuilding

theirs and their families' lives. all souls who have decided to leave in such a collective way on december 26th, 2004, they have left us a profound message. the message is a reminder about who we really are. it is a reminder about our essence, our humanity. the unconditional love, the light which we carry within us. >> such a peaceful look on that quiet beach there ten years later. remembering what it was like ten years ago and if you want to read more about the tsunami, go to cnn.com/international. there are memories from that day and a slide show of pictures, as well. and you can read a contribution from a red cross official on

what was learned from the tragedy of the tsunami 2004. we'll be back in a moment. (cough, cough) mike? janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry, scratchy thing going on... guess what? (cough!) it works on his cough too. what? stop, don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm packs 2 medicines in one pill

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i'm natalee allen. cnn live coverage for you. here are our top stories. north korea lashing outs at the u.s. for releasing the film the parody "the interview." it causes the movie illegal, dishonest and contrary to the united nations charter. north korea is especially critical of president obama calling him the chief culprit who forced sony to distribute the film. in mexico, a kidnapped priest has been found shot to death. the diocese said reverend

gregario lopez gors yet ta was found with a bullet wound in his head. church officials believe he was abducted earlier this week. authorities have no suspects or motives but the area is dominated by drug cartels. the funeral for murdered new york police officer rafael ramos will be held just hours from now. some 25,000 police officers from around the country are expected to attend the service in new york. a wake was held for him on friday friday. meantime, threats against new york police officers haven't stopped despite this double murder. cnn's miguel marquez reports on how the new york police force is responding. >> nypd on heightened alert. >> any statements suggesting violence toward the police need to be reported to the police so we can stop future tragedies. >> seven people arrested in connection with making threats against nypd. three arrested for posting threats on social media, two for

making false 911 calls. two others arrested one for making threats against the 104th precinct in queens the other against the 84th precincts in brooklyn where the two officers worked. officer ramos's family came to the 84th precinct wednesday. his eldest son justin calling his father a hero said i can't begin to fathom what life is going to be like without him. the memorial to the two officers growing in proportion to the sorrow felt city-wide. police have come, sometimes alone, others in groups. all in a show of respect, their grief unmistakable. >> this is sad. it's really hurt me. even though i'm not a police officer, but it just, it really got to me watching this on tv with my family. >> like nypd funerals before an enormous display of respect and grief will blanket the glendale section of queens as officers

from across the country remember one of their own. >> let's now bow our heads in memory of officer ramos and officer liu. >> wenjian liu's funeral is still being planned as the city and country grieve. jetblue airlines is working to fly family members from china and offered fly two officers from any law enforcement agency along its route to the funerals. >> jetblue says it's going to bring some 600 police officers from different departments across the country to this funeral as businesses across the city are also stepping up raising tens of thousands of dollars for both families. going to be a very emotional time for both nypd and the city in the days ahead. miguel marquez, cnn, new york. >> since miguel filed that report, two more people have been arrested in connection with alleged threats made toward new york officers. that brings the total arrested to nine since the two officers were killed a week ago. and as miguel reported, offers have poured in to help the

families. among the largest is from the stephen siller tunnel to towers foundation. it will pay off the home mortgages for the liu and ramos families estimated to be $800,000. >> we're not just going to take over their payments. we want to pay their mortgages off in full. so they don't have that burden or that worry because they have enough to go through. >> if you'd like to help the officers families, you can go to our website. there are a variety of ways you can contribute. cnn.com/impact will tell you about them. an unlicensed doctor has been charged with infecting more than 100 people with hiv in northern cambodia. police say he confessed to using contaminated needles. cnn reports. >> 800 villages line up at this clinic to be tested for hiv.

panic spread in this remote community after 106 people here were found to have the virus. they include this 2-year-old child. my daughter is too little, she says. it's very hard for her to take her medicine and i have no idea for her future. incredibly, generations of families have tested hiv positive. 48-year-old man, his daughter and granddaughter are all sick. he now wonders how he'll support his family. later when i'm getting worse and cannot work, what should i do, he asks? villagers tell the post they blame the mass infection on an unlicensed doctor who they say used contaminated needles. he's fled the village and is in protective police custody. he wants to come back, but the police won't allow him says his son-in-law.

