that's why we changed the name from eugene allen to cecil gaines.ssence of that character really is the else seasons of eugene allen. i was honored to get to interview eugene allen before he passed away. i remember asking him -- i knew the movie was going to be about the civil rights movement. i asked him how he felt about the civil rights movement as it was happening. he said, i was too old for it. i really think that in that answer the creation of the character cecil gaines -- he was really born in that moment. that really became somewhat of the heart of the character in the movie. >> well, you have so many great characters in this movie, danny. i think the screen writing must have brought them to life. oprah winfrey was fabulous. >> amazing. >> forrest whitaker is unbelievable. you had cuba gooding pop off the screen. so many academy award nominees in that movie. thanks for joining us. great screen writing. hell of a movie. a great story of the african-american experience. anyway, i'm impressed. >> thanks very much. well, that does it for this ed

this is when cecil gains, played by forest and his son louis, take a look. >> what's the name of that movie honey? >> "in the heat of the night." >> "in the heat of the night" with sid any port yay. >> that's a white man's fantasy of what he wants us to be. sflp >> what are you talking about? he's breaking down barriers for all of us. >> by being white. by acting white. sidney poitier is nothing but a rich uncle tom. >> look at you, all puffed up with your hat on your head covering -- coming in here saying what you want. you need to go. >> what? >> get the hell out of my house! get on out! >> i'm sorry, mr. butler, i didn't mean to make fun of your hero! >> everything you are and everything you have is because of that butler! >> rose: that's danny's brilliant line. >> you wrote that line, thank you! >> you delivered it. >> rose: we often ask men how they can write through a woman's voice and we ask women how they write through a man's voice and we ask you in terms of capturing the black experience. part of that has to do with, i assume, something is within you but also something you w

this is when cecil gaines-- played by forest-- and his son louis. take a look. >> what was the name of that movie, honey >> "in the heat of the night." >> "in the heat of the night" with sidney pitt yay. >> sidney pitt yay is a white man's fantasy of what he wants us to be. >> what are you talking about? >> he won the academy award. he's breaking down barriers. >> by being white. by acting white. sidney port yay is nothing but a rich uncle tom >> look at you. all puffed up, your hat on your head, covering your hair, saying whatever you want. you need to go. >> what? >> get the hell out of my house! get on out! >> i'm sorry mr. butler. i didn't mean to make fun of your hero! >> everything you are and everything you have is because of that butler. >> that's danny's brilliant line. >> you wrote that line, thank you. >> you delivered it. >> rose: we often ask men how they voice and we asked women how they write in a man's voice and we asked you, you know, in terms of capturing the black experience part of that have has to do with, i assume, something th

. >> i'm cecil gaines. i'm the new butler. >> you hear nothing, you say nothing.nly serve. >> you know he got that job himself? the white house called him, he didn't call the white house. >> i want to hear all the stories. >> i don't know how many stories you're going to hear because they done swore them to some kind of secret code. >> did you go to an all-colored school, cecil? >> i didn't go to school, mr. president, i grew up on the cotton farm. >> don't you lose your temp we are that man. it's his world, we just live in it. >> about time you go ahead. >> you looking for some help? >> you done broke our window, you done stole our food and now you're asking for a job. >> i know how to serve. >> they said this new white boy's smooth. >> i'm thrilled to be working with all of you over the next four years. >> dr. king, what did your daddy do? >> he was a butler. the black domestic plays an important role in our history. >> something special is going on here. mr. president? >> i know your son is a freedom rider. >> turn the bus! >> i never understood what you all re

this is when cecil gains, played by forest and his son louis, take a look. >> what's the name of that movie honey? >> "in the heat of the night." >> "in the heat of the night" with sid any port yay. >> that's a white man's fantasy of what he wants us to be. sflp >> what are you talking about? he's breaking down barriers for all of us. >> by being white. by acting white. sidney poitier is nothing but a rich uncle tom. >> look at you, all puffed up with your hat on your head covering -- coming in here saying what you want. you need to go. >> what? >> get the hell out of my house! get on out! >> i'm sorry, mr. butler, i didn't mean to make fun of your hero! >> everything you are and everything you have is because of that butler! >> rose: that's danny's brilliant line. >> you wrote that line, thank you! >> you delivered it. >> rose: we often ask men how they can write through a woman's voice and we ask women how they write through a man's voice and we ask you in terms of capturing the black experience. part of that has to do with, i assume, something is within you but also something you w

