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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN's New Year's Eve 2019. Aired on 8-9p ET
Aired December 31, 2018 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:00:15] CAST OF "WICKED": Hello, Anderson and Andy. Greetings from the Emerald City.
Yes, it's a little bit chilly for me to ride my broom all the way to Times Square. So, we thought we would say hello from the stage of Gershwin Theater where "Wicked" has been playing for the last 15 years.
Yes, and we know you are the biggest and most swanky party of the year, so we want to join you in the celebration.
Yes, we do. From all of us here plus a couple thousand of our closest friends, we wanted to say happy New Year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
ANNOUNCER: From the heart of Times Square, it's CNN's NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE.
Welcome to TV's wildest party, star studded, unpredictable, with performances and appearances by Gwen Stefani, Dave Chappelle, Jack Black, Keith Urban, Patti Labelle, Bebe Rexha, Criss Angel and more surprises.
And now, your hosts, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: And good evening, everyone. Welcome to Times Square in New York.
Welcome. How you doing?
ANDY COHEN, CNN HOST: Great.
COOPER: We're very excited to be here. It's a sight that never gets old. Always takes your breath away. People come from all corners of the earth here, the crossroads of the world. Welcome to Times Square.
A little bit of rain. It's not going to stop anyone from enjoying one of the biggest parties anywhere.
COHEN: People came out tonight.
COOPER: They have been standing out here for hours as they always do.
COHEN: I thought there was going to be no one here.
COOPER: Yes, they always come out.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: They're always here. Andy Cohen is back for a second year.
COHEN: So happy to be here.
COOPER: Who are you wearing?
COHEN: Are you really asking me that? A little Ralph Lauren. This is fake fur. Nice Ralph jacket.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: I'm so excited to be back.
COOPER: Yes, I'm thrilled you're here.
It's going to be a really fun night. We're going to talk about the stuff coming up. It's a huge year for Andy. What he announced the other day, we'll talk about that.
COHEN: And we have amazing party guests. Gwen Stefani is going to join us live from Las Vegas and perform.
COOPER: Dave Chappelle.
COHEN: Dave Chappelle.
COOPER: He was on last year. I didn't think he was going to come back.
COHEN: I didn't either.
COOPER: I know. And he's actually going to be from the celebration in his hometown.
COHEN: Yes, in Ohio, right?
Jack Black, Ms. Patti, Patti Labelle, Keith Urban. How about this? Oscar winner Faye Dunaway is going to swank up these stairs. Swank. I think she has a boot on too.
COOPER: Really?
COHEN: I think she's wearing a boot, not a rain boot.
COOPER: Broadway stars. You can't stop them. The show must go on.
COHEN: This is going to be something.
COOPER: We've got a news quiz or too, maybe a surprise phone call or two. I think we're going to have a very surprised call.
COHEN: I've been working on something before the show. So, fingers crossed.
COOPER: Yes, fingers are crossed.
We got live music, nonstop, and so much more and all the energy and celebration we're going to show you all parties around the world. Like any good party, everyone wants to get it on already.
Brooke Baldwin --
COHEN: Get it on?
COOPER: I don't know. I don't know.
COHEN: Want to get it on.
Well, yes, Brooke and Don are going to get it on in New Orleans. They're already getting it on. Look how sharp he looks. They look great.
COOPER: We're going to go to them in a second.
Richard Quest is down in the crowd. I've been warned to expect surprises from him. I believe it's a salute to New York food. I'm not sure what that means.
Randi Kaye has drawn the short straw and is ringing in the New Year on a super yacht off St. Barts.
COHEN: Unbelievable. Last year, she was smoking dope.
COOPER: She was not smoking dope. But she was at the pot dispenser.
COHEN: Well, she gets all the good assignments.
COOPER: Gary Tuchman and his daughter Lindsey are in Niagara Falls, the family tradition.
Bill Weir is in Key West, where, of course, there was the drag king drop. I think don't think Seacrest -- it race between Seacrest and us --
COHEN: To book the drag queen.
COOPER: -- to book the drag queen drop.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: And we got it. We got it from Seacrest.
COHEN: Big booking.
COOPER: Take that, Seacrest.
Leyla Santiago is in Mexico City, where I actually just was.
We'll check in with all of them as the night rolls on. But, first, one -- OK. Before we begin, we're going to be on more four and a half hours. Let's set a couple of rules. If you're not driving anywhere, we want you to --
COHEN: Well, I brought shots.
COOPER: We're going to have some shots. I'm not a big drinker.
COHEN: Top of every hour.
COOPER: If you feel like joining us at home --
COHEN: Cheers, but don't drink and drive whatsoever.
[20:05:00] Call a Lyft, call an Uber, get a cab, get a friend.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: Cheers. First one of the night.
Delicious. I feel better already.
Anderson made me promise not to complain about the weather, because --
COOPER: I like -- my lungs are scorched. What was that?
COHEN: Good. Just the beginning, tequila. Last year, it was the coldest New Year's in 80 years.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Here's what happened. It was Andy's first new year's. He was very excited. I gave him a warning. As the old hand, I warned him.
He said, you know what, I've done this before. I did a thing on NBC. We had thing down there. I was like, no, no, you don't understand --
COHEN: They have space heaters in NBC and couches.
COOPER: Right, and you were there for 20 minutes and you thought you did your deed. Four and a half hours, it's a -- it's a --
COHEN: Mishegoss?
COOPER: It's a mishegoss.
COHEN: Are you trying to find Yiddish?
COOPER: Yes. Anyway, he was complaining. It bothered me. And I think it bothered some people out there. I just want to -- this is not going to happen again. This was Andy last year. Let's play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS) COHEN: Welcome to a quite toasty warm Times Square.
