Return to Transcripts main page

PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT

Casey Anthony Speaks Out; Emotional Day in Sandusky Trial; Interview with Cast of 'Dallas'

Aired June 12, 2012 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: Exclusive tonight, Casey Anthony breaks her silence to me one year after being found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter. The most notorious woman in America tells me she's not a party girl. She's ashamed of the person she was and she didn't kill young Caylee.

More from my extraordinary conversation and tough questions with her lawyer tonight.

Plus, star witness. A teenager known as victim number one. His shocking charges against Jerry Sandusky. And the former Penn State assistant coach who says he caught Sandusky in the shower with a boy.

Plus, scandal, backstabbing and what may be the most stunning revelation ever about the cast of "Dallas."

PATRICK DUFFY, "DALLAS": And we're the best of friends and have been for 30 years.

MORGAN: Three of my all-time TV heroes, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy, from the immortal "Dallas."

And the moment you thought you'd never see.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: I will get on knees. I wanted to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Plus, "Only in America." The 14-year-old playing with the pros at the U.S. Open.

This is PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

Good evening. Two big stories tonight. An extraordinary day in the Sandusky trial. We'll get to that in a few moments. But we begin with my exclusive conversation with Casey Anthony. I spoke to her and her attorney just a little while ago. She's been hiding at a secret location ever since she's found not guilty in the death of her daughter Caylee.

What she told me was about her life now and she's gone what she says through hell, and she says she weren't wrong by not being honest with law officials.

J. Cheney Mason is a member of Casey Anthony's defense team. He joins me now exclusively.

Welcome to you. It was an extraordinary moment. We were in my office. And you put your client on the phone. You put it on loud speaker. It was your phone. And we had a sort of 10-minute conversation. A random conversation in many ways. But it gave me an insight into I guess her state of mind. How she's feeling about her life now.

Before we get to that, how would you categorize where she is now?

J. CHENEY MASON, CASEY ANTHONY ATTORNEY: Well, she's in a different prison in reality. She's not in 24-hour a day or 23 out of 24-hour a day lockdown like she was for three years in Norris County jail. But she's in a home where she can't go outside. She fears and we fear for her to go outside at all. She can't be seen. So she spends the day in the house and she cook, cleans, and reads books and exercises and watches some programs on TV. And movies particularly. That's what she does.

MORGAN: Some of the things that she said were fascinating. I asked her about her public perception, which by common consent is not good. She says it's bad, it's absolutely horrible. She seemed very aware of the fact that she has a reputation as one of the most hated people in America. How does she deal with that, do you think?

MASON: Well, she's -- she accepts her reality. She knows that right now she can't do anything about that because we can't have her be in public to answer things. She knows that the hate mongers are out there in legions. Those people who don't believe in the jury system. And just reject the verdict out of hand, or believe evidence that was never there.

There's nothing she can do about that at this time. So she has to accept people hate her. And that's because they don't know her. And I can tell you there's an awful lot of people that like her and respect her for what she did. Having the courage to go to trial. And she gets a lot of favorable mail, too.

MORGAN: I said to her, what are the biggest misconceptions, do you think, about you? And she said, well, I -- I mean there's obviously several misconceptions. Obviously I didn't kill my daughter. She said that very firmly. If anything, there's nothing in this world I've ever been more proud of and there's no one I loved more than my daughter. She's my greatest accomplishment.

Clearly, a lot of people in America believe she killed her daughter. But I was struck by -- that was what she wanted to get over straight away loud and clear. I didn't kill my girl.

MASON: And she said that to you without any prompting, without any rehearsal. Without any lawyering whatsoever. She just -- just told you that. And that's an interesting -- the way you said that. I just want to read part of one of the favorable letters that I brought. The parts that she's gotten. One of the -- one of these people, of course, anonymously had a very perceptive statement in here. "At no time did any of the horrible news media ever choose to portray Casey as a good mother. And I never saw one photo, one video, that did not show a very loving and caring mother. A small child is so open that there would have been clues in her expression or interaction with her mom if she had been mistreated in anyway."

This is from one of the unsolicited letters. We had thousands of them.

MORGAN: I mean, she was very strong I felt to me about her media perception. She was very cynical, actually, about what she called, in her view, the no different type of scrutiny from magazines like "The National Enquirer" to what she said was supposed to be credible media organizations like the "New York Times," the "Boston Herald" she cited. All just running with rumors about her which she said was simply not true.