if he comes, the police have is to secure his safety. cambod cambodia's prime minister called for an inquiry into the infections last week. it's little reassurance for villagers here still waiting to find out if they have the virus. health officials are continuing to carry out tests to find out the extent of this mass infection and exactly how it spread. cnn, hong konging >> the family of an american woman released now from jail in east timor is anxious for her to get home. stacey addison was held for months on drug charges. her mother spoke with cnn affiliate station kobi. here's lesley ahrens with a report. >> bernadette got a call from a lawyer on christmas eve that 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 over two months ago when a fellow passenger in a cab was found with meth amphetamine. while that passenger said she wasn't involved, addison has 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. >> karo is still cat sitting for her daughter and while the 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 she gets home. stacey addison quit her job is an i an veterinarian back in 2013 to travel around the world. well, the disappearance of malaysian airlines flight 370 is

easily the biggest mystery of 2014. we still don't really know how the passenger jet varnished but the disappearance is one of a long line of real life mysteries that have gone unanswered this year. steve knee elam asked some experts why the obsession over them. >> what the heck happened? where the heck is it. >> the questions are never ending. the answers elusive. >> they may find some wreckage. they may find something but as to being certain about what actually occurred, i don't think that's going to happen. >> airlines flight 370 vanished on march 8th. the case of the missing plane is unique in aviation history. but it fits the pattern of real life mysteries that continue to intrigue even decades later. it was 1937 when amelia earhart varnished during her attempt to fly around the world. >> she's an example of something is that lives on and on. why are people so fascinated by that.

>> partly because she was a larger than life figure. she was known throughout the world. 77 years later, nothing's been found of the wreckage. there are hints of what might have happened but no definitive answer. >> reporter: unsolved mysteries of all sorts captivate us. in 2013, the country watched live as fbi agents dug up a field in the detroit area an looking for the remains of jimmy hoffa. the teamsters boss who went missing in 1975. nothing was found. >> no matter how owed a story is, whether it's earhart or jimmy hoffa, they want to know what really happened. >> of all the unknowns those that happen in our lifetime stay with us. >> people who remember this malaysian airplane disappearing will remember this the rest of their life. if a new clue comes up in 15, 20 years they'll be interested in it. >> psychologist wendy walsh says our fascination all comes down to something more primitive. >> there's only one fear and all

humans have it, the fear of die. we spend a lot of our time trying to figure out how not to die. and when you hear about something tragic like this, you're worried could it happen to me. >> add to that a belief in this modern age, there shouldn't be any real life mysteries anymore. >> we have a sense somehow that mysteries are novels. they're not reality. we know everything. everything's knowable. there are some things you never will know. this might be one of them. >> stephanie elam, cnn, los angeles. >> coming up here, how great britain is working to fight 80s soaring obesity epidemic. also ahead, palestinians and israelis telling jokes and laughing. while discussing the deadly disagreements between them. these were definitely not your average peace talks. we'll take you there though in a moment.

well, in the uk, canada and a handful of other countries boxing day, the day after christmas is for bargain shoppers. the secular holiday is celebrated on the 26th and the shopping frebzy is similar to black friday in the u.s. take a look. >> ♪ . >> i saw some pictures like boxing day. there are a lot of people

rushing. i want this kind of experience. >> oh, my gosh. freezing. sl >> it was hectic. i was like everyone out of my way. this is not the time for cameras. this is the time to get your stuff and make sure you got it. i got mine, so get yours. ♪ >> i think a lot of people are on a mission and know exactly what they're looking for and considering we probably bring 150,000 people through our doors today, everything is really well organized. >> yeah, i got a bag because it's so cheap. >> well, shopping does burn the calories. that's a good thing browse because britain is working to battle the bulge. the country has an obesity rate

of about 25% according to the health and social care information center and now it is working to do something about that. here's christina mcfarland in london. >> 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 ensure 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 seechbs said this was daft saying it was more important to take action now to prevent the country sleep

walking into the worst public health emergency of the last three decades. christina mcfarland, cnn, london. >> we know that red carpet movie premieres are just so glamorous. but they can also mean a lot of waiting around if you're a news report. see the not so glamorous life of a red carpet reporter when it we come back. and see how they pull together the tournament of roses parade in california.