COHEN: It's 10 degrees, everybody.
My face hurts. We've been outside for ten minutes.
My face hurts. I am freezing right here and you got me into this. Maybe it dropped a couple degrees. I feel like maybe the temperature even dropped a little bit during the --
COOPER: You got a little colder?
COHEN: Yes. Do you think it just went down a little bit, the temperature? We are so cold. It seems to be getting a little windy.
COOPER: Well, it's about 11 degrees in Times Square. But it feels like 10 or 9, I'd say.
COHEN: I agree. You just added another coat.
COOPER: I did.
COHEN: How many coats do you have?
COOPER: I have three coats on. My heat has just kicked in big time on my vest.
COHEN: It has?
COOPER: Big time.
COHEN: I forgot what it feels like to just wear one shirt. I don't know that feeling.
COOPER: Really, it's been so long.
COHEN: It's been so long.
COOPER: Oh, yes.
COHEN: Been here for more than three hours.
COOPER: More than three hours, yes. Yes, holding up -- our heated clothing is holding up.
COHEN: I've been on CNN for three hours freezing my butt off. I am alternatively, alternately exhilarated and absolutely miserable. I can't decide.
I mean, Johnny, it's so cold here, you have no idea. You guys look so comfortable.
COOPER: Still other parts of the United States, obviously, they'll be rolling in the new year's in New Orleans and elsewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIPS) COHEN: OK. That was very annoying. I apologize to you. I apologize to the viewers. That was annoying, and by the way, I'm so grateful it's in the 40s tonight. I don't even care about the rain.
COOPER: It's amazing. All day long I've been looking at the weather, how excited I am.
We've had an amazing year. I think -- it's been a fascinating here for everybody, certainly in the news, but importantly, if you don't know this yet, just the other day, Andy announced that in the New Year very soon, he's going to become a father.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Congratulations.
COHEN: Thank you very much.
COOPER: Obviously I've known about this for a long time.
COHEN: Yes, you have. I mean, I remember last year thinking, wow, will my baby be born next year? This is the biggest year for me.
COOPER: I don't know if you want to announce it yet, but can I -- I know the answer to this, but do you want to announce the sex of the child?
COHEN: It's a boy.
COOPER: Oh. Mazel tov!
COHEN: It's a boy, and I got to tell you something, I cannot wait to meet this boy.
COOPER: Do you think he'll have salt and pepper hair?
COHEN: That's a good question. I think it's going to have a nice, Semitic head of hair. I really do. I'm so excited. I think about nothing less.
COOPER: You did it with a surrogate?
COHEN: I did it with a surrogate. When we were growing up, I probably can speak for you in this, I never thought it would be possible as a gay man to grow up and have a family, and then here we are in 2018, almost 2019, and anything is possible. And I'm so grateful to a wonderful surrogate that I'm working with.
And, by the way, by the time it became possible, I was kind of having too much fun in my life to say, I don't think I can do this right now, but here I am, I turn 50 this year.
COOPER: You're going to be a great dad.
COHEN: You know, it takes some people longer to get to that place.
COOPER: Do you have all the gear? Do you have --
COHEN: I have all the gear. I'm getting the gear, and --
COOPER: Because I was --
COHEN: I have a lot of great women in my life.
COOPER: I have some friends, John Kimball, who just had a baby and has this incredible crib that, it makes sounds like a womb, and it moves, and it reads when the baby is crying. You seemed unimpressed.
COHEN: Well, we'll talk about it later. It sounds amazing.
COOPER: Can I ask you the name?
COHEN: No.
COOPER: You're not going to --
COHEN: Also, by the way, shout-out to Ricky Martin.
COOPER: Yes, to Ricky Martin and his husband, they have just had a little baby girl.
COHEN: Yes, they already have twins and they just announced it a couple of hours ago.
[20:10:03] COOPER: Yes, very exciting.
COHEN: All the gays are having babies. Here we are, 2019.
COOPER: We have been on tour this year. This is our fourth year.
COHEN: We had so much fun. We went to Caesar's palace in Las Vegas.
COOPER: We got to play on the stage that Celine Dion plays.
COHEN: I know, I know, which is super, super major.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: We were in Hollywood also. A lot of We played at the Dolby theater where the Oscars was. A lot of big Bravo stars came out to see us.
You and I also, we had -- oh, no, we went to --
COOPER: We went to -- I don't know if this was the highlight or low light, but we were in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we went to Andy --
COHEN: A house party.
COOPER: Andy got DM'ed by somebody on Instagram who was like you should come to the house party we're having. I was like, we're not going to this house party. COHEN: I was like it sounds like fun. Let's grab a roadie. We went
to the house party.
COOPER: When the both of us show up to a house party in Charlotte, North Carolina, the record scratches off the thing. It was a little off.
COHEN: It was. We had a great time on our summer vacation. We went to Croatia together.
I will say, this summer -- this year, I feel like because I knew the baby was coming, I wanted to do everything I possibly could. I went to Israel. I did everything.
COOPER: This is you picking -- you look like you're picking lice out of my hair.
COHEN: I'm kind of grooming you like a chimp is how you put it. Here we are swimming, I think. It's funny to watch Anderson swim.
COOPER: I float. I'm like a sea anemone.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: I feel like I'm the color of this umbrella.
COHEN: I feel like you are. It's clear.
COOPER: You joined Clear this year, the airports.
COHEN: Yes, I'm a member of Clear. You talked me into it. Yes.
COOPER: It's been a big year for Andy. Andy, you know, I report the news. I feel like Andy gets into the news for all the wrong reasons.
COHEN: For the wrong reasons.