And she then began to go through some of them, which I thought was interesting. I have never been a, quote-unquote, "party girl," she said. I don't drink now. I probably had a handful of beer since I've been on probation. I've never done drugs apart from a little bit of marijuana in my early 20s.

She said this with quite an emphatic tone to her voice. As if to say I'm a bit fed up with this stuff being peddled around. Like I was a wild, out-of-control young woman.

MASON: When the case began, one of big thrusts of the prosecution in building -- well, attempting to build prejudice in my opinion was to paint her as some sort of non-motherly type person. This is a young generation. She's 22 years old. Kids these days go out to start their evenings when I've long been asleep.

And that doesn't mean they're out doing anything different than any other 20 or 22 or 23-year-old kid in the country. That's what the modern youth does. We didn't used to do that. But the opportunities weren't there so --

MORGAN: I mean, there's persistent rumor that she's trying to sell her story. Is that true?

MASON: No. Simply is not. Nothing's being sold. Nothing being marketed. From her. I'm the one that's responsible for doing those things for her or with her. We're sitting back watching. We're watching what other people have done, are doing, what's coming out. And when the time comes, she will have her story to tell.

MORGAN: She, on this very subject, said I'm not making gazillions of dollars at the hands of other people, or trying to sell myself to anyone willing to throw a couple of dollars at me. I don't give a -- expletive -- about money. I may have in the past. Other reasons before any of this stuff started because I was a stupid kid. But I'm 26 now. I've gone through hell. And even I know the situation isn't what it should have been when my life totally changed almost a year ago but I'm dealing with it. MASON: Well --

MORGAN: In a way, I thought that she is a different person now in her eyes to the one she was before.

MASON: Well, and keep in mind, she spent three years being vilified 24 hours a day by all of the news media in the country or a lot in the world, you tell me. Being accused and insulted and degraded by some of the other talk show-type people that don't deserve to be mentioned. And that's all there was.

And keep in mind, at the same time, Casey was in lockdown, 23 out of 24 hours a day. Seven days a week for three years. The only time that she got out is when we visited with her or other team members or experts met with her. And then trial. She had to endure all that. That whole process for all that time.

MORGAN: There will be people watching this. You have a fixed view about your client. Who will say, "I'm not buying any of this stuff." I don't know what -- you know, soft soaping it. She probably killed her child, they'll think. But even if she didn't, she was found guilty of lying. Again, it was interesting talking to her. She didn't try and hide from this.

On the subject of the lying, she said -- well, I said to her, where are you self-critical. I said to her. She said, by not being honest. "I didn't trust law enforcement. Because of my relationship with my father who was ex-law enforcement himself. I didn't give them the benefit of the doubt, which is part of the reason they didn't give me the benefit of the doubt. People can think they are critical of me and the 31 days of my lying to law enforcement and my not being forthcoming. But they don't understand the reason why."

And then she went on to say something very interesting. "I've looked back at some of the interviews that she did. In the way that I've come across. It's horrible. It looks absolutely horrible." And, "I'm ashamed in many ways of the person that I was. Because even then that wasn't who I am."

Strong stuff.

MASON: Strong person. Casey had a bad background. A lot of problems in her history that don't need to be talked about now. Indeed, she didn't trust anybody. And of course when she -- questioned as intensely as she was without benefit of her constitutional rights, warnings, lawyers, or whatever. Just let her in the Casey world. Casey world was made things up. Casey world denied things. She just closed in. She had a very difficult time dealing it.

She is now trying to emerge from that. She learned at the same time a lot of the world did how she grieved differently after her child disappeared. We had an expert explain that.

And interestingly in the courtroom, Piers, when that was done, it was the first time that she really seemed to have an understanding what had transpired and why she was there.

MORGAN: Yes, and I thought it was interesting when she said to me, I wouldn't even have been able to begin to tell you the person I was outside of being a mom. I was 22, I was scared and confused with life in general, not having a direction. You get a picture of a young woman -- like she said, lacking direction. With family issues.

But let me ask you difficult question. You represent her legally. You spent so much time with her that in many ways you've become a surrogate family to her. She has no relationship with her parents now. People will be watching this thinking, fine, if she didn't kill her girl, who did? Have you formed any kind of opinion about that?

