tv Larry King Live CNN February 16, 2010 12:00am-1:00am EST
12:00 am
2006 under suspicion of doping. he is now accused of hacking an anti-doping labs computer system to defend against those charges. and a powerful and unexpected wave wiped out spectators at the mavericks surf competition in half moon bay, california over the weekend. most escaped with minor gentlemen, but three fans were hospitalized with broken bones. anderson, amazing footage. and you know what? the officials actually spend months looking for waves big enough for this competition. they didn't expect anything like this one i bet. >> crazy pictures. what a surprise. that's it for "360."" thanks for watching. larry king starts now. see you tomorrow night. tonight sean penn exclusive. he's just back from haiti. it's his first interview about the heartbreak he witnessed first hand, and now the new and looming disaster.
12:01 am
could be worse and more devastating than the earthquake. plus, his take on president obama and politics. then celine dion, desperate for a baby. >> we would love to have another child. >> larry: the megastar's fertility nightmare and why she'll never give up on family. >> would you adopt? celine gets personal revealing what until now was a secret next on "larry king live." sean penn is here, the oscar-winning actor and activist just back from a three-week aid trip to haiti as part of the jenkins penn haitian relief organization. that was your first time in haiti? >> yes. >> larry: had a little time to process? overall, what was the experience like? >> well, you know, i think that in talking to the other people that were there, people who have more disaster, let's say, experience than i do, this is
12:02 am
the most complicated and devastating one that anyone has ever seen. when i was in katrina, so many people said, you know, what you see on tv is nothing. when you get there, you see so much. actually, it was what i thought, and it was a terrible disaster and something that continues today in many ways. this is the apocalypse. this is like hiroshima. the devastation there is on a level like nothing anyone i've spoken to has ever seen. the people are probably the most resilient people i've ever experienced. we saw amputations without flinching, without anesthesia. children who are learning to -- who are playing again, but are in so much need and in so much hunger. these are our neighbors, and this is a country that needs us and ultimately we need them because the character of the
12:03 am
haitian people is seeded in a disconnect from the comfort addiction so many of us in the country have, that's a powerful force of character and that we need to share it. >> larry: you were with us from haiti last time on january 29th. then until now, getting better? >> where we are right now is on the verge of what might be the greatest public health crisis in the history of the western hemisphere. >> larry: it's coming? >> we're within two weeks from the rainy season. people have in essence no cover. there are tent cities made from rugged tarps on top and sheets on the side. things that are an incredible fire hazard. the camps are wildly overcrowded, a breeding ground for infectious diseases. what has to happen in the next two weeks and what we're trying at jphro trying to support with the help of other groups as well
12:04 am
as with the unhdp is to try to relocate as many as possible. one of the first emergency things that should happen and haitian law has to be looked at before an emergency is declared over, before the rains come, is that there should not -- there should be the equivalent of what we have in american law, which is eminent domain. land should be taken and not asked for. people are going to die in mass if we don't get those camps closed. >> larry: the land currently owned should be taken? >> if the owner doesn't want it taken, the owner should be pushed aside. i has to be taken now or people are going to die. it's that simple. >> how many people are we talking about moving? >> right now you have a million displaced people. 750,000 are in dire need of medical aid or food and almost all in terms of shelter. >> larry: when we say rainy season, does that mean rain all the time? >> it's a very serious rainy season. >> larry: it lasts how long? >> i'm not sure. i believe it goes on for months. the camp that we initially
12:05 am
oversee in terms of our medical care, we run a hospital and several clinics at this point on a hill. when the deputy secretary of the haitian mission came, it was declared the most dangerous camp in haiti on the basis of that hill. it was also declared on haitian radio the most organized camp because we've been able to put what we call a vip program, which is the vulnerable patient program. it's a vulnerable identification program. we work at cross purposes, and we do it at one run% because we don't know how the le rest locations are ultimately going to be going down because we don't have the tents. the u.n. doesn't have the tents. so we need -- so tents are needed. of all sizes, for storage as well as for housing. how do they go to you?