COOPER: You photo bombed a newscaster, which, by the way, it's a bane of the existence of all news people all around the world. People going up, saying something to them. Watch what happens when Andy photo bombs a local newscaster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Two of the three were caught and arrested taken into federal custody this afternoon. Law enforcement sources are still searching for that third accomplice.
Oh, it's Andy Cohen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: See? It worked out OK. It's OK.
COOPER: She was so annoyed and she was about to be like that -- COHEN: My highlight was I went to the Billboard Music Awards, and
they seated me behind Taylor Swift and Shawn Mendes, which is a great seat. So, I was photo bombing them all night.
COOPER: Is that you?
COHEN: Yes. It's me. I was photobombing them all night. Every time Taylor won, which was all night, I was like yes.
COOPER: You're not even looking away.
COHEN: No. I was like this is a picture of the four of us. And Camila Cabello.
COOPER: You also danced with Britney Spears.
COHEN: That was amazing. I think you have stills of this. It was so great. She pulled me up.
COOPER: And put a harness.
COHEN: And she put a harness on me and dragged me around. I'm wearing the harness under that. No, I'm not.
She dragged me around. I crawled around. I did my best Madonna on stage crawling around.
COOPER: OK. Andy was so excited about this. He texted me as soon as it was done. He called his mom after. What did your mom say?
COHEN: She was like you are too old to be doing this. You're 50.
COOPER: But then Andy was so excited. He was on the phone telling it to me. He was like oh, my god, Britney Spears said my name, she called me out there, she talked to me on the stage. I went and looked at the video.
I'm going to show you this video, because between you and me, Britney Spears does not know who Andy is. She doesn't know his name.
COHEN: It's debatable.
COOPER: I know. I put chyrons on. Play the video. She never says his name.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
COOPER: I guess they don't have the right video.
COHEN: Oh, we don't have the right video. Oh, well. She said, and it was very funny. Give it up. You know who he is. Give it up for him.
COOPER: I was like give it up for him? She's like oh, my god. You know who he is. Give it up for him.
I was like she doesn't know your name.
COHEN: I watched it more than the Zapruder film. I mean, it's --
COOPER: You had a theory she knew you, but --
COHEN: Not on New Year's Eve.
[20:15:00] Happy New Year, Britney. We love you.
COOPER: You also had a strange flight you chronicled.
COHEN: Oh, to Nice. I went to the south of France, before I saw in Croatia. I took a long ass trip this summer. I went to Nice, and all the toilets shut down on the plane, and they had to turn back. We were almost --
COOPER: And they shut down because somebody put something in the toilet.
COHEN: Somebody put something in the toilet. They had to turn around. We were about to Europe. I took a ten hour flight from JFK to JFK.
COOPER: The funny thing, if I'm watching this around the world, I'm like rich person's problem. The funny thing is, you were Instagram storying this, and you wanted whoever had plugged up the toilet to make a public confession.
COHEN: Yes, I did. I was furious. I thought they should step forward.
COOPER: Did they ever?
COHEN: No.
COOPER: All right. We have a lot ahead.
COHEN: And Delta gave me, like, $100 for a voucher.
COOPER: Oh really?
COHEN: I wanted more.
COOPER: Why did they have to turn the plane around far toilet?
COHEN: That's what I want to know.
COOPER: All right.
Gwen Stefani, Jack Black, Dave Chappelle coming up next. We got Don and Brooke in New Orleans. They've got a surprise waiting for us.
COHEN: Are they drunk yet? That's what we want to know. It's early, though. And they're on after us.
COOPER: I don't know that Brooke drinks on the show. COHEN: OK. Well, Don's making up for it.
COOPER: We hope. Welcome to New Year across the country and around the world. We'll be right back.
COHEN: Rain is picking up, but it's not bothering anybody.
COOPER: We like it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
[20:20:17] COOPER: Hundreds of thousands of people braving the rain. They have been out here for hours. A lot of them came early this morning. Traffic has been shut off across New York.
It is so exciting. No one cares about the rain. It's just so great.
I -- there's the whole baby New Year. I feel like this whole -- like, this year is like a baby New Year.
COHEN: I know. I do too.
COOPER: I'm so excited.
COHEN: Thank you.
COOPER: I know. And I'm also excited you're having a boy, I guess.
COHEN: I am too.
COOPER: Because I feel like I would know more what to do -- I worry if I was a dad, I wouldn't know -- how do you brush a girl's hair?
COHEN: You would figure it out.
COOPER: You think?
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: They have tutorials on YouTube.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: We mentioned how Randi Kaye always gets the rough assignments.
COOPER: Yes. She was at a bar two years ago. Last year --
COHEN: She was in Colorado on a pot tour, which I loved. This year, she's in Saint Bart's. Here's --
COOPER: Before we show you this, this is the kind of thing it was like on the top of the Drudge Report. People were criticizing it. COHEN: People were upset at CNN.
COOPER: It's legal in the state. No law was broken. Randi Kaye was not smoking.
Anyway, just take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm definitely earning the nickname Kush K, that's for sure. Yes. Come on. Everybody knows what kush is.
I think I have a little high. I'm trying to remember where we are. Where am I?
Listen, I came prepared this year. I thought maybe I would bring a gas mask with me so I wouldn't get that contact high, but look what's on the other end of the gas mask. Yes, a bong.
This is for Andy.
Andy, this is for you. No, you want it?
COHEN: This is CNN.
KAYE: A pink joint.
COHEN: This is the best. Thank you, Randi Kaye. That is a gorgeous joint.
KAYE: Someone just passed this to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So maybe she was a little -- I don't know.
Randi joins us from St. Barts.
Randi, where are you?