. >> cecil gaines. >> i'm carter wilson, head butler. >> did you know the story of "the butler" began with one reporter's quest for the ultimate white house insider? we'll talk with the "washington post"'s wil haygood about how his reporting helped birth the box office bonanza. i'm eric deggans and this is "reliable sources." on saturday, the national mall hosted thousands commemorating the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. the event, organized in part by activists and msnbc host al sharpton drew intense news coverage as it did 50 years ago, when the reporters on the scene shaped the way the nation would understand the civil rights movement. dab rather was a young reporter at cbs news back then, assigned to cover the movement. >> governor wallace is now walking away from the door, apparent recapitulating now in his battle against the united states government to prevent two negro students from entering the previously all-white university of alabama. >> i spoke earlier with dan rather in new york city. dan rather, welcome to "reliable sources." >> glad to be here. thank you f

. >> i'm cecil gains. i'm the butler. >> we went onto serve eight presidents in the white house.just a few minutes we'll talk to the star of the film, forest whittaker and director lee daniels, up next. humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? butler for eight u.s. president is becoming a civil rights acon. he spent most of his life as a white house butler. his story was revealed back in 2008. forest whittaker as cecil gains is bringing that story to

>> cecil gaines. >> cecil gaines. i'm carter wilson. the head butler.n's coming from. >> looks like the jury's still out on that one, right? >> has he given you the tour yet? >> he did. is the dodgers still -- >> i might be able to answer that question if carter over here stop running his nasty mouth. >> jimmy: i mean, that's so smooth, man. you look good whatever you do. you always look good. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. >> jimmy: you know how to do it. lenny kravitz, we love you, buddy. come back and talk, play, whatever you want to do. you always rock the house. lenny kravitz. lee daniels' "the butler" is in theaters august 16th. goodie mob performs next. come on back, everybody! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ what do you think about caffeine? we consume over two billion cups of coffee every week without a second thought. 5-hour energy has less caffeine than some starbucks coffees, plus it has vitamins and nutrients. it's simple... caffeine with vitamins and nutrients. it's the combination that makes it so great. before you make a decision, get t

>> cecil gaines. >> cecil gaines. i'm carter wilson. the head butler.where the man's coming from. >> looks like the jury's still out on that one, right? >> has he given you the tour yet? >> he did. is the dodgers still -- >> i might be able to answer that question if carter over here stop running his nasty mouth. >> jimmy: i mean, that's so smooth, man. you look good whatever you do. you always look good. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. >> jimmy: you know how to do it. lenny kravitz, we love you, buddy. come back and talk, play, whatever you want to do. you always rock the house. lenny kravitz. lee daniels' "the butler" is in theaters august 16th. goodie mob performs next. come on back, everybody! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ around the year of 1900... american soldiers introduced cola to the cuban people. the cuban people introduced american soldiers to bacardi rum. cuba libre! that drink of freedom, came to be called the cuba libre vivimos! and i'm here to talk about your bums. these are bum-wipes. do you think that would be quite an interesting ad

cecil gaines. >> i'm carter wilson, head butler. don't worry about big mo behind you.wallet before you even know it. this is james hallway, my second in command. >> shake the man's hand first before you start asking difficult questions. >> i just want to know where the man's coming from. >> looks like the jury's still out. >> ready to give you the tour? >> he is. >> i might be able to answer that question if carter would stop running his nasty mouth. >> all right, one of the many clips from the movie i really enjoyed. steven rashon, a former coast guard admiral who was director of the executive residence and chief usher at the white house, also a consultant for the movie. welcome. we got to know each other during the bush administration, george w. bush, when i covered the white house. and i loved in the last scene of the movie, there was an actor who played you, actually meeting the butler, eugene allen, at the white house. what struck you about him when you first saw him? >> thank you, susan, it's great to see you again. but when i first met mr. allen, it was in 2008.