MASON: Well, I don't think anybody killed her. That term implied an intentional act. The child obviously died. We presented that evidence in trial, theory of the defense. And we believe it. We're staying by it. There's no reason to change that. There's going to be people who deny it and will not accept it. There are still people out there that totally and mistakenly believe that somehow chloroform had something to do with this case. We proved in trial that it did not.

That was a fabrication from the prosecution. There's no such evidence of chloroform having anything to do with this child's death, period. But there are -- there are those who will never admit that.

MORGAN: Just hold that thought for an moment, Cheney. I want to come back after the break and talk more about my extraordinary conversation with Casey and get your reaction to it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: I'm back with my special guest Cheney Mason who's Casey Anthony's attorney.

And let's talk about her as a -- as a young woman. She said to me, "The caricature of me that is out there couldn't be further from the truth. Where people get these ideas from, it's so far beyond my own comprehension at this point. I don't even know where it comes from."

You've spent a lot of time with her. What kind of woman is she?

MASON: Well, she's a young woman, just slightly older than some of my grandchildren. She's very, very personable. She's very likable. She's very polite. She's respectful. She's all the good things that you'd expect from a young person. And to imagine that she -- meet and talk with her now as a person who's been vilified by some of the -- the other network people and some of the press and just the lynch mob mentality.

It's hard to imagine this person be this person. You heard her voice. You didn't see her face but you talked to her spontaneously today. MORGAN: I was -- I'll be honest. I was surprised by her apparent maturity. The self-awareness. I mean putting aside the debate over whether the conviction was, you know, sound or otherwise that she was convicted of lying but not of killing her, her child, but whether you believe the outcome or not, I've always believed you got to respect the justice system.

And the justice system decided there wasn't enough evidence that she killed her daughter. And if you do assume that she didn't kill her daughter, then the hellish time that she's had becomes even more hellish.

MASON: It is a remarkable, you, not being an American citizen, have a greater appreciation for the American Constitution and our system of laws than so many other people who choose to just ignorantly ignore the system that our country's built on. And you're right. She has suffered unjustifiably and continues to. And after this show is put out, I suspect there'll be another round of hate mongers (INAUDIBLE).

MORGAN: Well, I mean, I knew the moment I spoke to her and we'll be talking about this on air I can predict exactly what will happen. You know, Twitter and Facebook. You know, they'll all explode. There will be people with incredibly strong opinions who will be outraged we even aired this. Outraged we're debating it, who just think she's guilty, guilty, guilty. But I come back to the fact that she was found not guilty of the charge of killing her daughter. So whatever people think, I think there has to be a respect for the justice system.

MASON: There has to be a respect for the system and in particular respect and admiration for the jury. Those 12 folks who came from out of town and listened to the evidence directly. Not talking head comments and not news spinnings --

MORGAN: Do you think the whole -- I mean I don't like cameras in trials. I wonder if it would have been very different, the perception of her, if we hadn't had the cameras in the courtroom. What do you think?

MASON: Well, I don't know. I'm an older lawyer. And I was one who vigorously opposed the whole project of having cameras in a courtroom. I have tried a dozen or more trials of cameras in the courtroom. And what I do know is everybody in a courtroom acts differently. I don't care what they try to deny or say. I watched it, I've been there.

MORGAN: They perform, didn't they?

MASON: Judges, clerks, deputies, witnesses, lawyers, jurors. They all -- you can watch them. The jurors even in some cases I've tried, when clearly they're not going to be shown, their faces -- the cameras can't show them, they still will do -- will dress up with their -- as we used to say, their Sunday best to come to court.

MORGAN: You're a very experienced lawyer who's been in this game a long, long time. You're used to clients presumably over the years lying to you. We know from Casey Anthony that -- by her own admission she lied for a long time to law enforcement officers. Could she be pulling the wool over your eyes?

MASON: Well, I guess anything is possible. But I've been defending cases a long time. First time I defended -- my first murder case was 1973. And I've tried well in excess of 300 jury trials. I'm older. I have experiences in the world. Military experience and lawyer experience. World experience. Anything is possible.

If so, she's probably the best there is. I do not believe for a minute that she has or even attempted to pull the wool over my eyes or anybody else's on the team. We all believe very strongly and committed to her.

MORGAN: She said to me, I'm trying to adjust the best that I possibly can. You know, given everything that continuously being thrown at me every day. I have good days and bad days. I'm trying to take the best out of everything.

What is the reality of Casey Anthony's daily life? What will she be doing tomorrow for example?

