tommy's country ham house in greenville, south carolina. they'll both be there at the same time. as a matter of fact, mitt romney showed up. he showed up early, which is kind of interesting. we'll take you there. plus, a lot of people are dealing with rough weather today. meteorologist reynolds rolf will show you. from the cnn center in atlanta, georgia, this is "cnn saturday morning." i'm gary tuchman. for three hours and counting that is how long south carolinaens have been voting. in between are these three members of our cnn team. our don lemon is talking to voters in lexington. paul steinhauser is watching the candidates from columbia. schon na sheppard is watching the action. she's been watching newt gingrich for a long time. he's one of the two front-runner s at the ham house. it sounds funny. how did they end up going to the same restaurant in the same state at the same time? >> reporter: you know, gary, the candidates are saying it was purely a coincidence that the two are going to end up at tommy's country hamhouse in greenville. you know, i don't know if there's more to it or not. but you're seeing governor mitt romney right now. >> we voted for you already! it's a little hard for us to hear the former massachusetts governor right now. we do hear the people cheering. what do we expect to hear from mitt romney, and why do we think he's shown up early? none of these candidates ever show up anywhere early. they show up late. do you think this is part of the strategy, to get there before newt gingrich? all right. i don't think she can hear us. that's what we can tell you. it's the most interesting scenario. this is something we really don't see. these campaign stops are coordinated so care employ by the teams of the presidential candidates, to have them show up at the same place, the same time, same state on the day of possibly the most critical primary of the circuit, iowa and new hampshire, the important of the first two, but you've had a crescendo decent upon the state of south carolina and it's crucial. if romney wins and newt grin grilled cheese has a poor second, that could make mitt romney the inevitable nominee. let's see if we can -- let's hear if we can listen to mitt romney. no audio. he's going to have ham at the ham house like newt gingrich. first let's go to don lemon. he got there bright and early. he made some coffee. not part of the job description but he made coffee. he's voting as different. i don't know if that's particularly complimentary. how is it going? >> reporter: it's going great. i didn't get here bright and early. i got here bright and early. listen. you were talking about -- we've been talking about voter turnout. look out there. that's going to really make a difference because it's raining outside. the rain started to come down pretty hard, and you know the weather has everything to do, gary tuchman. you've been covering politics for a long time. it's got everything to to with turnout. people here are pretty excited. you guys went to mitt romney. guess who we have. we've got dan brazil, randy half acre, the current mayor and the former mayor of this here town. what a great combo. we were talking about voters' turnout. shirley, how many have we had? 16 -- 566 people. >> it's only 10:00, so it's a long way to go. >> what do you think about the turnout? >> so far i think it's been good given the weather. it's been very good. i'm very optimistic. >> have you voted yet, mayor? >> i have not. >> reporter: you're the current mayor. >> yes, sir, yes, sir. >> reporter: what do you think? >> reporter: it's great to have you here, one of the best communities in the world. >> reporter: who are you going to vote for? >> i'll make that decision when i get in the voting booth. i like to cogitate, you know, debate back and forth. >> reporter: how are you doing, mr. brazil? >> i'm good. >> reporter: what do you think about turnout? >> i think it's light at this point, but i think by the end of the day, if we don't get drowned with rain, we'll have a lot of folks here turn out. it will be better. >> reporter: now the million question. who did you vote for? >> i voted for newt gingrich. >> reporter: why? >> because i think he's the best guy in the race. >> reporter: thank you both. i've heard a lot of newt. even women. they say women are not going to vote for newt because of that whole thing but they're voting for newt. there you go. we've got the current, the former, rain outside, but we've got a lot of people showing up. is that congressman? >> yes, sir. congressman joe wilson just coming in to vote. there he is right there. congressman, how are you? we're live on cnn. >> how are you doing? >> i beat you to the punch. >> reporter: it's good seeing you. we're going to talk to you guys. we've got to get back to cnn. they geev tot go to another event. it's good to see you. gary, we'll throw it back to you. we're having a good time. we don't have any ham, but we've got voters. >> that's why i love live tv. congressman comes in, he walks across the room, and you're yelling to the lady, how many voters. that's great tv. >> i've got to go make more tv. >> go make more of that different tv. thank you. there are plenty of stories to watch in south carolina today but let's focus on four crucial counties that can determine the whole race. we started in greenville. it has the largest number of republican voters in the statement lexington county where don was meeting the voters. it mooerd almost the state results. charleston along the coast, considered to be more moderate than other parts of the state and that could be a strong spot for mitt romney. finally we go to orie county, and that's the home of myrtle beach. it's a mixed bag. it's where a lot of transplants