we begin tonight with syria and are keeping an honest report. for months the world has witnessed men, will and children, demonstrating in the streets. initially they called for reforms, when those calls were met with arrests and torture and killings, they began to call for overthrow. there's a team of observers from the arab league now on the ground in syria. observers sent in to verify that syria's president, bashar al assad, is keeping his promises to remove military forces from streets, to stop violence against protesters. they've been on the ground for 48 hours and their initial

statements are so far stunning. the chief monitor of the arab league observer force is a sudanese military commander mohammed mustafa al dabbi, he's the former head of intelligence in the government of omar basher. a man wanted for crimes against humanity. he told "reuters" that quote things were calm and there were no clashes in homs. he went on to say, the situation seems reassuring so far. he also said, some places looked a bit of a mess, but there was nothing frightening. nothing frightening. that's not of course what we've been hearing from people in and around homs for months. and it's not what you will hear from a reporter who snuck into the city and just returned. the footage he took is very disturbing and we'll show you

that tonight as well. there's other footage i want to show you, but it's hard to watch. this is video claiming to show the aftermath of an artillery strike in homs. the scene, destruction, several people lay dead. as always, we can't independently confirm the facts, because the syrian regime won't let us see for ourselves. but this is what others tell us is happening. in homs, the day the monitors landed in syria, the gunfire was reportedly nonstop. this is a neighborhood called baba amir, the monitors visiting the neighborhood today, and you heard what general al dhabi, the chief monitor said, not frightening. the security forces and militia of syrian army they are using

armored vehicles and tanks and anti-arctic, armored, storming this area, storming this neighborhood. there are more than ten houses completely destroyed and there were many bodies under the rubble there. there is now a genocide taking place in this city of homs. >> you can argue about the use of the word, "genocide" but the killings have taken on a sectarian nature. this activist is desperate that something do something to help. >> we are calling for direct intervene from the whole organization and the international community, to intervene in syria and stop this bloodshed that's going on in syria and homs in particular. >> just yesterday again with the arab league monitors on the ground, there was reported violence across syria. this video reportedly shows security forces firing on protesters.

the monitors are in syria to verify that president assad is not attacking his people. today in dara, military defectors reportedly launched an attack on supporters. four security force members were killed and 14 other people died across syria today. what did the arab league observers observe in homs today? besides the benign statements by their leader, we've seen this video, it shows what is apparently an arab league observer being shown the body of a dead child. the man is in the orange vest, presumably the arab league observer, according to the logo on his vest. the little boy is said to be about five years old, he and his family were allegedly shot by security personnel who opened fire on their van. now remember, the sudanese head of this observer team says he saw nothing frightening, things seem calm today. many people are outraged that this sudaness man, al dhabi is

leading the mission to begin with. he's a military commander in sudan and was head of foreign intelligence in a government which is now accused of genocide in darfur. he reported to a leader who is now wanted by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity. this is the man who is head of the observer force. the syrian opposition force, doctors local committees in damascus, is calling for that man's removal, saying his role of deputy head of foreign intelligence, raises protests. al dabi is now tasked with probing war crimes, the appointment of al dabi taints the arab league's efforts and is nothing more than a political farce. the situation al dabi calls reassuring and calm. other says it's just the beginning of the mission and

it's important that we let themselves get squared away on the ground, get their mission up and running. but syrian opposition groups report that 14 people were killed today across the country, including five people in homs. a freelance journalist and filmmaker who we're not naming has just left homs. he spent six days there, and over the next few days, cnn is going to be showcasing his remarkable stories from the front lines of a city at war. his first report is about the government snipers that prowl homs, picking off civilian victims at will and randomly. >> the snipers are on basically every main street. they have checkpoints on both sides. snipers would shoot everybody who is basically crossing this street between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 in the morning. this is an unofficial curfew.