MASON: Well, she will read books. She'll watch movies. She told me -- the other day, goes, I mean a couple of notes of what she likes to watch. She of course doesn't watch the news. She told you she'll watch this if it's --

MORGAN: Yes.

MASON: You know, she doesn't watch the news. She doesn't watch these so-called reality shows that are about as real as wrestling. She is reading now this trilogy of books called "Hunger Games," which I'm not familiar with.

MORGAN: I've heard these, yes.

MASON: But she's read Grisham books she likes. And she particularly likes books dealing with international travel.

(CROSSTALK)

MORGAN: I think the "Hunger Games" is about -- it is about -- kids killing each other.

MASON: Yes, yes.

MORGAN: Weird subject matter.

MASON: Apparently has taken on like the "Harry Potter" stuff, I guess. She's very interested in photography. Her -- she works out a lot. Her favorite shows, "I Love Lucy," "The Three Stooges." Old movies. Particularly ones in black and white. Travel. Those types of things that she some day would like to be able to do. And she will be able to do.

MORGAN: You think she'd like to be a mother again?

MASON: She probably would. It would take a long time for her to be accepted in a new world, a new life. But to take that risk, I think. She certainly was very committed to it and loved her daughter. Like this one letter said and all the photographs, there's tens of thousands of photographs. That child was a photographed child by the family. All of them with Casey in a very loving relationship and playing and so forth.

MORGAN: And on two points of detail, she said to me, I do not weigh 500 pounds as one magazine has stated. And I'm not moving to Costa Rica.

MASON: Yes, you know, we get called and hear about these rumors all the time. And I can assure you that she doesn't weigh 500 pounds. It's doubtful that she weighs 120 pounds. Costa Rica. I don't know where that comes from. I don't know where any of this stuff comes from. But you know, there are people who will say and make up anything and others that will hear it and will choose to believe it and run with it and fabricate more and make up more stuff and it never ends.

MORGAN: Well, it was a fascinating experience to talk to her. She is, in many ways, an iconic figure in this country for the wrong reasons. But it's certainly interesting to get her take on where she is and on some of the issues about her.

I appreciate you guys coming in. Cheney Mason, thank you very much indeed.

MASON: All right. Thank you.

MORGAN: Thank you.

Coming up, our other big story. Courtroom drama. The Sandusky trial. The teenager known as victim number one tells his emotional story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BONI, ATTORNEY FOR VICTIM 1: This case is going to show the world how exceedingly difficult it is for victims of sexual abuse to report that heinous crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Now to our other big story of the day, Jerry Sandusky's trial entered its second dramatic day today. The former Penn State coach listened as a teenager who first accused him of sexual abuse told his emotional story. The 18-year-old known as victim 1 that he stayed at Sandusky's house more than 100 times as a boy. And he says Sandusky repeatedly abused him.

Former assistant coach Mike McQueary also took the stand describing what he saw when he caught Sandusky in the shower with a boy.

Here now to talk about what happened in court today, Lisa Friel, the former chief of the Manhattan D.A. sex crimes unit, currently consultant with CNN Protection Resources, and Alan Dershowitz, one of the country's top criminal defense attorneys.

Welcome back to both of you. Almost a sense of deja vu today, I thought, with the second witness. Even more emotional I felt than the victim yesterday. Very similar testimony.

Lisa, what did you make of it today?

LISA FRIEL, FORMER CHIEF, MANHATTAN D.A.'S SEX CRIMES UNIT: I found the testimony incredibly moving. And for someone that's done this for three decades, that says a lot. I was impressed by how the details -- so many of the details of exactly how the defendant progressed with him where so similar to the victim that we heard yesterday. And down to some little bit unusual details. In both of them, I had to go back and look at yesterday's testimony to see.

It started with the horsing around in water first where you're throwing someone around, of course touching them. And then the very unique detail of blowing on their stomachs. I found it very persuasive today.

MORGAN: Alan, would you agree -- I mean it seems to be a definite pattern emerging, it's very consistent. And the sense you got from the courtroom was that very, very powerful testimony. Because this boy victim 1 as he's known stared several times apparently directly at Sandusky, not avoiding confrontation at all.

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And he cried a lot. But you put your finger on it when you said pattern. What we're seeing emerging is a triangularization. And that is a winning strategy. You have the victims testifying. Then you have an eyewitness testifying today. Who was not a victim. Who saw them in the shower engaging in what he thought was an act of sodomy. And then the corroboration by a grandparent and somebody else. It's the perfect prosecutorial triangle.