12:06 am
>> it's www.jphro.org or we have another one which is www.beattherain.org. >> larry: www.beattherain.org or www.jphro.org. >> correct. >> larry: you need money, right? >> we need money. the way we function, we at this -- pretty much a zero red tape organization. where there's need we give it. like i said, we have several satellite camps we work with as well. we work in strong collaboration with the 82nd airborne, who is have been extraordinary. to see the united states military with all its skill and discipline and most importantly the quality of human beings that there are doing this when it's a human aid effort is unparalleled. >> larry: you were so praiseworthy of the military, and normally you're not a big fan of military. >> that's not true.
12:07 am
if anyone looks back at the things i've written, i've always been a supporter of the troops. i think we have a responsibility to only deploy our troops constitutionally and responsibly. in this case there's no question. i think this is the most noble mission likely that the united states military has been involved in since world war ii. but i support the military in right wars or unright wars. the problem is the use of the military and the misuse of it at times. in this instance, this is the most efficient force in the country. i would plead to our president that he keeps the united states military there for longer than i understand it's currently planned. >> larry: sean is a father. we'll ask him what effect the children of haiti had on him, and more about how we can all help in that regard, next. i was just in town for a few days, and i was wondering if i could say hi to the doctor. is he in? he's in copenhagen. oh, well, that's nice. but you can still see him!
12:08 am
you just said he was in... copenhagen. come on! that's pretty far. doc, look who's in town. ellen! copenhagen? cool, right? vacation. but still seeing patients. oh. [ whispering ] workaholic. i heard that. she said it. i... [ female announcer ] the new office. see it. live it. share it. on the human network. cisco. to give our war fighters every advantage. to deliver technologies that anticipate the future, today. and help protect america everywhere... from the battlespace to cyberspace. around the globe, the people of boeing are working together, to give our best for america's best. that's why we're here. ♪
12:10 am
>> larry: tomorrow night bill maher returns. we're back with sean penn talking about haiti. and other things. the website for the jenkins-penn relief organization is, again, jphro.org. jphro.org. i suggest you go to it as soon as this program is over. how is your father? seeing all those children, how has that affected you? >> i think most of us that are working on the ground there go into a certain kind of autopilot. it's an extraordinary spirit, as i said, that the haitian people have, but we also have to understand that they lost a 90th of their population in ten seconds. there isn't anyone who didn't lose family members.
12:11 am
many of them 12, phone immediate family members. if a child was outside at the time of the earthquake and parents were inside, you had 4-year-olds on the streets with nobody left in the world. there's going to be an incredible need for orphanages, and all of that. one of the things that i think that we have to remind ourselves of is that here is these people, our neighbors, and while it may be the sort of story that people think will fade and that the interest and the support will fade, when i talk about the military presence there, the -- where there is something like the holocaust and there is someone to hate and blame, all of a sudden there's a lot of money and support that comes in, and it doesn't fade until the job is done. there's a holocaust going on here by nature, and there are people when we came in who had -- may have had some kind of initial medical contact, but then amputations were followed
12:12 am
by reamputations when gangrene set in. we have chronic problems of tuberculosis that is becoming untreatable and uncontainable because people were away from their medications. typhoid, malaria, tetanus. tetanus is becoming a major problem. anybody who has seen the images has seen the rusty rebar. people are looking for effects in the home are cut and are getting tetanus. jphro has been very active in getting people into the united states who needed the kind of treatment that could only be gotten here. getting medical equipment in, and not only for our own facilities, what we tried to do when we first got on the ground is to be able to support standing infrastructures. we met with the hospitals, and we continue to do that delivering narcotics, antibiotics and medical equipment outside our own facilities as well as ours. we definitely need the support, continued support financially,
