Live Earth Concerts Around the World
HOLMES: Rocking for a cause. "Live Earth" concerts going on around the world. But do these big musical events really make a difference?</s>NGUYEN: Yeah, and where does all that money go? We're going to have a reality check on that. In the meantime though we do want to welcome you back on this lucky seven of a day, 7/7/2007, lots of folks getting married. Not any of those up here.</s>HOLMES: Nobody around these parts.</s>NGUYEN: No, not that we know of.</s>HOLMES: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes alongside Betty Nguyen here. So glad you could be here with us this morning. Another scorcher in the West we need to tell you about first this morning.</s>NGUYEN: Yes. Temperatures, they are expected to reach the triple digits in at least seven states. Reynolds Wolf has been watching all of this. It's just been a really relentless heat wave, Reynolds.</s>WOLF: It's been pretty brutal. I mean, there are a lot of people out there -- I mean, you hear about these temperatures of 100 degrees, triple digits in both Las Vegas and Phoenix. It does happen. I mean, it does get hot like this. But we have had some record-breaking temperatures in both places, a little bit earlier than what we'd see for this time of year. Again, we're just in July. And to see this extreme heat is just nuts. Right now in Las Vegas in 94 degrees. In Phoenix it is 92. It's going to get much warmer as we make our way into the afternoon hours. Record-breaking day? Probably not, but still extreme heat, Las Vegas climbing to 113, not just for today, but also for tomorrow. And we stay in the century mark all the way through Wednesday. Same story in Phoenix. Again, in the valley of the sun, scorching heat. But look at other points as we go westward. We're going to be seeing much of that bubble, that big heat wave -- actually, almost like a wave, not just literally, but almost -- just check it out. Going from 93 degrees in Denver. Wouldn't be surprised if places like Boulder actually get to 100 for today, or at least tomorrow. And just proof positive of that heat really moving to the east. Look what we're going to be seeing in Washington, D.C. Saturday, Sunday some 90s, but then three degrees shy of the century mark on Monday. Tuesday, partly cloudy skies, very close to 100. Again, I wouldn't be surprised, if down in Fairfax County you do get to the century mark. By Wednesday we cool down a little bit, but just to 91 degrees. Also, in New York, you're going to see temperatures warm up, maybe not to the 100 degree mark, but still some mid-90s. And with the high humidity that you have in Manhattan this time of year, as well as Brooklyn, Yonkers, White Plains, we will have heat indexes that will be approaching the century mark. So, warm times, no doubt about it. We're going to talk more about this, plus, we're going to talk about the potential for some flooding in parts of the southeast United States. Back to you.</s>NGUYEN: You know, it's the same song and dance, Reynolds.</s>WOLF: It is.</s>NGUYEN: If it's not the heat, it's the rain that just won't stop.</s>WOLF: You know, we've had some big extremes. We are going to see some things improve, though, in parts of the Southeast. They've been so dry. A good chance of rain today from Mississippi, back through Alabama and Georgia. So, that's certainly one thing we've got going for us.</s>NGUYEN: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.</s>HOLMES: Yes. Thanks, Reynolds.</s>WOLF: Got to look at the silver lining.</s>NGUYEN: That's true. Stay positive, right?</s>WOLF: Absolutely.</s>NGUYEN: That positive energy, it'll change your life.</s>HOLMES: What was that?</s>NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about something else. I don't know. We're going to try to move on from that, because that was a bit frightening. Something else that is positive, concerts with a conscience. The Live Earth show is going on around the world today. Yes, we all love everybody. Just a taste of the show in Sydney, Australia. The concerts in Sydney and Tokyo kicked off long before you woke up this morning. But this Shanghai show just started about 30 minutes ago. And there are eight more still to go. Al Gore playing virtual host for the 24-hour, seven continent, all-star concerts. The events are meant to highlight the dangers of global climate change. And raising money is also raising awareness, which is the goal of all of this.</s>HOLMES: It's always the goal. Live Earth getting underway now. Josh Levs got to wondering, well, just how effective, how much of a difference do some of these huge events really make? OK. You've got the "Reality Check." We all assume -- they sound great when they're happening. So, we assume they do their job.</s>JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN CENTER, ATLANTA: I know. And you know something? I'm going to tell you right now, I'm not a cynic. OK, I'm not a cynic.</s>HOLMES: Right.</s>LEVS: No, I'm really not. But the fact is ...</s>NGUYEN: But the numbers?