the activists told me i have to meet this woman, this is the mother of a victim who got shot when she was pregnant in the seventh month. it was during the morning when she wants to go out for shopping. >> translator: her brother tried for half an hour to go over the walls and roofs to get to her, but he didn't manage to reach her. finally they managed to pull her away. but it took another half an hour to get her to my house. >> you arrive at the situation, you arrive at a scene where a half hour ago, somebody got shot. and 30 minutes later, people are crossing, very normally, the street. me, crossing the street, i've been feeling basically, literally i've been feeling that somebody is aiming, the sniper is aiming on me and it's up to

him if he gonna pull the trigger or not. i came to this junction and i realize that somebody wanted to cross the street with a hume bag of cigarettes. so he -- i could hear the snipers shooting. and he was, he was not able to cross the street and the bag with cigarettes was in the middle of the street. so again one of this very impressive scenes where people have been very happily and almost like a sport challenge, to get the cigarette bags out from the sniper range. and they've been happy when they could. and they started to throw it from one side to the other. so everything they needed from one side to the other this throw it over the streets. >> short time ago, i spoke to that journalist by phone again, we're not naming him for his own

security. >> the footage that we just showed of snipers basically shooting people who are trying to get supplies, cigarettes and food. is really stunning. is there any justification for what they're doing? i mean how can they justify randomly shooting people, tarting people in the streets? >> yes, it's exactly what you said, it's randomly. what we've seen in homs was especially in the neighborhoods which are exactly in the middle of the city. surrounded by a lot of different sniper positions, which are aiming to all the main alleys. they are trying to randomly put fear into the people and the neighborhood, in order to get them quiet and not getting out of the streets to demonstrate. >> and yet the people continue to turn out to demonstrate, and

you make the point that they have no other choice. that if, if attention if the world attention stops focusing on homs, if the demonstrations stop, the government will just go in later on, once it's gotten quiet, and arrest them, anyway. >> exactly. so there is no other option for them. there might be either keep on fighting and demonstrating, uprising, or getting killed by the regime, anyway. >> you spent time in syria before, you took great risks, you risked your life to get into homs. what surprised you the most. >> everybody who was forcing every time they're doing a peaceful uprise, now start to say the point of no return is already crossed. this is not be able to end peacefully. we are getting armed. we have the free syrian army. we will have to fight.

>> the arab league has sent a monitoring team into syria to try to assess the situation. what do people say about that? the head of the team is a sudanese general, his own track record is in question. >> the activists have been telling me about the monitoring team is that they are basically think that this is a total show by the arab league. if the arab league would want to really do some pressure and steps against the regime, they would not need this, this monitoring teams. especially not a team which is guided by somebody who is not, not really the most convincing people for the activists. >> thank you for what you've done, thank you for your footage. >> thank you. joining us is a senior fellow at stanford university's hoover institution. when you see people being shot on the streets trying to toss bread across from one to another, there's no justification for the government in syria is doing. >> i think you have to understand the mind of bashar al assad, just as his father

maintained his reign by conquering and defeating the city of hamma 20 years ago, i think bashar al assad is determined to defeat the city of homs. he wants to make sure there can be no benghazi. >> no free zone. >> exactly. became the free zone and liberated libya, homs cannot liberate syria. and the demography is complicated. >> there's a specific geography of the fear that you see. the aloui neighborhoods are spared, the sunni neighborhoods are shelled. the bread, electricity is all cut off from the sunni neighborhood. you see the terrible logic of this regime. >> which is basically pushing it towards sectarian conflict. >> that's from the playbook of bashar al assad, that's what he

would love to do in fact. because if he makes the sectarian, he corners his own aloui community, they stick to him, they have to become basharists. >> he cannot win, but they cannot win, either. there's right now this back and forth. >> absolutely. i think we've talked before about syria repeatedly. i think what it is in many ways, an irresistible force meeting with an immovable object. the people can't go back. they've crossed that point. they can't accept the syria of the assad dynasty. they will go and pick them one at a time, the syrian intelligence. so it's too late for the opposition, they must win and it's too late for the regime, because that's what the regime is lookinged a. bashar al assad is looking at, he sees possibly what happened