KAYE: I am -- listen, I'm trying to keep this on the down low. I'm on a crane. I paid this staffer --
COHEN: She's on a crane?
KAYE: In a secret dress. Hello. Anyway, this is how I'm sneaking onto this yacht. What's a girl got to do to get on a yacht in St. Barts, right?
COOPER: I can tell you.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Get in a dress.
COOPER: That's all you have to do, find a Russian billionaire.
COHEN: Yes, exactly.
KAYE: All right.
COHEN: Wow, they landed you perfectly.
KAYE: Perfectly. Right? Imagine that. It's like we never rehearsed it or anything.
So I'm on this yacht. I went oh, hello. Look at this. Thank you.
I don't really belong here. Don't tell anyone. But we think maybe there's some celebrities on this yacht, like maybe Mariah Carey. I'm not sure.
But we're on Gene Machine. I don't know if you can see the scene out here, but this -- this is a billionaire's playground. This is unbelievable.
Let's walk inside and see how far we can get in before they kick us off.
Maybe I'd fall overboard like, you know, Goldie Hawn or --
COOPER: Randi, have you taken your shoes off?
KAYE: Oh, yes.
COHEN: Yes, Randi, are your shoes off? Good.
KAYE: My shoes are off.
COOPER: That's the yacht etiquette. You have to take your shoes off.
KAYE: Oh, yes --
COHEN: That's a nice bridge.
KAYE: Uh-oh, we're on a bridge. There you go, Andy. Andy knows we're on the bridge.
Hello, captain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know you're supposed to come on the gang way.
KAYE: I snuck on. I'm sorry, but I just have some questions. This is the gene machine. Have you seen Mariah Carey anywhere?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who?
KAYE: Mariah Carey? No?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't say I have.
KAYE: I got champagne. I'm hoping that maybe if Mariah is not here, maybe you can give me a tour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
KAYE: I know there's celebrities. Jimmy Buffett has been on here, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't confirm or deny who has been on here.
KAYE: You have to kill me or something, is that how it goes?
COOPER: Randi, the crew never tells.
KAYE: I know. But listen, I will tell you because I know it far fact even though he's not going to tell me. Before he kicks me, I can tell you that Jimmy Buffett --
COOPER: CNN agreed to send you to a yacht in St. Barts. This I don't understand this.
KAYE: You know, I'll tell you how. I had to trade in the magic bus from last year for the super yacht. It's that simple.
COOPER: OK.
KAYE: Come with me. Here we go. This yacht is 180 feet long, right? Back up. Here we go, 180 feet long.
COHEN: Randi --
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: It has 12 state rooms.
COHEN: Party foul, Randi.
KAYE: Watch your step. We'll give you a quick behind the scenes of how the rich and famous live. Here we go.
Check this out.
[20:25:00] This is just, you know, the area where they hang out, hang out and sit around, and this is where they're dining. Look. This is dinner. Hi, everyone. Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year.
COHEN: Having dinner?
KAYE: That's the owner and his family.
Don't mind us. Just CNN here. Happy New Year, everybody.
COHEN: They're like, get out of here, lady.
COOPER: Who has CNN on our yacht?
Please thank them for us, Randi.
KAYE: I know.
COHEN: That's amazing. Have fun, Randi. Find Mariah for the 10:00 hour.
KAYE: Wait, I just want -- OK, I just want to ask you. Do you have a sub on here? If you had a make a great escape?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately not.
KAYE: There's no escape hatch?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a helicopter pad, but that's as quick as we can go.
KAYE: A helicopter pad. We'll see that next perhaps.
All right, guys. We'll show you more from St. Barts in a bit.
COOPER: Randi, have some more champagne.
KAYE: Oh, I will. Cheers.
COHEN: Enjoy.
COOPER: I want to check in with Richard Quest who I'm told dressed for the occasion. It was left as a surprise.
Richard, are you a pretzel?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am, indeed, a pretzel. We are celebrating New York food tonight, so -- I put this on.
COHEN: We are?
QUEST: Richard is exhibiting pretzels. Pretzels real, pretzels made up, and our crowd is here. Let's have a cheer.
(CHEERS)
QUEST: All right. How long have you been here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About seven hours today.
QUEST: Seven hours. Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Fort Lauderdale.
QUEST: Fort Lauderdale. So we have found the certifiable, the lunatic who has left Florida sun and come.
Would you like a pretzel?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would love a pretzel. COOPER: Richard, you do know the thing about that costume is that's
the kind of costume on Halloween, you think it's a good idea when you come up with the idea, but then by the end of the night, like, everyone has bumped into your costume.
COHEN: He looks cute in the costume.
COOPER: People poked a hole in it. It gets messy.
COHEN: Listen, you're not going to get laid in a pretzel costume.
QUEST: Hey, don't let on. You never know. There might just be that person that's got a thing for men running around in pretzel costumes.
COOPER: There's a fetish group for everybody.
COHEN: It's New York City.
QUEST: It is absolutely raining, but the crowd here, where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Colombia.
QUEST: Colombia.
And you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: London.
QUEST: And they've been here for seven hours. One very, very big cheer.
(CHEERS)
COHEN: Awesome.
QUEST: Now, would you care to guess what food I will be celebrating in the next hour?
COHEN: No. I want to be surprised.
COOPER: It's all New York food? Is that what the idea is?
COHEN: You know, the band of rain is now coming in. We're getting absolutely soaked but yes --
COOPER: Thank God you have that pretzel outfit on, Richard.
QUEST: Just what I always said. Hang on. Let's play a new game. Pull the pretzel.
COOPER: Pull the pretzel?
QUEST: Pull a pretzel.