</s>LEVS: ... there are very few things that stars like more than to stand around in a group telling everybody else to go save the world. OK, it's just true. It's just true. So, what we wanted to do today was to take a look at the reality of this. And this is a very ambitious undertaking. You've got multiple venues. You've got all these different people around the world, all getting together saying, let's get to changing the world. So, to see whether this can have a real impact, what we decided to do was to look back at the international musical extravaganza that started it all.</s>UNIDENTIFIED ENSEMBLE (singing): We are the world, we are the children.</s>LEVS (voice-over): First, it was the single. And then ...</s>UNIDENTIFIED ENSEMBLE (singing): We are the world, we are the children.</s>LEVS: The Live Aid concerts in 1985 drew millions of people, and raised more than $200 million meant to help end Ethiopia's famine. Some of the food made it, and helped. But critics say much of the aid never made it to those in need.</s>NILE RODGERS, LIVE AID PERFORMER: We didn't understand the business and the politics of that particular country and that war. We didn't understand the infrastructure.</s>LEVS: Twenty years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof, the man who organized it, took a new tactic. The Live 8 concerts of 2005 were designed to draw attention to global poverty, not to raise money.</s>BONO, MUSICIAN-ACTIVIST: This is not about charity. This is about justice.</s>LEVS: World leaders appeared with Live 8 leaders. The G8 and other world powers increased aid and alleviated Africa's debt, though we'll never know how much credit goes to Live 8. Now, Live Earth is taking on climate change. Organizers hope the concert will have lasting effects, by educating people about the environment. But back in 1985, many people credited Live Aid with educating the world about famine in Africa. And in the following years, the region faced more famine. Its population remains one of the most undernourished in the world. There's no evidence Live Aid made a long-term difference. Still, organizers of Live Earth say this event will lead to change, by inspiring people to make some environmentally friendly changes in their own lives.</s>AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we can get a small fraction of the people watching this concert to sign up to those measures, then you're going to see the beginnings of major change.</s>LEVS (on camera): But can they? I mean, right now, that's the real question, is can they get that? If they do, if they manage to actually get people all over the world to create those changes, then, guys, this Live Earth will indeed be one of the most influential musical events in the entire history of the world.</s>NGUYEN: Right. But, you know, you talk about not being a critic. But when you look at something like this, where it's about awareness, a lot of people will say, that's great. But unless you allow me to contribute, how is it truly going to make a difference? But there are other instances, examples, where they were creating large funds to make a difference.</s>LEVS: On a smaller scale, right. For example, back in the 1980s, you may remember there was something called Farm Aid in the 1980s. It was not this huge -and there's a clip -- it was not this huge international event, but it was structured inside the United States and it helped raise some money for farmers who were dealing with drought at the time. So, there is a very limited structural way of helping people. But what you're saying, Betty, is exactly right. I mean, the fact is, if you don't give people things that they can do, you're not going to get anywhere. So, if you look at what the lesson is, it looks like the organizers learned that lesson. What they're doing now with Live Earth is they're saying, let's not worry about fund raising. They're not fund raising. What they're doing is, we're going to get everybody watching these concerts to decide to take on the following steps in their own lives. And that might help bring about change.</s>NGUYEN: Well, and here's the good news. Because at 11 o'clock this morning, we're going to be talking to a guy who really is releasing the handbook that goes along with Live Earth. And it's going to show you what you can actually do -- some tangible things that you can do at home -- to really make a difference, along with the awareness ...</s>LEVS: You've got it.</s>NGUYEN: ... that we're watching throughout the concerts. All right. Thank you, Josh, for that "Reality Check."</s>LEVS: Thanks.</s>NGUYEN: And in the meantime, there is another sign of recovery nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina. Today is the grand opening for the Hard Rock hotel and casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The resort's original grand opening was ruined by the deadly hurricane. And Katrina, as you know, destroyed the casino floor, along with much of the rock memorabilia on display. Well, the resort has quietly been open a while. But today is all of the ceremony and the celebration. That's when it starts.</s>HOLMES: Well, speaking of celebration, the Essence Music Festival wraps up in New Orleans today. This year's festival was certainly a homecoming, a return to the Big Easy for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. It had to move to Houston last year. And I was there, Betty, to work a little and play a bit, as well.