. >> the film focuses on cecil gaines, his family, and on america's civil rights movement. it shows his troubles in the 1960's. the picture is providing history. history whereing we still try to move forward from the promise that was made in the beginning of finding a quality, liberty, justice for all. we are still riding the train and we have not gotten to the destination. >> i would like to invite you to the state dinner next week. >> oprah winfrey is not the only big name. jane fonda plays first lady nancy reagan during the days of a republican it ministration. the butler is a picture designed to entertain. also to stimulate people to think about race. >> so, in people have come out of that film and said, i did not know that happened. when you have a whole history of people being ignored, overlooked and that line where black man'st a life did not mean anything. you have some perspective for that and you can understand. >> this is not the absolute truth, it is a movie concoction. the butler depicted never existed but he is based on a real white house butler. he died in 20

>> cecil gaines. >> i'm carter wilson, the head butler. don't worry about big mo behind you.her in the mirror over here is james holloway, he's my second in command. >> why don't you shake the man's hand first before you start asking difficult questions. >> i want to know where the man's coming from. >> he give you the tour yet? >> he did. >> i might be able to answer that question if carter will stop running his nasty mouth. >> that was lenny kravitz at the basin. joining me right now is academy award winning actor cuba gooding, jr., and director lee daniels. you did it. last night i saw it in d.c. you got one customer and when i start selling a movie, i never stop. what i loved about it was the education. are you guys having a conversation without me? let me in on this. >> first off, thank you for all the wonderful things you said about the movie. we love to you death anyway. >> i couldn't hear a thing. >> he couldn't hear a thing. his ear piece -- so i was saying it to him. >> he's repeating what you're saying. i'm helen keller right now. >> here's the story. what i came a

price and hiring like crazy, but it's not just job links that linkedin will bring you -- >> i'm cecil gaines. >> reporter: -- its customers now include the butler because hollywood wants some of silicon valley's social networking magic. >> we're just getting started. >> reporter: that's linkedin's senior director of global marketing. she says brands from movies to mercedes are drawn to linkedin's network of upscale, highly educated users. average salary, $83,000 a year. >> we are a professional platform, right, and professional means content, insights, connections, relationships, not purely just a single jobs focus. >> reporter: and that's returning sponsored updates into big business. in fact, the business and profit and hiring here has grown so fast, linkedin has outgrown its current headquarters. which is why sunnyvale is about to get an influx of tech workers. this is where linkedin will grow. mr. butler, seen by seen, job by job. scott budman, nbc bay area news. >>> just before headlining outside lands tonight red hot chili peppers front man spent some time with the america's cup. he fo

forest whitaker was understated but very elegant as cecil gains.lm. get this dwight eisenhower is played by robin williams. jane fonda plays nancy reagan. there's so many oscar winners and oscar nominated actors. lee daniels does a really good job putting it all together and giving them a chance to shine. >> nischelle, i refuse to believe that oprah can't dance. i'm going to have to check out the movie myself. >> black and white jump suit in the '70s with the fro, honey, it is fabulous. >> nischelle turner, good to see you as always. cnn "newsroom." much more after the break. [ tires screech ] [ beeping ] ♪ [ male announcer ] we don't just certify our pre-owned vehicles. we inspect, analyze and recondition each one, until it's nothing short of a genuine certified pre-owned... mercedes-benz for the next new owner. ♪ hurry in to your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for 1.99% financing during our certified pre-owned sales event through september 3rd. >>> if you tuned in to watch jay leno last night, you might have experienced a bit of whiplash today.

cecil gaines. it's inspired by his life you know? know. she was a rock in a way for my life.to be? you have a variety of roles. is there something that you have not yet achieved that you want to achieve, do that you want to do? >> i think as a rule i can't say but as an artist and purpose i try to keep deepening my connection with others and it's through the face of these characters that i deal with the source of humanity. >> forest there are some scenes in this movie that really tear at your heart strings, a lot of them. tore at my heart strings. there's a scene in the movie when he's left the white house and he ee retired and cecil gaines who's married to oprah, he looks back at the old shacks where they lived growing up and he said we grow up learning about camps your seas and we've hand camps in this country for over 200 years. >> sure. by looking at it you really get to understand the movement of the civil rights history. you get to go from basically a step above a slave to the current presidency. and you watch that through the eyes of this simple man, you know? >> it co