COHEN: Pull the pretzel? COOPER: I'm not sure that's a good game.
COHEN: Is that a game?
COOPER: That's what the kids call it these days.
QUEST: Pull the pretzel.
COOPER: Yes.
QUEST: That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
COOPER: I can't tell you how many times --
COHEN: Played pull the pretzel?
COOPER: No. I love the pull the pretzel. I love pretzels to eat them. You pull them out of the stand and they're hot.
COHEN: I heard you love to pull a pretzel. Yes.
Yes. Absolutely. Boy, the rain is really picking up.
COOPER: No talking about the weather. I don't want to talk about the weather.
COHEN: I'm cozy as I'll get out.
COOPER: We are just getting started.
Still to come, I want to get to Brooke and Don. They have big surprises waiting for us in New Orleans, plus legendary singer Patti Labelle joins us.
COHEN: My Gemini twin. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN: And welcome back live in Times Square. I'm Anderson Cooper.
ANDY COHEN, EMMY-WINNING REALITY TELEVISION PRODUCER: I'm Andy Cohen.
COOPER: And it is New Year's Eve. We're a couple hours away from the ball drop. We're very excited. Apparently a lot of people on Twitter were asking why Andy is holding the umbrella and why I am not or why I do not have an umbrella. We don't have a really big budget, so I thought the umbrella should go to Andy.
COHEN: I like to be in control, so I feel like I have more control over where this thing sits if I'm holding it. But I'm probably going to ask you to hold it in about an hour.
COOPER: I also feel I'm more manly and therefore, I don't care about the elements. You're concerned about your fake feather.
COHEN: Look, Jennifer Lynch, please help Andy. Does Andy have to hold the umbrella? Yes, take turns, okay in about an hour.
COOPER: Well, I am not going to - I won't belabor this, but the way you are holding it, it is dripping down my back.
COHEN: Is that true in?
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: I apologize.
COOPER: No, that's fine.
COHEN: You know, I love being here, but if there's one place we both love --
COOPER: We both love New Orleans.
COHEN: It's New Orleans.
COOPER: Yes, and in fact, in particular my favorite bar, The Spotted Cat in New Orleans, and they're so sweet to host Don and Brooke every year, and Don, Brooke, how is it going?
COHEN: Look how great they look.
COOPER: Wow. You turned it out.
COHEN: They really did. Hey guys.
DON LEMON, ANCHOR, CNN: Hey, hey. Hello, guys. We cannot hear anything.
BROOKE BALDWIN, ANCHOR, CNN: I can barely hear this guy without maybe a good thing depending on what's happening tonight. The Spotted Cat, you guys. Obviously, that's where the party is again. These are the guys who have been playing. Thank you all.
LEMON: Thank you, guys. Are you guys ready to party? You ready to have a Happy New Year? So I'm just going to walk around like Dean Martin all night with my drink, sing "Tiny Bubbles."
COOPER: What are you drinking there, Don?
LEMON: Little Tito's soda.
BALDWIN: I have a feeling it's going to be different every single time you see him on television. This is already number two. I'm counting.
COOPER: I'd never heard of Tito until a couple of months ago.
LEMON: What did you say?
BALDWIN: You want to say that again, Anderson.
COOPER: I had never heard of Tito until like two months ago and now, I feel like everywhere I go --
COHEN: What Tito's vodka?
COOPER: Yes, Tito's - no, I mean, I don't drink, but now it seems like it's everywhere.
BALDWIN: Everyone is doing the Tito's in soda.
LEMON: We love the Tito's. They sent me a t-shirt because I talk about it so much. Anderson, I talked to you about the dunk tank. I am hearing myself that's I am talking to - I am talking about the dunk tank. I have an update. I don't know if you're going to like it or not, but I'll update you a little bit later on in the show.
BALDWIN: There's news on the dunk tank.
COOPER: Okay.
LEMON: And we're going to go next year, because we've got two locations this year.
[20:35:09]
LEMON: Come check it out.
BALDWIN: Because this year, obviously, our beloved Miss Aretha Franklin left us, and so we have a little special surprise for you all.
LEMON: We've got a surprise for you guys. Here we go through the back door, through the sneak entrance? Shall we go to the respect entrance, all right. Hey, guys.
BALDWIN: So, hey, guys. Oh, wow. I know where that's going later. So the New Orleans Children's Chorus. Oh, oh, let's go.
NEW ORLEANS CHILDREN'S CHORUS (Singing "Respect")
COOPER: Sock it to me, sock it to me.
BALDWIN: Thank you, guys.
LEMON: Did you hear that, I hit that high note like Mariah?
COOPER: I heard that. That was good. You got it - you got it, Don.
COHEN: Of course you did.
LEMON: You like that?
COHEN: I cannot believe we lost the Queen of Soul this year.
LEMON: Okay, listen -- Andy and Anderson, the moment I wake up before I put on my TV makeup, I say a little prayer for you, guys. Can you guys sing that for us? Okay, yes, I want to hear it. Let's go.
BALDWIN: Oh, that's coming up next hour.
LEMON: Buzz kill. Next hour.
COOPER: Okay. All right, something to look forward to.
LEMON: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Happy New Year.
COHEN: Get some more Tito's.
COOPER: You guys get some more Tito's something to look forward to.
LEMON: We have a surprise for you, an update on the dunk tank soon.
COHEN: And just ahead, we have the creator of Patty's Pies with a side of Lady Marmalade.
COOPER: Don and Brooke, Patti Labelle is joining us momentarily. We will give her your love as well.
LEMON: Oh, really?
COHEN: She's going to kick it up another notch.
COOPER: Kicking up another notch.
COHEN: We'll be right back.