</s>T.J. HOLMES (voice-over): They call it a party with a purpose. And this year, the party has come back home to New Orleans.</s>HILL HARPER, ACTOR: What the main thing is that folks are just happy to be getting together, you know. And that's what the Essence Festival really looks like, because it's partying with a purpose. It's music and fun with a purpose. And so, that's why I'm here.</s>HOLMES: Every year since 1995, New Orleans has rolled out the red carpet for this event, except for last year, when Katrina sent the party to Houston. Festival faithful followed it to Houston, but are happy to have it back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we went to Houston, and Houston was gracious. They were wonderful. But it wasn't New Orleans.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: True, yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is New Orleans, man. The festival belongs here. And this is why we're back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enjoy the concert.</s>HOLMES: An estimated 200,000 people will come here for the three-day festival, making an economic impact to the tune of $150 million. The essence of the festival is a series of self-help seminars during the day. That's the purpose. At night, the party, with thousands filing into the Superdome -- once a refuge, now a symbol of resurgence in this city. The crowd is treated to some of the biggest names in music. Gospel, hip-hop and R&B; opened the show. Politics was the final act, starring Senator Barack Obama.</s>SEN. BARACK OBAMA, D-ILLINOIS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If all of you are ready to not just rebuild New Orleans, but rebuild the New Orleans all across America -- on the South Side of Chicago, and in New York City, and in Los Angeles, and in Houston -- all across America, I am absolutely convinced that we will not just win an election this time out, but more importantly, we are going to transform a country.</s>HOLMES: There's a lot about that festival. How many places can you go where you can see Ludacris on the stage followed by Barack Obama?</s>NGUYEN: That's true. You know, it looked like a really good time. But I have to ask you, did you feel like New Orleans was coming back? Did it re-energize the city?</s>HOLMES: You know, it's weird for me. That was my first trip to New Orleans -- the first trip I've ever made to New Orleans. And I very much got the experience that New Orleans officials want people to have. You come in and you visit downtown, you visit the visitor's area -- the Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, the downtown area -- and you can have a great time. And you kind of get isolated from what's going on on the outlying areas around New Orleans.</s>NGUYEN: Did you get a chance to see any of the outlying area?</s>HOLMES: We did not go to some of the worst areas. We went to some areas that were still pretty bad off, but did not go to some of those worst areas. And that really is -- I got the experience that the officials want you to have, which is -- and which is fine. They want the visitors to come in and enjoy yourself, and you can be safe here in New Orleans or downtown and have a good time. But they still -- you can't forget about what's going on outside. There's another reality outside of that downtown. It's very important to have the downtown back, but there's a lot going on in New Orleans that does not need to be forgotten about. But the Essence Festival certainly helps ...</s>NGUYEN: Yes. That is a harsh reality around it.</s>HOLMES: Yes.</s>NGUYEN: But, yes. It's good to see the festival coming back. And you see the money coming into the city. And I'm sure -- and staying there. They've already made a commitment for the next several years.</s>HOLMES: The next three, till 2009. And it is a party. I have signed up here at CNN for the next ...</s>NGUYEN: He's on the list, folks.</s>HOLMES: I signed up, as well. So, I'm there. No, it's a good party. It's a good time. It's certainly going to help with the recovery of that city.</s>NGUYEN: And did you get any sleep?</s>HOLMES: Last night, finally, when I got back here.</s>NGUYEN: Here.</s>HOLMES: Not in New Orleans, so when I got back to Atlanta.</s>NGUYEN: But you were "working."</s>HOLMES: Yes, I was working.</s>NGUYEN: Of course you were. You're a hardworking man,</s>T.J. HOLMES: Didn't you see that piece? I was working.</s>NGUYEN: I saw that. Exactly.</s>HOLMES: OK.</s>NGUYEN: All right. Well, a lot of people are working to get very lucky today. Yes, so many sevens, so little time. On this day of sevens, what better day to announce a new Seven Wonders of the World. We're going to show you the contenders at about 10 to the hour.</s>HOLMES: Also, they are lining up to take the plunge, betting seven is the lucky day to get married. Never mind working on the relationship. We're going to go for the numbers game, OK?</s>NGUYEN: Just get married.</s>HOLMES: That's coming up here in less than seven minutes.</s>NGUYEN: Good luck.