MORGAN: What about Michael McQueary? Because he's given evidence before obviously. Discrepancies today. Originally said, and I think he saw two incidents.

DERSHOWITZ: Right.

MORGAN: Now he's saying three. His testimony is very important because he's not one of the victims. He is a specific eyewitness who had a place of responsibility there. Is it significant that his story is slightly changing?

DERSHOWITZ: It would be if he were the sole witness or if he were the victim. That would be very important. When you have three distinct categories of witnesses, each of whom have slight discrepancies, all of whom explain the discrepancies, it's just human. MORGAN: They're also trying to pick holes in victim one's story. He was, of course, 14 years old at the time that this happened. In your experience in this field, it can't be uncommon that a 14-year-old boy would perhaps have memory issues with this kind of thing, could it?

FRIEL: Absolutely not. It's totally common, especially when the abuse went on for a period of time and there were many, many acts. It's very hard to get somebody to pinpoint, was it exactly 10, was it 12, was it 20, which was part of the cross today. Also, we're talking about something that happened years ago. Yet I think what comes through, whether it's McQueary testifying at something he saw 11 years ago or these boys about something that happened years ago, the central fact of what they are saying happened to them or they saw, I think that comes through loud and clear.

DERSHOWITZ: But the only way to defeat that on cross is if he could demonstrate that these kids got together, compared their stories, that their lawyer helped them with the story. That can have significance.

MORGAN: We're seeing two names being mentioned a few times, Doty, Jerry Sandusky's wife, and also, of course, Joe Paterno, who sadly is no longer with us. Two, I guess, could be key people to this. One, the wife of the man accused. Secondly, the guy who was accused of effectively covering it up. What is their importance in this now?

FRIEL: I think Doty's importance is clear. I mean, if she knew what went on than, in some ways, you could say she's as much of a monster as her husband was for enabling this to go on. It's been my experience that people in that situation don't know exactly what went on and psychologically don't want to see what --

MORGAN: They're in denial.

FRIEL: Yes, they're in total denial of what happened. So we don't know which it is with Doty.

MORGAN: In relation to Joe Paterno?

DERSHOWITZ: Well, it's a tragedy because it shows what happens when you have an icon and when football becomes too important at a university. He just didn't want to destroy his legacy by admitting that he had somebody who was right under him who was doing these terrible, terrible things. It's understandable, utterly unjustifiable. I think in the end --

MORGAN: Is it understandable though? You see, it's the one aspect of this I've never found understandable. I think Joe Paterno, for all his greatness as a sports coach, he let these boys down badly by just turning a blind eye to this.

DERSHOWITZ: But I think I mentioned to you once before on your show, I'm of Joe Paterno's generation. We grew up with one rule. Thou shall not snitch on a friend. It's a terrible rule. But I understand Paterno's unwillingness to turn in a friend. Utterly unjustifiable, but I can understand it.

FRIEL: See, I don't think that's what it was. In fact, I get the impression from everything I read that they were not friends, that whether it was because things he learned about from the '98 investigation or what McQueary told him, that he really was not comfortable with him on a personal level, that it was the brand of Penn State football, and that he didn't want to be the person to ruin that brand.

He passed it up the line and then just "it's not my responsible anymore." But because he was Joe Paterno, and he was God at Penn State, had he done more than that, this might have stopped that in 2002.

DERSHOWITZ: -- also about the police chief, the head of security at the university. You think it's his job to report it directly to the police. He's the liaison.

MORGAN: It was a complete failure right across the whole system and these boys are the victims. That's the real tragedy of all this. For now, Lisa, Alan, thank you both very much.

Coming up next, the return of my favorite classic TV show, "Dallas." Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, they're all here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Sex, greed and back stabbing intrigue. And that's just CNN. That got your attention, didn't it? These were the main ingredients of one of America's most popular TV soap operas ever. Never mind America. It was the most popular television show in my home country, Britain, from 1978 to 1991. It was of course "Dallas." airing on CBS.

Now it's coming back on our sister network, TNT, with a new generation of viewings, dreaming and scheming, joined by many of the original stars. I'm -- I am more than delighted. I'm ecstatic to welcome three of my personal television heroes to my humble set, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, and Patrick Duffy.

I was 13 years old when you came on British TV. I was sort of a pubescent young, near man, creeping into teenage years. And this show exploded like a volcano in Britain. You remember how big it was.