12:13 am
because all of us have dipped as far as we can go into our own pockets. this is really an emergency. >> larry: you told me during the break dominican republic won't take refugees in? it's right there. >> i've been very committed to not get political about any of this, and frankly i'm not one to ask about that because i've seen about 20 minutes of news since the earthquake happened. what we do is very focused operation. whatever money we get goes directly within hours of the time things arrive. we get it directly to patients that need it. >> larry: why do you do what you do? why did you go to katrina and stand on roofs and help people? what motivates you? >> paying for sins or something. i don't know. but what i do now and what this is really to the old story about john houston where somebody came up to him and said you're not so much half of movie making is
12:14 am
casting and he said something like, no, 99. in this case i have a group of people that are so extraordinary, and the -- they're all volunteers with the exception of the haitians that we employ, about 100 haitians. of course, we pay them. we have a group of at any given time 40 to 60 volunteers, doctors, nurses. we have a one-man show, a fellow named john rose who does the water filter distribution. he's gotten 4,000 of them out, and nobody is taking a penny. we're just giving everything directly into the need. >> larry: are you going back? >> i'm going back -- i'll be back in haiti on friday. >> larry: sean penn. that's www.jphro.org or beattherain.org. don't ask, don't tell, we'll ask sean penn what he thinks than policy and other political issues. celine dion still to come. don't go away.
12:16 am
>> larry: we're back with sean penn talking about haiti and other things. i want to remind you about another hot spot. afghanistan, is it worth dying for? that's the question that the author answers on our blog. go to cnn.com/larryking and read all about it. all right, sean. let's talk about some things political. obama is getting a lot of raps, things haven't happened. how do you assess his first year? >> i'm sitting here only to assess one thing. the spirit of the united states
12:17 am
military under this president, the mission to date that he has sent them on in haiti has been extraordinary. the cooperation that ngos have had with the military is unprecedented. the state department has been extraordinarily supportive, and i really -- i have blinders on on this issue right now. huge amounts of people are going to die if we don't continue this fight and keep it going. keep the media eye on this. >> larry: you're warped into this? >> that's it. he's a success to me as long as the focus of the media is maintained on haiti right now. this is going to be an incredible example of what america -- the best of america. this is a -- as i've repeated many times with sanjay gupta really beautifully said, it's
12:18 am
awful, indelible, fixable. this is fixable. >> larry: do you fear the president pulling them out too soon? >> i do, yes. >> larry: have you talked to him about it? >> i have never met the president. i have great respect for him, but i've not had a conversation with him. >> larry: did you see bill clinton when you were there? >> no, i didn't see him when i was there, but i'll see him march 1st and we'll have a conversation at that time. >> larry: here? i got an invitation today. you're appearing with him. i'm co-hosting it with our great co-founder diana jenkins who seeded the money that started all this we're doing with the jphro. >> larry: you've turned blinders to domestic policy, health care bill, jobs, you're not even thinking about that? you the activist that you are? >> you know, there's a time and place for everything. all of my focus is on this right now. a lot of that really has to do with the character of the haitian people. we all know in new york city, somebody gets mugged and another person looks the other way. when we go into the camps in the middle of the night, you know, with all the reputation of the violence of haiti and everything
12:19 am