to gadhafi as a pray plud, a precautionary tale of what could happen to him. -- a prelude. >> it's beyond the point of return for the people who have protested thus far. there's no going back for them. because if the world, not that the world is really paying attention, but to the extent that it is, if that attention stops, if the protests stop, then security forces come in the night and just take you away and kill you. >> i think you've got it. and i think what's interesting about it, there was kind of a placard carried by some women in homs that said, all doors are closed except your doors or god. there's only god left for them. because again, they look at libya and see that libya was rescued by nato and they look at their own situation, ten months into this terrible fight, no one has come to the rescue and the arab league is a joke. the arab league had always been a joke. the arab league did one decent thing on libya, and all it did was to single out gadhafi, to finger him, if you will for the international community.

and so now the arab league sends this compromised mission, but we see what we see. >> there's 60 observers, for a country, ridiculously small number, led by a man who is linked to the regime in sudan. that's, if you wrote it as a play, it would be laughable. but it's real. >> exactly. 60 observers, for a country of 23 million people led by someone who must be reckoned to be the godfather of the dreaded janga we'd. you can't send an iraqi, the syrians with not send anybody from the gulf and the egyptians don't want to do it so guess what, they stick with the sudanese, it's a terrible mission and i think the international community that's hiding behind the arab league,

if you will, has to face at some point what's to be done about syria. >> is there any answer? >> when the basically the arab league says to the syrians, look, if you don't behave, if you don't grant us access, we're going to internationalize the conflict, we're going to refer it to the security council. and bashar al assad says welcome, on the security council he has russia and china. the last time the security council discussed syria, he not only had russia and china, he had india and brazil and south africa to the eternal shame on his side. >> thanks for being on, appreciate it let us know what you think we're on facebook, add us to your circumstanles. coming up, new polling showing mitt romney holding the lead, but support for gingrich

drops. and amazing pictures out of north korea. mourners filling the streets of pyongyang. whether real or not, the cries, you see them there, just incredible look at the most important moments coming up. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

in politics, six case before the iowa caucuses, a report shows that support is dropping for gingrich and growing for santorum. a new poll shows that mitt romney and ron paul are the front-runners, aamong the likely gop caucus participants in iowa. romney has a slight lead over paul. the next two spots are the big story, santorum is in third with 16%, and gingrich is at 14%, down 19 points from the beginning of the month. in a moment i'll talk with aur political panel about whether all the negative ads against gingrich from rival campaigns are behind the plunge. but first here's what's front-runner mitt romney had to say. >> if you're going to get in a campaign like this, you have to have broad shoulders and if you can't take on a negative that's

part of a prime, you're sure not going to be ready of what's going to come from barack obama. if you can't handle the heat in this kitchen, wait for barack obama's hell's kitchen. >> and joining me are two political contributors. one of the interesting numbers out of the new cnn/"time" survey, it wasn't a horse race, it was a response to the question, we asked the voters, who is the best chance of beating obama in iowa. romney was far and away the top pick. and in new hampshire, he had more support on this question than all the others in the race combined. >> yeah. listen, in so many ways, can he beat president obama is the question. that to me is the most significant part of the poll. because you can love somebody because they say exactly what you think, what you believe. you can love someone because you

like their personal story. but in the end, what republicans want is someone who can throw president obama out of the white house. so electability is huge, it's what mitt romney has been pushing, saying look you got to have someone who can stand up to president obama, who can actually beat him. and in the end, when they go in to the poll, whether it's a straw poll or a caucus or primary in new hampshire, what republicans want is someone who can beat obama. and so i think we're definitely talking about a winner kind of number for mitt romney. >> hilary, do you think republican voters are rallying around romney? maybe they're not in love with him, but it's maybe a marriage of convenience? >> this campaign has been so fascinating, because clearly democrats, we've always thought that we're going to end up with the president running against mitt romney. and but yet, it was in the earl will i months of the fall where mitt romney's vulnerabilities were really obvious. you know, he the fact that he is a flip-flopper. that he has no job creation