COOPER: All right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:40:00]
COOPER: Welcome back to New York Times Square. No place else better to be, I'm here with Andy Cohen.
COHEN: Hey, everybody. It is time to say hello to the godmother of soul. She's joining us from her home in Philly. It's the legendary singer, Miss Patti. Hey, Miss Patti.
COOPER: Hey, how are you doing, Happy New Year.
PATTI LABELLE, AMERICAN SINGER: Hey, Andy. Hey, Anderson. Thank you so much. Congratulations, Andy. You know what I'm talking about, baby. You have a good one.
COHEN: He's going to be an Aquarius, Miss Patti.
LABELLE: Aquarius, baby. It means he's going to be phenomenal. You know, your baby has to be phenomenal. Okay? Hi, guys.
COOPER: Patti are you a Gemini?
LABELLE: Yes. COOPER: Because we're both Geminis.
LABELLE: I'm a Gemini.
COOPER: I'm June 30.
LABELLE: Because we're both Geminis, I know we are. I know and I am May 24. And we're all special.
COHEN: Miss Patti, are you having a party tonight? Are you having a party tonight? What's going on there?
LABELLE: I'm having a party. I've been cooking all day. Come here. Follow me, okay?
COHEN: Show us, show us.
LABELLE: I've been cooking, Anderson, like - come on. These are all my friends.
COOPER: Have you been making your pies?
LABELLE: I've been making the pies tonight. I'll show you. Come on. And Anderson --
COHEN: Oh, good, and I have one of her pies right here.
LABELLE: I have a new pie called the butter milk pie. You have the sweet potato, right, but you don't have the new one. Okay, here's all of my --
COOPER: We've got sweet potato.
COHEN: This pie, you can't even get your hands on them. They're so special.
LABELLE: My family and friends, say hey, you all.
LABELLE FAMILY: Hi.
COHEN: Oh, my god, it's a party at Miss Patti's.
LABELLE: You see the party, but look at what I cooked. Oh thank you, baby. Look.
COHEN: Patti has cooked for Oprah, she's cooked for the Rolling Stones. Oh, my gosh.
LABELLE: Right? Everybody.
COHEN: Oh, what is it?
COOPER: I bet that smells good.
LABELLE: It's two brisket. It's two briskets falling of the thing. There's garlic chicken back there, and these are kale greens, what's left of them, okay, and you know I cook.
COOPER: Where did you learn to cook? Did you cook since a child? Did you learn to cook as a kid?
LABELLE: I learned to cook watching my mom and my dad. Yes, I cooked as a kid. You know I did.
COOPER: I've got to have a bite of your pie right here.
LABELLE: You got it. You have the sweet potato?
COHEN: Hey, Miss Patti, we were just talking about --
COOPER: Yes, sweet potato.
COHEN: Yes, this is the sweet potato. These sell out like crazy.
COOPER: Oh my god, this is really good.
COHEN: It's fun to hear you talk with your mouth full.
COOPER: Sorry, I apologize.
LABELLE: Let me show you my people. There's my grand baby. There's my daughter-in-law. There's my grand baby. There's my nephew, Billy.
COHEN: Is Norma there, Patti?
LABELLE: All my friends. No, Norma is coming later. She'll be here, honey, okay.
COHEN: Oh, good. Tell her I said hi. Hey, Miss Patti, we were just talking about Aretha Franklin. I know you're going to be singing at that tribute to her in February in L.A. Do you know what you're going to be performing?
LABELLE: Yes, I'm doing my tribute to Aretha. Yes, I'm singing --
COHEN: Do you know what you're going to be performing?
LABELLE: I love you, that's what I'm singing, "Call me." The moment you get there. That's what I am singing. I am going to be cute because that's my girlfriend.
[21:45:08]
LABELLE: This is so nice you guys calling me.
COOPER: Miss Patti, you probably don't remember this, but I was at - I think it was the Kennedy Center, maybe. It was something. I was hosting something, and the Obamas were there. And you sang.
LABELLE: Anderson, when you wondered why - right.
COOPER: You got on stage. You took off your shoes, and the Secret Service right before you went out, they said to everybody backstage, "Now, just remember no one go over to the President and the First Lady. Do not go over there." And Patti goes out on stage, takes her shoes off and walks right over them.
LABELLE: Anderson, you are crazy. Anderson, I said I do this, and President Obama said "Do it, Patti. Do it." And then his wife, they love Patti. So their security was not going to bother me. I love you guys. So who is drunk? Are you drunk yet?
COHEN: Patti, do blonds have more fun? Do blonds have more fun, Patti?
LABELLE: Blonds have more fun, what do you think? Why you think I turned blonde? Shut up, Andy. You know I have fun. Do you see this? Anderson, this is all my hair. Okay, you guys? It's blonde, and it's wonderful.
COOPER: Patti, do you have any advice for Andy as a new dad?
LABELLE: As a new dad for Andy? He's going to be a great Gemini father because he's so compassionate already. He's going to take care of those babies like I take care of mine, you know, because we are Geminis and we love babies. And I can't wait to see your baby?
COHEN: Thank you, Patti.
COOPER: Thank you very much.
COHEN: Patti, Happy New Year. I can't wait to see you in February at the big Aretha tribute --
LABELLE: Happy New Year.
COHEN: And thank you for the pie.
COOPER: Thank you for the pie, it's so good. And thank you for introducing us to your family. And happy and healthy New Year.
LABELLE: I'm happy you're enjoying it, honey. Thank you. There's Tai, there's everybody here.
COHEN: Happy New Year, Patti.
LABELLE: I love you guys. Bye.