starring forest whitaker as cecil gaines. >> i'm cecil gaines. robin williams as dwight eisenhower. >> did you ever complete school, cecil? >> and jackie chan as bill clinton. "lee daniels' the butler" in theaters now. >> i think it's a little more intense than -- >> too much laughing. >> did you cry? because you've been crying all week. >> yeah, so in "the butler" i started crying in the middle and just didn't stop. a lot of crying. >> i have to admit, i did not realize, robin williams plays eisenhower? i just saw that now. wow, interesting. >> all the presidents are really good. >> debuted at number one in the box office. a bit of a surprise. thanks in part to the star-studded cast. recently willie sat down with co-stars len ni kravitz and cuba gooding jr. >> yes, there's a story about family there, but how important do you think it is for people to see this, to understand that country? >> it's so funny, i travel a lot overseas. i remember when president obama was inaugurated, i was in france, and these guys came up to me and say, how is this p

." ♪ oprah winfrey's highly anticipated new movie "the butler" opens up nationwide, it is about cecil gainsn african-american butler that worked for eight presidents. >> you know, he got that job his self. the white house called him, he didn't call the white house. >> i want to hear all the stories. >> i don't know how many stories you going to hear, they done swore him to some kind of secret code. so proud of you. >> get the hell out. >> i'm sorry, mr. butler, i didn't mean to make fun of your hero. >> great story. for some reason, oprah has been all over town talking race the last couple weeks. here she is talking about people using the "n" word. >> a lot of people think if they're not using the "n" word themselves, they physically are not using the "n" word themselves and do not harbor ill will towards black people, but to me it is ridiculous to look at that case and not think race is involved. >> she's comparing trayvon martin to emmitt till. >> he became a symbol for those times as trayvon martin is a symbol for this time. there are multiple trayvon martins whose names never make the n

that moment in the film where cecil gaines goes in and says the white help is making more than the blackon and i think that's not fair, and we should get equal pay. that is his way of warring. under the circumstances. >> reporter: the conversation that's had about race, we're still having that conversation today. i think we'll be having that conversation for a long time, because, you know, all of this, conversations about race, conversations about profiling, is really about our march to humanity. it's about our march to not fearing one another, and i think when you don't have stories and you don't have a placement in the culture where people can see there's a whole tapestry -- you know, one of the reason why i love this film and wanted to be a part of it is because of the tenderness between the -- of the husband and wife, and the tenderness and nurturing nature of a middle-class family. so many images. >> reporter: i had never seen that before. >> i know you hadn't. isn't that just shocking? when i ask other people, white people, black people, when have you seen tenderness and honor and

. >> i'm cecil gains.r is about america in transition and an unknown american known only to his family and eight american presidents. the movie is inspired by eugene allen, a real white how the butler that started in 1952 with harry truman when he couldn't use white bathrooms. he left in 1986 with ronald reagan and was a guest at a reagan steak dinner. >> are you political, mr. gains? >> no, sir. we have no tolerance for politics at the white house. >> his white house service ran parallel to the civil rights movement, a nation tormented by a new political turmoil. presidents tried to look away and were forced to intervene. in fleeting moments, black servants served another purpose, becoming a window on the chaos. >> did you go to an all-colored school, cecil? >> i didn't go to school, mr. president. i grew up on a cotton farm. >> we talked to the movie's writers, danny strong and one of his consultants, the first black white house chief usher, who supervises the ushers and all white house service personnel

. >> i'm cecil gaines.he new butler. >> at the box office, lee daniels' "butler" has taken the top spot in weekend sales. absolutely amazing film starring forest whitaker as a butler who served eight presidents. oprah winfrey plays his wife. the civil rights drama debuted with a healthy $25 million, beating out the competition. had a chance to speak with the actor, forest whitaker and director lee daniels just last week, posted it on twitter, if you would like to take a look, as well as cnn.com. >>> movie sex symbol trending today, raquel welch signed on to play versace's aunt in a film for the lifetime network. it tells the story of how versace's sister took over the fashion empire after he was murdered in 1997. it's set to premiere in october. >>> we want to end this story with this story. when college and professional teams win national championships, they usually make a trip to the white house to be recognized by the president. four decades ago, 1972 miami dolphins who went undefeated, won the super bow