else, i can tell you this. the 99% great people among them are 99% -- are 100% not going to look the other way. you have a problem, they're going to help you. they deserve our help. this is a -- there's something in the character of this emergency, and i can't reiterate enough that this emergency is right at the beginning now. this is no mission accomplished. but that's not the fault of anyone, least of all the united states right now, who is such a powerful and wanted presence. those babies of haiti are crying out, stay with me. so we have to. >> larry: so when you focus on something like that, as politically involved as you are, and as interested as you are, your country and other things, you tune that out? in other words, this has so overwhelmed you that you haven't thought about other things going on? >> if we do this and we succeed
12:20 am
in helping with the other countries involved and i'll include countries like venezuela, cuba, these controversial countries. it's just at this point all so stupid. politics are so stupid in this situation. there's no place for it. if we do this, it will affect our character forever, and it will build us into a better country and it will build our relationships with other countries better. >> larry: are you confident we will? so far we have. are you confident it will continue? >> we have to continue. there would be no excuse to not continue. and one of the most important aspects of that will be the media. i've never asked to be on television in my life before with the exception of auditioning for something i get paid for. i asked to be on your show today, and you said yes. that's what's important. to keep the eye on haiti, and not so important that i asked to
12:21 am
12:22 am
12:23 am
but crestor can help slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. go to arterytour.com and take an interactive tour to learn how plaque builds up. and then ask your doctor if crestor is right for you. along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol and raise good. crestor is proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. learn more about plaque buildup at arterytour.com. then ask your doctor if it's time for crestor. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> larry: i understand your emotion about this, so we'll stay on haiti even though we'll
12:24 am
discuss things politically. don't ask, don't tell, you must want to repeal it. >> of course. >> larry: the lavishness of the oscars. you won best actor last year, so you come and present this year. are you going to talk about haiti? >> it won't be my moment to talk about haiti on the stage. i'll be simply to do what somebody did with me last year and say the winner is. >> larry: your heart ain't going to be there? >> it depends on where the hearts of audience is. >> larry: that's a lavish ceremony, while that is going on -- >> it can be a lavish ceremony that can be an example of joy if people stay conscious of the needs of the world and in particular right now haiti. i think a lot of people will comment on it. >> larry: what do you make on the ten people being detained now. they're not going to have a decision on bail who took the orphans. >> it's a very difficult situation.
12:25 am
the situation of children and orphans. there was a great percent. it has to be carefully done. you don't want to send people off because they're a runaway and they have family. no one knows where so many people are. you know, if you have a house in a neighborhood in america, and it's on fire, 15 vehicles show up. the police, paramedics and this and that. 99% of the homes in haiti haven't been looked at except by neighbors who can't lift the concrete. they're big people and thousands of bodies buried under there. so whose parent is lost versus dead? >> larry: do you have compassion for the ten that took them? >> i don't know the story well enough to comment. >> larry: they took these orphans and apparently some weren't even orphans. they still had parents. they're making a decision by wednesday whether they give them bail or not. they're being charged. >> again, there are a lot of different issues that are kind of -- for us, microissues, and
12:26 am
yet some of them -- maybe these people need to be championed or condemned. i have no idea about their case. i do know that good intentions can go wrong, and right now all good intentions should be focused on saving life there because the numbers are going to increase in a way that is going to be -- that we can stop it. we can stop it now. >> larry: i salute you, sean. let me repeat the websites here. www.jphro.org. right? >> that's right. >> larry: or beattherain.org. >> www.beattherain.org. >> larry: both of those. jphro or beattherain, with www in front. thank you, sean penn. >> thank you. >> larry: the one and only celine dion is here. she'll tell us about her new film and why the fifth time might be charm for having a second child. that's next.