record. that he has consistent -- >> come on, hilary. >> republicans saw those weaknesses and started looking elsewhere. and the rest of the field isn't that attractive, either. you saw the gingrich surge, he was a lot angrier about the president, so he had his surge for a moment. but i think when push comes to shove, from their perspective, romney has run a pretty good campaign to date and all of the other candidates have their own flaws and iowa may be more reflective of the republican primary problems than it is their solutions. >> rich, i'll let you respond to that hilary said. >> i talked to two campaigns in iowa today. and candy's is out there, so she's probably heard the same things, but they say that the santorum surge is a real surge. and that ron paul's campaign is going to, is probably tomorrow going to turn its big guns not

only advertising, but people in stops where he is, the social media that the paul people are so good at. they're going to turn that entire operation against rick santorum and try to protect at least their second-place finish in iowa, if not pivot back and try to top romney. they're convinced that these other two campaigns, that santorum is peaking at exactly the right time. not that he can win, but that he can really kind of surprise everybody. >> and rich, why do you think it is that he has done so well in the last couple of weeks? >> i think to this extent, i agree with hilary, that this is, he's the last one standing whose tires haven't been kicked by the conservative wing of the republican party. they went through everybody else. >> the other issue, reason why santorum is that the evangelical vote, 60% historically of the republican primary, pushed mike huckabee to a win in 2008.

they're coalescing around rick santorum and there aren't that many states where the evangelical wing of the republicans are that dominant. but if santorum does well in iowa, he can also move, he's not going to do that well in new hampshire, but south carolina is another early state where the evangelical vote is pretty strong. and so you know, there ends up being -- >> i think south carolina. >> anybody but mitt and who coalesces around mitt as the strongest candidate. >> i think south carolina will be the two-man death match between santorum and gingrich, loser goes home. but when you get past that, hilary and candy, you still have to go to florida. a week later, a $2 million-a-week state. who else has the money and resources and infrastructure to do all that within 28 days starting next tuesday? >> candy, are expectations now, i mean for romney that if he places anywhere but first, that that would be seen as a defeat?

i don't think he could place any place but second and have it not be negative for him. but i think he could place a strong second to someone like ron paul, simply because most republicans, even though it makes the ron paul people very upset. most republicans don't see ron paul as someone who will win the nomination. but he is someone who can stay the course. he will stay in this forever. until the end, until it's over. placing second to ron paul for mitt romney in iowa would be okay, they could use that as traction moving into new hampshire. what mitt romney can't do is lose to rick perry or newt gingrich, that's a problem. >> candy crowley, thank you, hilary rose and mitch. our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. next tuesday, january rd. ahead in north korea, a fascinating day carefully-staged farewell to kim jong il,

thousands of wailing mourners lining the streets of the capital. we'll look at the very public outpouring of grief. we'll show you the most remarkable images from this day. and a reporter sues the massachusetts town where prince committed suicide for details accounts from her parents. 6 ♪ [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] ow, ow! [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums

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ahead, kim jong il's funeral, a rare glimpse into one of the world's most closed

society. was all the wailing and weeping genuine? or are the crocodile tears in the crowd? but first susan hendrix has 360 news. the trial of former egyptian president, hosni mubarak, resumes today, only to be adjourned until monday. the ailing 83 -year-old arrived at court by ambulance and was brought in on a stretcher. today families of slain protesters asked to have the head judge disqualified, but were denied. mubarak is pleading not guilty to charges that he ordered the killing of protesters in february. mexican police say they've captured a top drug trafficker. authorities say 39-year-old was arrested on tuesday. the u.s. offered a $5 million reward for his capture. the town of south hadley, massachusetts, paid the parents of a bullying victim nearly a quarter of a million dollars