LARRY HAGMAN, ACTOR: Oh, it was --

MORGAN: It became the biggest show. I think only the royal wedding, Diana and Charles, ever beat it in the ratings. It was compelling, gruesome, fascinating.

HAGMAN: You mean "Dallas," not the royal wedding?

MORGAN: Actually both were. They were both soap operas in their own way. Everybody in Britain watched it. Everybody wanted to go to Dallas and to lead this incredible life. So welcome to all three of you. LINDA GRAY, ACTRESS: Thank you.

MORGAN: J.R., Sue Ellen, Bobby.

PATRICK DUFFY, ACTOR: Wow.

MORGAN: As you'll always be to me.

DUFFY: This will be the best intro we have ever gotten.

MORGAN: It will be. It's heartfelt.

GRAY: Since 1978.

MORGAN: How do you all feel? Obviously, you're pleased or you wouldn't be doing it. Now you've actually done some filming. And you've gone back in time, if you like. Was it all you hoped it would be when you signed up for this?

DUFFY: More.

MORGAN: Really, why?

DUFFY: We had this realization we would never work together again. We're the best of friends and have been for 30 years.

GRAY: Thirty five years.

DUFFY: Thirty five years, the closest of friends. I have no closer friends in my live than these people.

MORGAN: That's amazing.

DUFFY: We knew we would never work together again, because whenever we would step on screen in any forum, people would say just what you said, look, there's J.R., Sue Ellen and Bobby. And so we never would work together again. And then this gift was presented to us.

MORGAN: How amazing that you've stayed so close. Unusual.

GRAY: It is, for any business, any industry, to have friends that you have worked with and to still be friends 35 years later.

DUFFY: It's inexplicable because we were this close day one of the show, like hello, how are you --

MORGAN: Of course you're both very nice people on the show. But Mr. Evil here, the dark dealer of evil scheming.

HAGMAN: What?

MORGAN: I mean, you look so nice and normal today.

GRAY: Sweet person -- MORGAN: You were the great role model for all older brothers like me. I tormented my two younger brothers for years after you showed me the way. I want to thank you. They don't want to thank you. My immediate younger brother was in the Bobby position. He wants to kill me. But he joined the Army and got it out of this system.

You're obviously nothing like J.R. in real life. Everyone's always told me that. For you, you couldn't really bring back "Dallas" without J.R., right? We all agreed on this. Were you remotely concerned, given that you were the top dog, if you like, that it might damage the brand?

HAGMAN: Yes.

MORGAN: How long did you think about it?

HAGMAN: About until they told me how much I was going to make.

MORGAN: How much was it?

HAGMAN: I don't remember. Doesn't matter now. I spent it already.

MORGAN: It's a serious question, because a lot of sequels of anything can often be crashing disappointments. All the buzz around this is it's terrific. I think the blending of the great characters that we know with the hot young blood that comes through is so clever and gives it a real chance of success second time around.

But "Dallas" was such a wonderful phenomenon of its time. I would understand serious concern, particularly for you, as a kind of leader, if you like, of the pack. How much did the friendship come into it?

HAGMAN: Well, I wouldn't be doing it without them. We wouldn't be doing it. No. I mean, we -- somebody approached me. Would you like to do the show? And I said, are my friend's going to be on the show? They said, sure. I said, let's see a script. Then we all talked about the script. We liked it very much.

DUFFY: Yes.

HAGMAN: We said yeah. It was like that. Only took about 10 years to get going.

GRAY: I think people forget that we're dear friends and we do talk. And so it isn't about, you know, one getting something and the other one not getting it or whatever. We talk all the time about all the details.

MORGAN: Larry, you look great. You've not been very well recently. Is everything OK, back to normal?

HAGMAN: So far, yeah.

MORGAN: I love the fact you brought this in. Is this a genuine J.R. --

(CROSS TALK)

MORGAN: You see, immediately, that laugh. The Stetson, the laugh, the evil chuckle. Was that your chuckle or was it one you perfected?

HAGMAN: In Germany, it's not my chuckle. They are always saying give us that laugh, Larry, in Germany. I always say that's not me. That's my interpreter.

GRAY: You should hear him in Japanese.

HAGMAN: Japanese is great.

MORGAN: We did a little montage of the great old days, which I want to play. For anyone watching who doesn't understand why I'm so excited today --

GRAY: we want to see it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAY: I have finally figured everything out, that's all. You've been trying to frame me.