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>> israelis and palestinians came together even laughed together all in the name of peace. cnn's ian lee reports on the meeting where no jokes were off limits in jerusalem. >> 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.

>> all settlements tomorrow and the day after tomorrow demand the rights to return to the settlements and that way we'll just switch ownership every 48 hours palestinians and jews like hotel rooms. >> next to jerusalem judaism holiest site and islam'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 already? >> there are no arabs in zimbabwe. >> there are no jews there. >> there are diamond mines. you know there are jews around.

let's very zimbabwe as 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. sometimes there is. >> this became a very sad interview. >> taking on a conflict only israeli and palestinian comedians can. ian lee, cnn. nice so see some commonalities there with humor. red carpets are full of glamour and fun if you're the celebrity walking them. it's not so glamorous if you're the one trying to interview all those celebs. neil curry gives you a behind the scenes look and rhymes his way through this star-studded story. >> whenever there's a premiere, ule find me here 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 allowed 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'm kneel from cnn. >> final lingering memory of working on these three films. >> i don't have one. >> we've been here three hours. it's absolutely freezing. and the sum total of interviews we've got is no wizards, no elves, no orks, we've got a

couple of 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 news from the premiere. >> thank you, kneel curry. he's off in a flurry. we'll mof 0 on here. the tournament of roses parade has been a new year's day tradition in southern california for more than 125 years with its unbelievably beautiful floats. the parade celebrates american college football and as adrianna wine gold reports, it takes

hundreds of volunteers to pull it all off. >> in a chilly warehouse in irwin dale, hundreds of volunteers are transforming these structures into rose parade masterpieces using everything imaginable. from seeds to petals to obviously the natural flowers, to the fresh fruits a lot of them even have vegetables. into it takes about 7,000 hours to decorate each float. right now they're concentrating on dry tiers. these girls are using crushed peas to outline the veins of leaves. rebecca has been decorating floats since she was 6 years old and spends every winter break here with her friends. >> i really like seeing it on the actual parade day. you get to see what you've been working on. that's really cool. >> each and every tiny piece is placed by hand. golden flax to outline the eye of a dog, white rice for an olympic star. cornhusks cut to look like

scallops, pony seeds as feathers. the work is time consuming but the highlight of the year. like elise. this is her tenth year deck raising the floats. >> it's fun. it's the hardest work and the most fun you're going to have. >> fresh flowers will be put in place in a few days. cold weather helps to keep the flowers looking good longer. too cold and the glue doesn't try right. attention to detail all in a day's work. >> it's good on the flowers. makes it chillier for the kids. the weather forecast looks really good between now and new year's eve. there's a slight chance of showers on new year's eve night. >> it's never rained during the rose parade but whatever the weather, these, would of art will be ready to go come new year's day. >> well, beyond the floats, there are more than a dozen marching bands in the rose parade including three from

mexico, japan, and denmark. see it come new year's. coming up here, we'll have more on north korea's furious reaction to the release of the film "the interview" and their choice words for sony and u.s. president obama. also, more on vladimir putin calling the united states and nato top military threats as it finds itself in a standoff with the west over ukraine. you're watching cnn live coverage. i'm back in a few moments.

z. it breaks our hearts when something like this happens.

it could be any of us anytime. >> the new york police department prepares to bury one of ilgts own chasing down threats. >> north korea fires off a response after "the interview" gets its unconventional release. >> one son's generous gift that brought mom and dad to tears. welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. i'm natalie allen. the top stories in new york city, the funeral for rafael ramos will be held hours from now. ramos, shown here on the right and his partner, wenjian liu. plans for officer liu's service hasn't been announced. thousands of people lining the streets to offer condolences to his family.