12:30 am
i got the music in me ♪ >> larry: celine dion is with us. she's a multi-grammy winning singer and entertainer, one of the biggest selling recording artist in the history of the man kind with more than 200 million albums sold worldwide. her new feature film celine" opens february 17th for a limited two-week run. it's a behind of scenes glimpse into her life as she traveled the globe on her taking chances tour. by the way, it's sold out performances everywhere. five continents and 25 countries. by the way, let's look at celine dion in action. ♪ when i was a little girl ♪ i had a run i'll ever run
12:31 am
12:32 am
>> larry: that's from the new film "celine." how did that film come about? >> just watching it gives me butterflies again. this idea of having photographers and film people around us 24/7 pretty much was to bring more than pictures, it was to bring memories, souvenirs. it was just basically for us. a personal thing that we just wanted to bring home. it's not given to a lot of people to bring their mother and their son, their husband and to tour as an artist, but i have to say mainly as a daughter, as a wife, as a mom. >> larry: you started your show in theaters? >> we started to film everything, and rene didn't take long to figure out that this thing was going to be something very amazing. he said it's so incredible. there's so many amazing moments just for a moment, forget the
12:33 am
performances on stage with the songs, but behind the scenes. a lot of fans, a lot of people wonder what's going on backstage, what's going on the in car and hotel room and the plane and restaurant. how does she look without the makeup? what are they doing on the days off? all that stuff. it was to give people, the fans, a kind of a vip pass in a way. rene especially and the whole team really thought and felt this was amazing, and we wanted to share it. >> larry: it will play for two weeks, and then what? >> it will play for two weeks, and the rest is history. we'll bring the rest home, i guess. >> larry: play where for two weeks? >> it's going to be in theaters. >> larry: all over the country, for two weeks only. >> yes, coming out in japan and australia >> larry: will it wind up on hbo or something? >> that, i don't think. >> larry: you're not going to bury it, right? >> no. what you say, do, and record stays. >> larry: was there a hassle to travel with the whole family? >> no, but it was -- we were 100 and something people traveling together.
12:34 am
we really tried hard to keep this very -- it sounds weird to say, as intimate as possible. so we were very fortunate to have as close as a team possible traveling with my mom, with my son, my husband and i. the band was traveling separately, so it was not everybody traveling together at the same time. >> larry: was it a lot tougher to do this than to sing in vegas every night? >> it's a totally different energy. >> larry: harder? >> it's just different. it's like an uptempo song and a ballad. i don't think one is harder than another. being in vegas -- what's hard about vegas is the consistency of having to hold your breath all the time. five nights a week for five years straight. it's not like let me do three months and take three months off. it was constant for five years,
12:35 am
so being out there holding your breath for five whole years. but it was also amazing because it was stability, and it was -- you put the set, you test the microphone, you are home every night. what was great about on tour is that it's a new energy, so it's rock 'n roll. you see the beauty. we wanted to not only tour as an artist around this world, but take the time to see beauty around the world. >> larry: you work every night? >> we did not work every night. we were doing about three shows a week. then we did safaris and met with mr. mandela and we went to berlin and outside of berlin to see a concentration camp. some stuff was hard. when you look back and have this, we learned a lot and to have my mom see this and for my son, who was 7 at the time, now he's 9, he talks about it.
12:36 am
he doesn't know so well, but eventually he will. >> larry: we'll be back with more. what's it like to show up in a remote village and everybody knows you? you're taking chances if you don't stick around for the answers. stay with us. if you're taking 8 extra-strength tylenol... a day on the days that you have arthritis pain,
12:37 am
12:39 am
♪ what did you do to make it >> larry: i'm proud to call her a friend, the great celine dion. she has fans all over the world. many of them offstage. here is a clip of celine singing with some children in south africa. watch. ♪ all the joy you brought to our life ♪ ♪ all the wrong you made right ♪ for every dream you make them come true ♪ ♪ for all the love i found in you ♪ ♪ i'll be forever thankful ♪ that you're the one who helped held me up ♪ ♪ never let me fall ♪ you're the one who saw me through ♪ ♪ through it all ♪ you were my strength when i was weak ♪ ♪ you were my voice when i couldn't speak ♪ ♪ because you loved me
12:40 am
>> larry: were you surprised that you were known in remote places? >> very much. very touched. being told that your songs are being played around the world, but when you go there and have people in south africa singing your songs, it's amazing how music can travel, and it makes you realize how fortunate you are to be able to use your voice and to get a message through or to express yourself. >> larry: a lot of times they wouldn't understand what you were singing? they wouldn't know the words? >> yes. it makes you realize as well that they're -- with music there's no barriers. there's no language really. >> larry: it's universal. >> if you speak french or english or japanese, they might not understand every word that you're singing, but they get the message at the end when you're feeling when you're done with it. if you did a good job, if you -- i think i'm just fortunate that i was blessed with something, and -- >> larry: did you hit it -- >> it's the nonbarrier.