COHEN: Hey, Patti before you go - I just want to say - Patti, one thing, I just want to say I think that one thing that we keep learning as we're losing these big legends year after year is that we have to appreciate them while they're here with us and I just want to say --
LABELLE: We have to appreciate the legends while they are here.
COHEN: We appreciate you so much and we love you so much.
COOPER: We do.
COHEN: All right. LABELLE: Thank you, I appreciate that.
COHEN: Love you.
LABELLE: Thank you, sweetheart.
COOPER: All right.
COHEN: Thanks.
LABELLE: We miss Aretha, but Happy New Year to her family.
COOPER: Happy New Year.
COHEN: Happy New Year.
LABELLE: Okay, bye.
COOPER: Oh, Patti LaBelle. We were in Patti LaBelle's home.
COHEN: I know. that was very cool.
COOPER: And I'm eating Patti LaBelle's pie.
COHEN: I know you are. And you were talking with your mouth full.
COOPER: It's so good. I know.
COHEN: Still to come, allegedly Faye Dunaway is going to shwonk through Times Square with a boot on and join us on the riser.
COOPER: She might eat some of Miss Patti's pie.
COHEN: I know. You have a mystery guest for me?
COOPER: Yes, we've got a mystery guest for Andy, very excited about it. As we go to break, a special shout out to the Marriot Marquee for this amazing rooftop shot that they allow us to take every year. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:50:00]
COOPER: Welcome back, live, New York's Times Square with Andy Cohen, yes.
COHEN: And Anderson Cooper.
COOPER: Yes. We're actually - I can feel the tequila a little bit. I don't normally drink that kind of thing. Our next stop, Key West, Florida, where Bill Weir is for us tonight. He is at the First Flight Brewery where they're having a roaring '20s party. Hey, bill, how's it going?
BILL WEIR, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Anderson, Andy, Happy New Year. Great to be back with you again. I feel a bit sorry for you, you have to settle for the one disco ball whereas in Key West tonight, we've got a tuna, a pirate wench, a conk shell, a big lime wedge that goes into a giant margarita. Of course, Sushi, the drag queen, we'll be with her live with her later tonight.
But here at the First Flight, they're partying like it's 1927. It's a Gatsby-themed party because - and they start early in Key West, of course. And this place is so much more than just boat drinks and dropouts and pirates and feral chickens walking around. It's history.
This place sold the very first ticket in 1927 for the very first scheduled international flight from Key West to Havana, thus the First Flight Restaurant and Brew Pub. This is the owner, Damien deAngelis. Good to see you.
DAMIEN DEANGELIS, OWNER, FIRST FLIGHT RESTAURANT AND BREW PUB: Cheers. Happy New Year.
WEIR: Cheers. Good to see you. Cheers.
DEANGELIS: Thank you, appreciate that.
WEIR: Absolutely. Absolutely. So now in competing on New Year's Eve, you've got to drop something. right? That's the key, right?
DEANGELIS: Right. Right.
WEIR: So what are we dropping tonight?
DEANGELIS: Well, naturally being the birthplace of PanAm, we've got to not drop, we're going to land a plane.
WEIR: We're going to land ...
DEANGELIS: We're doing to land a plane.
WEIR: A vintage lookalike. There it is. That is Erica, your flight attendant, coming down in one of the --
DEANGELIS: Wow.
WEIR: I don't know that it would fly. I don't know that it would float, Damian.
DEANGELIS: Hey, but, it looks good, doesn't it?
WEIR: But it looks very good as well.
COOPER: It looks great.
WEIR: Let's go over here and talk to Erica. We've got to see this. This is amazing.
COHEN: Oh my good.
WEIR: Spin those propellers for crying out loud. It looks like you're having engine trouble. Erica is from Hungary. Hi, Erica.
ERICA: Hi.
WEIR: I've always been told that you're here for our safety primarily. Is there any briefing you'd like to give the folks here about seat cushion flotation or exits?
ERICA: Yes, this restaurant has one emergency exit right over there. Please use that one.
WEIR: Any New Year's resolutions for 2019?
ERICA: If it's just going to be that good year as the last year, I'm going to be happy with that. Grateful.
WEIR: Very good. Well, Happy New Year to you. That was well done. Just do that again at midnight and everybody will be happy.
COHEN: Erica does it again.
COOPER: Does it again every year.
COHEN: Every year.
WEIR: We will see you guys, we'll be over with Sushi down the street on Duvall Street, later on. Until then.
COHEN: we love Sushi. Can't wait to see you. Enjoy that short sleeve shirt.
COOPER: Be careful over there, Bill, we want you back in one piece. We're just about an avenue and a half away from the Rockefeller Plaza, which has been for more than of course four decades, home to "Saturday Night Live." Tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN, there's going be a television premiere of this new film, it's a lovely new film called "Love, Gilda." It's an extraordinary look at the life of "SNL" legend, Gilda Radner. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GILDA RADNER, AMERICAN COMEDIAN: Hello, I'm Barbara Wawa. And welcome to Barbara Wawa Lodge. We are indeed lucky to have as our guest tonight the greatly respected and world renowned creator of Shuttle Diplomacy, sometimes controversial, but to my mind, a really regular guy.
Dear, Roseanne, Rosanna Danna. Last Thursday, I quit smoking. Now I'm depressed, I gained weight, my face broke out. I'm nauseous.
[20:55:09]
RADNER: I'm constipated. My feet is swelled and my gums are bleeding, my sinuses are clogged. I have got heart burn. I'm franking out gas. What should I do? Mr. Fetter, you sound like a real attractive guy.
Vidd2
COHEN: I love her so much. Joining us now is a man who, perhaps, ironically needs no introduction. Bandleader Paul Shaffer.