after their daughter committed suicide. reporter for "slate" sued and just received access to details of that settlement. in business news, last-minute shopping caused a surge in holiday sales according to industry analysts, mall shoppers spent about $44 billion during the week before christmas. up almost 15% from last year. maybe you could tell from all the video we've been showing. anderson, back to you. >> tonight another look at another, the other major stories of the year that's coming up to a close. and this saturday, new year's eve at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern we'll bring you the best and worst of 2011. tom foreman previews the impact of pop culture. >> harry potter. >> the final harry potter film exploded into theaters. conjuring up more than 380 million dollars in ticket sales according to box office mojo. >> it was a nice movie. >> putting an exclamation point

on one of the most successful literary and cinematic series of all time. >> it's always nice to see a big -- movie where you want to eat a lot of popcorn and drink soda and lose yourself in it and it was definitely one of those films. >> i have no idea what's going on from the beginning to the end. it's mr. who and mrs. grimbelhower and they're riding on their terducken and i need a guide book. great movies this year. trying to think what my choices are. >> my three favorite movies will tell you a lot about me. number three, "kung fu panda

ii." number two, "winnie the pooh." and number one, "puss in boots." worst movie of the year for me -- "hangover ii." it was the same movie. >> you're going to freak out, but it's going to be okay. >> how are you going to make the same movie twice. >> check your pockets. >> come on. >> you're going to freak out, but it's going to be okay. come on, come up with a new plot. it was still at a wedding. >> that's a preview of the special, all the best and worst of 2011 airing saturday, new year's eve at 8 :00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. eastern. and what happens after that, we're going to ring in the new year, me and kathie griffin, live from times square. they hired her again.

the party starts at 11:00 eastern new year's eve on cnn. i hope she doesn't get me fired. up next, we turn to the funeral of north korean leader, kim jong il. the video is amazing, grief on a level outsiders may find hard to understand. what may lie ahead for north korea now that its quote-unquote dear leader is gone. and details about the horrific christmas day fire that took five lives. autopsy results paint a much clearer picture of what really happened. in one... burgers and soup. did you hear him honey? burgers and soup. love you. they're cute. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

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a cult-like devotion on display for a dictator who ruled with an iron feisist. up next, the funeral of north korea's dear leader, kim jong il. it was a well-choreographed production to be sure. in a moment we talk about what happens in north korea. but first a look at a spectacle we rarely get to see. >> the weeping voice of a north

korean state news anchor, announcing the start of kim jong il's funeral procession. it's a national an required day of mourning for the leader whose death came as a surprise to most of the world. leaving the future of this secretive society unclear. the weeping of north koreans as they watch the procession is showcased throughout the broadcast. the wailing is heard constantly in the background. whether the grief is real or forced, is unknown. at the head of the funeral coach walks the new leader of north korea, kim jong un, already titled the great successor. his hand resting on car that holds his father's body. a clear symbol of his inherited leadership. he's kim jong il's youngest son. his two older brothers are notably not visible during the funeral. the funeral broadcast is also a propaganda tool. the state anchor tells us that

even the snowfall is a sign of grief. tears from heaven for kim jong il. the general, our general, the announcer weeps, where have you gone? this woman echoes the announcer, saying general, you can't go, you can't go. as the procession reaches the city's central kim il sung square, the wailing crowd is worked up into a frenzy. and the message of grief, for the dear leader is turned into a message of support for his son, who is surrounded by military advisers, including his uncle, the vice chairman of the national defense commission, believed to be the power behind the scene. the world will witness our march forward, the anchor says, we will defend kim jong un with our lives. thousands of soldiers stand in

the square motionless, in perfect formation, a symbol of the collective. their heads bowed in a sign of respect. for dictator who kept such tight control of his country through his army, the carefully-choreographed funeral is also a show of military strength. sending the world a message, true or not, that the nation is united behind the new regime. >> so fascinating to watch. let's dig deep near north korea, i'm joined by barbara demic, a beijing bureau chief for the "los angeles times" and author of the book "nothing to envy." ordinarily lives in north korea. and a director of the northeast asia projects and the u.s. institute of peace. barbara, when you see that outpouring of emotion, is it real? >> only in part. i've talked to many people who