12:41 am
>> larry: how long was the tour? >> more than a year. >> larry: wow. hard to be away that long? >> it was not really hard because i was with the people that i love the most. if i go away and have my husband and my son, i have my family now. on top of that, i had my mom, 82 years old. >> larry: how is your little one who knows my little ones? >> yes, it's been a while since we had dinner. it's been a while. we have to do that again. he just turned 9. and it doesn't -- it doesn't stop getting better. you think that eventually it will just stay there. it gets better and better. what i'm so happy for him is that, of course, we're proud of our children, obviously, but i'm especially very happy for him. this kid has adapted himself to our lives, and he's a trouper. >> larry: show business kid. >> yeah, show business kid. backstage, planes, jet lag.
12:42 am
when he started his school a year ago in florida -- >> larry: you have a home there. >> now we drive him to school every morning. he's got his school, he's got his uniform, he's got his teacher, he's got his friends. he's got a job as a student to make the best of him every day. when this kid comes home every day, he's full of energy. >> larry: fourth grade? >> he's in the third actually. >> larry: he must have skipped. >> actually he was in second grade on tour. he didn't finish so they call it second/third. however you want to put it. honestly to let him feel he owns his own life now, that i'm the one that drives him and adapts myself to his lifestyle now, it's the most rewarding thing for me. >> larry: do you want another child? >> we would love to have another child. we would love to -- >> larry: are you trying? >> we're trying. we tried four times. >> larry: what happened? >> it didn't work. we had a -- the first time we had a miscarriage, and the three other times it did not work.
12:43 am
it's kind of common, you know. we were very lucky with rc. and right now we're trying our fifth try. >> larry: it's fun trying? >> there's nothing wrong with trying, i'll tell you. >> larry: would you adopt? >> i think that until my book is open -- let me rephrase that. i think that if i would not have a child i probably would have thought maybe adopting. now that we have a son together, i am more than blessed. we're trying to extend a family for r droo to have a sister. if the doctor says that's it, you cannot try anymore, you can't, then i will turn the page and then i will see my options. >> larry: you ever get tired of singing? >> actually, this is what i love -- not what i love the most, because i think being a mother is what i love the most. as a performer i love singing a lot, and i hate to sing a lot.
12:44 am
when i have the full capacity of my instrument and i'm there to serve music as good as i can, i adore singing because i talk with my soul and i love to share what i love with people. when it's not working so well and you're sick a little bit and not fine-tuned, it's the worst thing. >> larry: our guest is celine dion. when does this open? next week? february what? >> february 15 -- 17th, i'm sorry. >> larry: wednesday, the 17th. two nights away this is february 15th. it plays for two weeks in theaters all over the country. >> that's right. >> larry: celine sang in a michael jackson tribute in the grammys and participating in a remake of "we are the world." we're going to talk about that next. because it absorbs 10 times more. there's nothing quite like it. carefree® ultra protection™. feels like a liner, protects like a pad™. carefree® ultra protection™. about all the discounts boswe're offering. i've got. i some catchphrases that'llideas
12:45 am
make these savings even more memorable. gecko: all right... gecko: good driver discounts. now that's the stuff...? boss: how 'bout this? gecko: ...they're the bee's knees? boss: or this? gecko: sir, how 'bout just "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance." boss: ha, yeah, good luck with that catching on! anncr: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. hey, i know you. so what can you tell me about shell nitrogen enriched gasoline? did you know they could protect your engine? and how do they do that? they clean up gunk left by lower quality gasoline. then they act as a protective barrier... that shields and protects engines... against performance-robbing gunk. - all three grades? - that's right. all three grades. shell nitrogen enriched gasoline, helping you get the most out of every drop. you really are experts. helping you get the most out of every drop. when you least expect it...