PAUL SHAFFER, BANDLEADER: Thank you.
COHEN: Himself a national treasure.
SHAFFER: Oh, you don't have to say that.
COOPER: Without a doubt. It's true.
COHEN: A longtime friend of Gilda Radner. The film is wonderful. I saw it. It's funny. It's emotional.
SHAFFER: I love it, too.
COHEN: Do you have a favorite memory of Gilda Radner? She was a great friend of yours.
SHAFFER: She just - we met in 1972, we were both in the Toronto production of "God Spell."
COOPER: Wow, so long before "Saturday Night Live."
SHAFFER: Yes, way before "Saturday Night Live." She was in Toronto, although she was from Detroit originally. She loved to laugh more than anything else. Sometimes she'd laugh so hard she couldn't breathe. Second to that, she loved to make other people laugh. That was his mission in life.
COOPER: You think about those early years of "Saturday Night Live," I mean, it must have been such an extraordinary place to be.
SHAFFER: For most people, myself included, first experience in television.
COHEN: Wow.
SHAFFER: Gilda, too, although she claimed to have been a weather girl in Detroit. We're not sure about that. But of course, it was exciting. It was such hard work that you didn't realize everybody was becoming stars like Gilda did.
COHEN: Do you have a favorite Gilda character?
SHAFFER: Oh, I don't know, Emily Latella. I like all her characters. In fact, I was like a third banana when she played at the Winter Garden Theatre just up there.
COHEN: Yes.
SHAFFER: It was a one-woman show, "Gilda Live."
COHEN: Incredible. SHAFFER: And that nerd spy was Arne Schnecman. That was my
character. Thank you very much. But this documentary is so nostalgic. You know, for that show, she and I wrote a lot of songs together and you get to see and hear all these songs.
COHEN: "Let's talk dirty to the animals."
SHAFFER: Well, we didn't write that one. That was the late great Michael O'Donoghue. Every other one. "Honey touch me with my clothes on." And all of those things.
COOPER: I just remember Gilda Radner doing a commercial for "Saturday Night Live" for hey, you, the perfume after a one-night stand.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: And it was her hailing a cab after a one-night stand. It was like, "Hey, you."
SHAFFER: I know. She was doing the walk of shame.
COOPER: She was doing the walk of shame.
COHEN: It was amazing.
SHAFFER: This place is amazing, though. The depth, the length - you know, this is like three football fields tied together with Mariah Carey's Spanx. That just gives an idea of the ...
COHEN: Mariah does not wear Spanx.
SHAFFER: ... the scope that we're dealing with.
COOPER: By the way --
SHAFFER: Of course, she does.
COOPER: Is it true you wrote the song, "It's Raining Men"?
SHAFFER: I wrote "It's Raining Men," yes, not like this kind of rain but yes, with the late great Paul Jabara. He wrote the lyrics and everything. He just needs somebody to put music to it and that's what I did.
COHEN: Are you still in touch with Dave? Do you talk to him?
SHAFFER: Oh, yes. Yes. I talk to him all the time. Yes, he's doing more of the Netflix series that he did last year. He is doing another six episodes.
COOPER: Do you think he would come join us next year out here?
SHAFFER: Right now. Let's get him on the phone now.
COOPER: I'm sure he's out.
SHAFFER: I don't think he's doing anything.
COOPER: I am sure he'dd be answering the phone right now.
COHEN: You know, one thing I loved on the late show with David Letterman, you were the bandleader, of course. Every time someone came out, a celebrity, the song that the band played to pick for them was always so representative of them. I wonder if i could give you a name of a couple celebrities. Tell me what you would play as their entrance.
SHAFFER: All right, I used to try to do something a little funny or something.
COHEN: Yes, yes, yes.
SHAFFER: Sure give me a try. Sure.
COHEN: Taylor Swift.
SHAFFER: Taylor Swift. She got legs you know, she considers herself leggy. And that's what I wanted to ask you, Andy, if you call yourself leggy, are you really leggy?
COHEN: No, I'm Really Not.
COOPER: No, but he's very proud of his legs.
SHAFFER: I meant one, we'll he's got great legs.
COOPER: I mean, everyone knows that.
SHAFFER: Yes, and you have great legs.
COOPER; No, I have chicken legs.
COHEN: What about Roseanne? What would you play for her?
SHAFFER: Go away, little girl - but she's going to come back strong.
COOPER: Right, give it time.
SHAFFER: Everybody needs to take a break once in a while.
COHEN: Yes, yes, yes. What about Meryl Streep?
SHAFFER: Well, she's just, you know - Mama Mia, let me pass a check, my, my, even though the movie struck. Mama Mia - but she's a national treasure.
COOPER: A national treasure.
COHEN: By the way, did you see "Mary Poppins"?
SHAFFER: I haven't seen it yet. Everybody is raving. Marc and Scott, the composers.
COHEN: Amazing. Great brothers of mine.
SHAFFER: They're my favorite. Well, me, too ...
COHEN: Marc Shaiman and Scot Whitman, they did brilliant job.
SHAFFER: They do, they do, yes.
COHEN: Paul Shaffer, can't wait for everybody to see the documentary. It airs tomorrow night on CNN. Thank you for schlepping here, man.
SHAFFER: I loved it.
COHEN: Happy New Year.
SHAFFER: Happy New Year to both of you. I came from caroling. Good night, everybody. Happy New Year. It was wonderful.
COHEN: From caroling. All right, the top of the hour.
COOPER: Paul Shaffer.
SHAFFER: All right, I'm out.
COHEN: It starts right now.
COOPER; So much happening. Yes. We're just going to go right to the top of the hour.
COHEN: All right.
[21:00:00]