. >> i'm cecil gains. i'm the new butler. >> you hear nothing. you see nothing. you always serve. >> the white house called him. he didn't call the white house. >> i want to hear the stories. >> i don't know how much stories you're going to hear because they done swore him to some secret code. i'm so proud of you. >> did grow to an all colored school in. >> i didn't go to school, mr. president. i grew up on the cotton farm. >> next hour we'll talk to the film's director and the actor in that, forest whittaker. unbelievable performance and just a-list actors in this film. takes you all the way through when the president is elected, president obama. >> take me to the premier next time. >>> here is more of what we're working on this hour. they say they were captured, beaten, even tortured. the dark side of the protest going on in egypt. >> translator: they took me to the state and tied me down and beat me. then they gave me this and this. >> awful. >>> could there be a helpful high? dr. sanjay gupta explains why he's in favor of the medical use of marijuana. >>> don

> i was going to say will this generation that sees this movie today, do you think they'll get cecil gainest him as weak? >> i certainly hope not. what i hope this generation sees, they see their own fathers and see their own fathers and recognize that there were different ways of being a warrior. that moment in the film where he goes in and says, the white help is making more than the black help here and i think that's not fair and we should get equal pay. that is his way of worrying. >> the conversation that is had in this film about race, race relations, we're still having that conversation today. >> i think we'll be having that conversation for a long time because you know, all of this, conversations about race, about profiling, regardless of what race is being profiled, is really about our march to humanity. it's about our march to not fearing one another and i think when you don't have stories and you don't have a placement in the culture where people can see there's a whole tapestry, one of the reasons why i love this film and wanted to be a part of it is because of the tenderness be

. >> i'm cecil gaines, the new butler. >> you hear nothing, you see nothing.llion. we are the millers stayed put in second place with $13.5 million. the mortal instruments opened third with $9.3 million. >> one college freshman making a priceless basket. >> yes, that went in. that is andrew white making the half-cost shot at colorado state university. his prize, one free year of tuition. here's another angle. you can see andrew now a big celebrity on campus. >> everyone knows my name. there's definitely some people who know what i look like because i've been walking around and people are like that's the kid who make the shot. once i threw the ball i knew it was in. >> andrew won a random drawing to try to make the shot to begin with and now won a free year of tuition. >> next, out of syria a u.n. team on the ground. the latest development on this and what you need to know before you leave the house. >> it is about two minutes till the top of the hour. before you leave the house, here's what happening. a u.n. team inspecting the site of the alleged chemical att

." ♪ oprah winfrey's highly anticipated new movie "the butler" opens up nationwide, it is about cecil gainsmerican butler that worked for eight presidents. >> you know, he got that job his self. the white house called him, he didn't call the white house. >> i want to hear all the stories. >> i don't know how many stories you going to hear, they done swore him to some kind of

. >> forest whittaker playing the part not of eugene allen but the character of cecil gains.he lasting message that people will leave theaters on the issue of civil rights as they're so impressed by this character, by this individual? >> we've come a long way as a nation. we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the march on washington this summer, and the 50th anniversary of many epic moments in the civil rights story, and we still have some ways to go before we are the absolutely perfect society, if that's possible. but we also as a nation have done remarkable things in the past 50 years and mr. allen was one of the people who cast the vote for the first african-american president in the nation. and so his life, the humble butler, really shows the amazing sweep in arc of this country. >> wil, this last country. oprah played a significant part inspired by eugene allen's wife. >> yes. >> why was eugene allen's wife so important to his life? >> well, he was so shy. he was so humble. i really think it was her who encouraged him to talk to me. >> she said, who are your people? >> ye

. >> i'm cecil gains.ilt on the life of a humble man. eugene allen, the real butler, who lived and worked in two very different worlds. >> you hear nothing, you see nothing. >> reporter: allen didn't just work but mingled with the rich and powerful, heard their stories, held their secrets. like walking into an unlocked vault, his legacy lives on in this modest home a few miles from the white house, where allen and his wife raised their only son charles. >> the president, when they got to the point where they could talk comfortably, that's when you kind of like fit in and they would just talk around you. he wasn't going to divulge anything. >> reporter: not even to his wife of 65 years, played by oprah winfrey. >> i want to hear all the stories. they done swore him to some kind of secret code. >> reporter: but his son, who says his father served eight presidents, was far from a silent figure in history. >> that moment when cecil goes in and says the white help is making more than the black help here and i t