HAGMAN: Good morning.

GRAY: Tell me, J.R., which slut are you going to stay with tonight?

HAGMAN: What difference does it make? Whoever it is has got to be more interesting than the slut I'm looking at right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Did you really say that?

GRAY: He said that.

MORGAN: I didn't know you could say that on TV anymore. Wow, you pushed the envelope. You said you weren't evil.

HAGMAN: You think that's evil?

GRAY: No wonder I drank. No wonder I would drink.

MORGAN: Did you like being, for what you were for a long time, the most evil man on television?

HAGMAN: Well, you know, I don't think I was an evil man. I was just like a Texas business man, that's all.

MORGAN: Yeah, evil.

HAGMAN: They keep bringing that -- I'm just doing what people do for business.

MORGAN: You can't start distancing yourself from being evil. J.R. was wonderfully evil, magnificently evil, constantly scheming and plotting, even against his own family. That is evil, isn't it?

HAGMAN: Especially against his own family.

MORGAN: Exactly. Did you like the reputation?

HAGMAN: Of course I do, yes. It's wonderful.

MORGAN: How do people react even now?

HAGMAN: They -- the question they say is who shot J.R.

MORGAN: You ever tell them?

HAGMAN: Yes, yeah.

MORGAN: What did you say?

HAGMAN: Bing Crosby's daughter.

DUFFY: Shot Peter Pan's son.

MORGAN: Who shot J.R.? Because of course there were only about 3,000 suspects.

HAGMAN: Oh, yeah.

MORGAN: The beauty of the plot line, wasn't it? It could have been literally anybody. When you guys are filming in Dallas, presuming you live there for the duration, when you walk around, it must be like the royal family, isn't it?

HAGMAN: Everywhere.

MORGAN: Seriously, they must go crazy.

HAGMAN: London, Berlin.

MORGAN: Where are you most popular outside America?

GRAY: I think it was in the U.K.

(CROSS TALK)

HAGMAN: Also Germany. My gosh, we're still playing in Germany.

MORGAN: Really?

HAGMAN: Every night, yeah.

MORGAN: So it's you and David Hasselhoff really.

HAGMAN: Yeah, he's doing very well.

DUFFY: Mr. Germany.

MORGAN: Let's take another break. I want to bring out the new generation of Ewings. I want to find --

DUFFY: Really?

Oh, all right.

MORGAN: Young, fresher meat.

GRAY: Fresher? Hello.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the hell are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more than Jock did, drilling for oil on South Fork.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miss Ellie threw Jock's rig of the ranch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eighty years ago, Christopher.

HAGMAN: You have no right to drill on this land. I'm a Ewing. I have every right.

GRAY: We only confirmed the find this morning. Bobby John was going to tell you tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a part of this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Back now with Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy. Joining us from the new "Dallas," Josh Henderson, Jordana Brewster and Jesse Metcalfe. Welcome to the new brigade.

JESSE METCALFE, ACTOR: Thank you very much.

MORGAN: You have the inauspicious task of playing J.R. Junior.

JOSH HENDERSON, ACTOR: Yes it was very intimidating at first trying to figure out what would John Ross be today after having this amazing loving father.

MORGAN: My guess is evil.

HENDERSON: You know what? He's one of the nicest guys around.

MORGAN: I don't want to hear that. I want to hear about brutality.

HENDERSON: He learned how to do business one way, and that was the J.R. way. And he thinks hopefully he can put his spin on it.

MORGAN: Massive pressure on you in particular, because every one is going to look at you as being effectively the new J.R., with the old J.R. towering over you on set like this omnipotent figure. How do you feel about it?

HENDERSON: Well, I actually was completely excited about what I considered to be a fun challenge. I knew that there was probably a lot of expectation on this series in general coming back, but who is also J.R.'s spawn, John Ross? Who has he turned into? Is he everything like his father or nothing like his father?

MORGAN: John Ross was a little baby.

HENDERSON: Wide-eyed kid that always looked up to his dad.

MORGAN: We all worried about John Ross. What the hell is going to happen to this poor little kid. He seems to have turned out OK.

HENDERSON: Here I am.

MORGAN: Jordana, you play the Ewing's cook's daughter. Am I right?

JORDANA BREWSTER, ACTRESS: Yes.

MORGAN: So you're not fully fledged Ewing.

BREWSTER: I am not a Ewing.

DUFFY: Not this year.