are at kim il sung's funeral in 1994. and what they describe is a situation where you just get swept up away by the crowd. if you're around people coughing, you could have. and if you're around people crying, you cry. many people, including people on camera have told me how they were required to fake it or they thought their political loyalty would be questioned and their whole family would be downgraded in social status. so i think sometimes the people themselves don't know if they're crying for real. >> and john, why did the line of succession go to kim jong il's youngest son? >> well the speculation, anderson, is that if you look at the eldest song, kim jong nam, there was an episode where he tried to sneak into japan to go to tokyo disneyland and that's credited with the main reason why he perhaps is not fit for succession. >> sorry, he tried to sneak into

japan to go to tokyo disney world? >> that's correct. and it was a huge embarrassment for north korea and he was promptly deported. but you know, this is something that is a part of the north korean lore now. he's more or less living in exile in macao and reports out of china is that he's under considerable amount of protection. but the second son, the japanese sushi chef who lived with kim jong il's personal chef for many years, noted that kim jong il viewed his second son as not really the material for a strong man. and the youngest son, looks like kim jong il, an important piece of propaganda. >> does he have the support of the military, which is now the header? >> the process is ongoing, even in the death of kim jong il. and with that, the military is a critical part. because kim jong il consolidated his power and ran the country through the military after the

death of his father in 1994. but the key thing about the north korean military and the whole emphasis of the military and the new leadership structure is that the north korean economy is a militarized economy. so kim jong un as a four-star general, a a senior military figure, he will have to be groomed to run some of these very important military link state training companies, very important revenue-generator for the regime and for a future kim jong un regime. >> barb remarks his uncle is often described as the real power. >> that's right, jang sung thaek, who is 65, an appropriate age for leadership in korea, is married to kim jong il's younger sister. he, who was really the closest family member to kim jong il and they have been power brokers behind the scenes for a long time. jang sung thaek has a large family, brothers and sons very involved in the military. and i think there is somewhat of

a deal made where kim jong un would become perhaps the figurehead, giving a considerable amount of power to jang sung thaek, a bit spaks poo shakespearean, but that's how it works. the north koreans are not that creative. there was no snow. the procession, the cars, the rituals of grieving today are already thursday in asia, it's going to be a three-minute moment of silence at noon. they announced the death was announced by the same television broadcaster on north korean television also done at noon. so they're following this template they feel like it worked last time. so maybe it will work again. >> john, what are the biggest questions you would like to know the answers to. there's so much we don't know about the inner workings of this regime.

>> i think, anderson, there's a lot of speculation and reading the tea leaves right now. but there's one fundamental question that i think is very objective, is will kim jong un and its collective leadership be able to make money on a recurring basis and running the web of state companies, which make up north korea incorporated. kim jong il was reported to have run the system quite effectively. so the question going forward, irrespective of being the third son of kim jong il. will he learn if his uncle with the running and profitable operation of the state trading companies. >> and ha is it that's making the money? >> a key part of it, a new reality of north korea, is that all of these north korean state trading companies have very important chinese partners and the commercial deals and the transactional nature of these relationships. it isn't one of resurgence of an alliance or any type of preferential treatment, it's each side going out to make a buck. but now the partnerships between these state trading companies on the north korean side and

private chinese companies on the china side, specifically in the north korean mining industry, that's a key area that's been neglected and underdeveloped for many years. already we're seeing reports of increasing of coal exports from north korea to china. so the evidence is there. >> barbara, what question would you like most answered? >> are you going to be the next, are you going to be the deng xiaoping of north korea. i think there's a lot of expectations that he will, when he comes into his own, that he's going to open up the country. the chinese certainly know, the north koreans know, that the country cannot be sustained at this level of poverty, deprivation and hunger in north korea so extraordinary. it's in the middle of the greatest economic miracle of the world. next to china and south korea and japan. and somebody has to move things.