12:46 am
a regular moment can become romantic. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis. with two clinically proven dosing options, you can choose the moment that's right for you and your partner. 36-hour cialis and cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right. >> tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. >> don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. >> don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache, or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. >> if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. >> 36-hour cialis or cialis for daily use. ask your doctor if cialis is right for you. you can be ready for your moment with cialis.
12:47 am
ahead on 360, a professor in alabama accused of shooting three on campus, but did authorities miss a trail of warnings signs leading back 24 years? she was questioned in a pipe bombing attempt. no charges filed. were mistakes made? we're keeping them honest. and democrat evan bayh says he won't run again and john mccain faces a challenge from another republican, saying he is not conservative enough. mccain held his senate seat for 30 years. his challenger says he campaigns like a conservative and, quote, legislates like a liberal. mccain is not only republican facing threat from other republicans. not republican enough. that's our 360 series all this week. plus, explosive new charges against a legal adviser to the
12:48 am
ten american missionaries. turns out he is not a lawyer, and an international arrest warrant has been issued over the weekend. the charges are sex trafficking. those stories and a debate he on weight and flying at the top of the hour. ♪ there's a choice we're making ♪ ♪ we're saving our own lives ♪ it's true we make a better day just you and me ♪ ♪ we are the world ♪ we are the children ♪ we are the ones who make a brighter day ♪ >> larry: was "we are the world" fun to do? >> it was. it was touching. it was touching to see everybody and to be -- this is a song that i always sang, and it was -- i was very touched when they asked me to be part of it. i didn't even think of about it. i was there and i said, of course, i'd love to. so it was amazing. i went into the recording studio and on my left was quincy jones and on my right was lionel richie. >> larry: this one's for haiti?
12:49 am
>> i was like -- i think i'm in good hands. i'll be all right. you can't get better than that. >> larry: how did the michael jackson death affect you? >> it did a lot. you know, you see a lot of things. first of all, when you know him personally a little bit, he came to see the show in las vegas. we talked a while. michael was very interested in knowing how i was managing to be doing this every night. he was curious. he wanted to know. and i was very nervous meeting with him. i have to tell you that since i was very young, michael has an amazing influence on me. i just remember looking up to him in both ways, looking up to him because i wanted to be on stage just like him, sing like him, maybe one day meet with him. but on top of that, looking up
12:50 am
to him is that on the ceiling of the bedroom when i was young, i had his posters. >> so you could look up at him. >> the wall was not enough for me. the ceiling where he was belonging. and i said to myself, well, if i want to sing like him, be on stage like him, maybe meet with him, maybe sing with him, what am i doing? i have to go to school to learn english. >> so his death must have horrified you. >> i went to school to learn english. i met with him and i sang with him. it really hurted me a lot because through what i was seeing sometimes through newspapers and magazines and tv and they have a tendency to kind of show us the bad side. and i really thought at moment, i bought that. i bought the fact that i thought michael was really, really, really, really sick. and when i saw the movie, because i don't think it's great to suffer, to struggle and to go through this.
12:51 am
so i said he was called home. but when i saw "this is it" and i saw him top shape, i got mad. >> by the way in "we are the world," was that you reuniting with streisand? >> i was so happy to see her again. i haven't seen her, that's right, for a long time. so it was wonderful to see her. and i thought she was a trooper, just coming with the jonas brothers and miley cyrus and everybody on stage. and she came and did her part, making a difference. >> by the way, you're going back to vegas? >> i'm going back. >> when? >> we're going to be starting next year. >> 2011? >> 2011. >> caesars again? >> caesars. come and see. home is home. >> how long is the commitment? >> it's going to be three? three years. i just wanted to double-check. >> your husband runs everything with the show with you? >> well, my husband is my partner. >> he is a great man. we love rene. >> i know he is. so three is in vegas. and it's going to be obviously a brand-new show. and i'm very excited again.