MORGAN: Knowing the way the interbreeding goes, it's only a matter of time.

BREWSTER: I'm involved with both Ewings, so I'm a lucky girl.

MORGAN: So you're having a simultaneous fling with these two.

BREWSTER: No simultaneous. I just sort of ping pong between both. I'm in love with both of them.

MORGAN: How have you found it coming into this iconic show?

BREWSTER: It's been wonderful. I was a fan of "Dallas."

MORGAN: Were you or are you just saying that? You must have been about five.

BREWSTER: I was very young.

MORGAN: How old were you when "Dallas" -- how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?

BREWSTER: I was born in 1980. MORGAN: So you were born two years after the start. But you would have been 11 or 12 when it finished. I can just about buy you being a fan. But the reality is you're the fresh blood here, aren't you, replacing, and yet with legends.

BREWSTER: We're not replacing which is why it's not terrifying. If we were replacing, that would be terrifying. We're joining, which is what's so wonderful. They've been so awesome and welcoming.

MORGAN: Generous to work with or impossible divas.

DUFFY: Easy, easy, easy.

BREWSTER: So generous to work with.

MORGAN: Jesse, for you, from "Desperate House Wives" to "Dallas," does it get any better?

METCALFE: You know, I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to be another television phenomenon. I think the show has the potential to be huge.

MORGAN: It's been brilliantly done, I have to say. The production values are great, but the fusion between the two, which could have been fraught with danger, actually looks completely seamless. Mainly because you three just haven't aged. It is ridiculous. I've got to be honest Sue Ellen -- I'm going to call you Sue Ellen, because to me you will always. You don't look a day older.

GRAY: I am.

MORGAN: I know you are.

GRAY: And wiser.

MORGAN: You're many days older, but this is one of the reasons it must work. It looks like we're just carrying on where we left off.

METCALFE: Yes, I think it was all really set up with that pilot episode. That pilot script was so amazing. It was really a seamless transition from where the show left off and to the new series. As far as chemistry is concerned, I mean, these three set the tone. We like to call them the big three, their friendship and enthusiasm. It's contagious.

HENDERSON: They made us comfortable coming in, which I think really helped the story lines, you know, feel real and very believable. It was just they really welcomed us with open arms and made it a lot easier for us.

MORGAN: Let's get a realty check here. I don't like all this sycophancy. Larry, how have they been getting on? Can we have a little critique?

DUFFY: They're going to drag us into another 13 years.

GRAY: Kicking and screaming, yes.

MORGAN: Could you imagine being -- even at 94, I wouldn't trust you. You know what I mean? Just a leopard would never change his spots.

Look, to me, as you can probably tell, this is all terribly overexciting. It's been a great privilege to have you guys and a great excitement for you, I know, to join them. I really appreciate you all coming on.

It's "Dallas," obviously. It airs Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. on TNT. The new series premiers on June 13th. I want it to be the biggest hit of the summer, because then I can watch "Dallas" endlessly again. And you can come back. Come back any time. Any time you like, seriously. It's been a pleasure.

(CROSS TALK)

MORGAN: "Dallas," I need to know home and lay down and take a cold shower with Sue Ellen. Maybe it isn't so far fetched. Coming up next, Only in America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: For tonight's Only in America, the kid's got game. We're just days away from the U.S. Open where Tiger Woods, fresh from his stunning victory, will be gunning for another win. And fan favorite Bubba Watson will keep everyone smiling. These are the marquee players.

But it's the little guy who has the biggest story. Say hello to Andy Jung. He's not even old enough to drive, but boy can he drive the other way. And Jung is just 14 years old and in the record books as the youngest to ever play in the Open.

He's an extraordinary story, born in China. He moved to Florida just four years ago. What does he think about making history?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY JUNG, YOUNGEST U.S. OPEN GOLFER IN HISTORY: It's the best feeling I've ever got before. I'm really excited.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Spoken like a true teenager. Many are impressed with young Andy, including one of his idols.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: He qualified. He earned his spot. I tried it when I was 15, but he earned his spot. He went out there and went through both sections -- both stages, I'm sorry, and did it. It's not too young if he can do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MORGAN: Remarkable achievement. Only in America can a boy like Andy get the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Open and live out his dream. I wish him all the very best. As a golfer myself, a little advice Andy, remember, keep your head down, your hands low. Oh, and remember this: drive for show, you putt for dough.

That's all for us tonight. "AC 360" starts now.