and the question is, is kim jong un going to be it. >> interesting. barbara demic, appreciate it. john park as well. coming up. new information about the tragic christmas day fire at a connecticut home, left three young girls, their grandparents dead. the autopsy results which give new clues about what happened. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios.

will be giving away passafree copiesl? of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. hi there, i'm susan hendricks with a 360 bulletin, new information in that who ivg christmas day house fire in connecticut that killed three

young girls and their grandparents, the girls, ages 10 and 7-year-old twins died in the fire. the medical examiner's office said the grandfather, seen here dressed as santa with his grandchildren, died from blunt force head and neck trauma and smoke inhalation, he fell through a window while trying to save his granddaughter. a federal judge has ordered the government to pay more than $17 million to family that lost four members when a marine jet crashed into their home in san diego. the family did ask for $56 million. that is the aftermath. this man lost his wife and two daughters and mother-in-law in the 2008 crash. and a warning for you, build-a-bear workshop is recalling nearly 300,000 teddy bears sold in the u.s. and canada. the consumer product safety commission said the colorful heart's teddy bears eyes could

fall out. coming up, your choice for number three on our top ten ridiculous countdown. tonight number three on the list, this is voted by you, the best ridiculous is the first-time the names doug hitchenson and courtny stoddard every crossed my list, they maim up three and four of the top ten ridiculous, ah, the memories, that's next. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪ your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly

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you voted for it, the number three of the top ten ridiculous of the year. and it's the first time we ever met courtney stoddard and doug hutchinson, take a look. >> tonight we're adding those heartless folks who are criticizing the love between this actor and his new bride. i'm talking about a guy named doug hutchinson, he was in the movie "the green mile" and had small roles on "loft" and the "x-files." he's 51 years old and a few

weeks ago in las vegas he married a 16-year-old girl. now, a lot of people are making a bunch of noise about how the girl, courtney stoddard is a minor and how there's a 35-year age difference between them. blah blah blah. i don't see what the big deal is. the wedding was on may 20th according to my calendar, a friday, so she probably only had to miss one day of high school. what was she going to miss in 11th grade, anyway, algebra? who uses that? who is this young lady who found true love with a character actor in his early 50s? she has a youtube channel where she posts videos, probably talks about homework and getting her driver's license and justin bieber and stuff. ♪ when i'm walking ♪ and try to be sly when i walk by ♪ ♪ it's not my thought you can't control ♪ >> oh. goodness. well i'm sure there's more to

her than just that. ♪ don't put it on me girl ♪ don't put it on me girl ♪ don't >> well, a lot people are suggesting that someone should have told courtney -- don't marry that guy, he's too old for you. but guess what, romance haters, her parents gave their permission, they're not that uptight parents who don't let their daughter stay up past 11, they're cool parents. her mom told radar online, thee quote totally supportive of this marriage and the dad said his new son-in-law is four years older than he is, the nicest man he ever met in his life. >> i have never done pornography, i never will. about myself, i am a christian girl. i hope my faith very tightly. >> believe me, you learn how to

hold things very tightly when you go to the beach wearing nothing than the american flag. i like at age 16 she makes it a point of pride by saying she's never done pornography. i wonder if her parents booked her for that photo shoot. they are so cool. >> i'm a virgin and i plan to stay that way until i am married. >> okay, a little bit of an overshare, but i'll say this about courtney she likes to keep it real. >> my breasts are real. everything about me is real. my hair is real. my teeth are real. my eyelashes are real. my breasts are totally real. believe it or not, but they are. >> did she mention that her breasts are real. i think she mentioned twice, and you know what else is real? their love is real. i wish you the best, but if it doesn't work out, someone is recently back on the market. and to all of you haters, age is only a