12:52 am
what's great about show business, you can always kind of try to surpass yourself, or be the best of yourself and do something else. we're not trying to do the vegas show again. we're not trying to do the taking chances again, and we will, have 31-piece orchestra. we're going to sing. we're going to do great music. hollywood movie tribute. >> who will work when you take your little two weeks off? have they decided? >> i'm not sure. i'm not sure who will. but i will work my schedule. i will do 70 shows a year. >> go back to where you lived before? >> yes. and i will work my schedule around my son's life now. so he is going to go to school still. and then when he is off for the summer and the spring break and christmas time, i will go and perform at caesars. i'm looking forward to it. >> helicoptered everybody day? >> no, that was -- they made up that story a long, long time ago. >> you didn't do a helicopter? >> i never did a helicopter. i drove myself -- no, not
12:53 am
myself. i drove people crazy. but i had a chauffeur driving me back and forth err day. they thought i was going to disturb everybody, every day twice. i never took a helicopter. >> show business you people. >> don't believe what you read. ask the people. >> "celine" the movie opens wednesday, february 17th for two weeks only in theaters everywhere. my heart will go on, but only with you stay with us. one more segment with celine next. ♪ every night in my dreams, i see you, i feel you ♪ ♪ that is how i know you go on ♪ i am stuck on band-aid brand ♪ ♪ 'cause germs don't stick on me ♪ only band-aid brand plus antibiotic...
12:54 am
12:56 am
♪ ♪ when you call on me, when you reach for me ♪ >> we're back with more of celine dion. the film "celine" through the eyes of the world opens february 17th, two weeks only in theaters near you. do you ever turn down something you regret it? >> well, i do not remember, and try not to remember, but i tell
12:57 am
you a story. i don't know if i told you that, that i wanted to return to "titanic." i didn't want to sing "my heart will go on." sarcastic, isn't it? i think it's an amazing song. rene talk you'd into it? >> when i was offered the song and it was played to me, and james horner came and it was like playing the song to me. i don't know what happened to me that day. i didn't think it was for me. and the way he was playing the piano and rene was like you know what we're going to do, he said? let me ask celine to do a demo. and then i knew oh my god, i'm going to do a demo. make a long story short, went for a demo, and i never resang the song because the actual recording. the demo is what we used. they just built the orchestra around me. i'm so glad i was wrong. >> larry: were you shocked at how big it got? >> when i saw the movie, i was
12:58 am
in shock. i was in shock that i was part of it. i was extremely proud. but when i saw the movie, you know, i don't think a love story will ever go away. and it makes me very happy to know and to feel that people, even though the life modernized and it changes and it goes quick and fast and it's crazy out there, that people, that human being are still being touched by the essentials of love, affection, attention, the true things. it's still worth, and i think it will always work. >> larry: is that a hard song? you have to do it all the time, right? >> yes, and i'm very proud. >> larry: is it a hard song to sing? >> it is a hard song to sing. >> larry: give me example. >> first of all when you do "every night" it's all the breathy. ♪ you're here, there is nothing i fear ♪ it's all breathy and then ♪ you're here there is nothing i feel and i know that my heart ♪ you have to be like killing it. so it's from soft to hard.
12:59 am
so it's hard. it's hard, and also when it comes every day, your i voice change. i started to sing this song a while ago. and hopefully in ten years i will still be a singer singing the song. am i going to be able to sing it again? i hope so. it might be different. >>. >> larry: might have to change it. >> we might have to change it. >> larry: do you ever get tired it? >> you know, honestly, truth, sometimes you're like oh. time after time. but i don't know what. it's called the magic of the show business. you might be not believing that you're going to sing that song again before show starts, but when the curtain comes up, and they hear ♪ . it works. >> larry: you are the best. >> and you are a friend. >> larry: i love you. >> i love you too. celine dion, february 17th, two nights away. it will open the movie, just weeks to see "celine" behind the
183 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on