have settled. now we go to my colleague paul. everyone knows the caucus is the first primary, but this in a lot more ways is a lot more critical, isn't it? >> oh, yeah. going back to 1980, everyone won. gary, a week ago mitt romney had a double digits in the polls. now they're almost even. looking ahead to next week, remember, florida, the next state. all four presidential candidates, all four remaining republican candidates will be in our debate, cnn debate in jacksonville. we're here in south carolina. we're also looking a hi ed to florida, gary. >> boy, it's really a very important time. yesterday was actually a year before the inauguration for next year, so we're in the final count, but this could be the key day, paul. paul, thank you very much. it is a big day for politics in south carolina. and today on cnn, it's going to be politics all day. tune in at 4:00 p.m. eastern time to see the candidate dees bait the issues from thursday night's edge-of-your-seat debate and at 6:00 p.m. special coverage of the south carolina debates begin. see the results as they come in right here on cnn. and here are some of the other headlines we're watching this morning. there is other news. search crews are back at work right now around the "costa concordia." the cruise ship is still half submerged off the italian coast. the italian navy blew bigger holes into the hull to look for survivors or victims. they spent most of the night looking over the boat that's above the water. nigeria has a curfew follow deadly attacks. police say they opened fire and bombed eight government sites. at least seven people have been killed. it's feared the toll could go much higher. the militant islamic group reportedly has claimed responsibility. well, meteorologist reynolds wolf is in the weather center right now. there's severe weather, snow, rain, disrupting voting, looks like in south carolina. >> absolutely. you really could pick your poison with the wide variety of weather around the country. as gary mentioned we have a chance of strong storms, perhaps tornados. notice right there you see a little bit of a rectangle on the map. that's where we have a tornado watch that would be in effect midday. i would not surprise if the storm prediction center shifts that more to the east, perhaps south carolina, maybe north carolina before the day is over. i'll tell you how long the rough stuff is going to last. all that is coming up in a few moments. >> thank you, reynolds. many of the campaign ads are paid for by super pacs. but just what is a super pac? we're here to explain. and where did all the movie fans go. we'll show you why the film industry is suffering from box office blues. sounds like the name of a movie itself, "box office blues." plus, we've heard plenty of horror stories from the cruise ship disaster. to climb.mountains ♪ dreams to be realized. ♪ new worlds to be explored and hearts to be won. quaker oats. energy to get you going, fiber to help fill you up and help keep your heart healthy. super people eat super grains. my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ new capzasin quick relief gel. (announcer) starts working on contact and at the nerve level. to block pain for hours. new capzasin, takes the pain out of arthritis. it's 10:14 on the east coast, 7:14 on the west. meteorologist reynolds wolf is nearby. the voters in south carolina have been casting their ballots for the last three hours. rain or sun for the palmetto state today? >> looks like it's going to be rain more than anything else. once they leave the voting booths, more rain to follow. let me show you the live image one more time, and you can see right toward the middle of the screen, you can see a world of coke, the aquarium, and in the background, all rain. this's not the front itself moving through but a thing called prefront frontal trough and we have a chance of seeing a chance of tornadoes. that rectangle on the scereen i our tonight wat our tornado watch. now, the reason why we're seeing all this is very simple. we've got a frontal boundary that's moving right through parts of the state and into much of the southeast. the top half of the system is bringing weather in an entirely different flavor. we're talking snow, 3 to 5 possible for parts of the northeast, but in the pacific northwest, it's heavy snow, especially in the cascades. they've been waiting, waiting, waiting for the snow. here it comes. between eugene and redmond and all you ski freaks are going to be happy as can be. the snow is going to continue to pile up. breckenridge and steamboat springs is going to have snow. not quite as deep, 2 to 4, maybe as much as 5 in boston, rhode island and back into connecticut. your highs today, 33. 58 in denver, 62 in albuquerque. 39 in billings. 20 degrees in minneapolis. 29 in chicago. the rain and snow moving away from chicago but still cold here in place as you shovel off the walk. 29 in new york, 37 in wach washington, 69 in atlanta. gary, i would suspect the travel delays are going to line up. it could be a frus tating day. you have to be careful. who ease paying the big bucks for the air time? not the candidates in most cases. we'll get into that right after the break. the voters who are headed to the polls now in south carolina have been inundated by campaign ads this past week. they're breaking down the numbers. leading the pack, mitt romney. it's estimated his campaign has spent more than a half a million dollar in ads. in south carolina alone. close behind him, ron paul, $460,000 spent. in third, rick santorum, $376,000. and before you drop down to rick perry's campaign, remember, he's not even in this race, he spent $218,000. that was where he was hoping to make his comeback. that didn't happen. in last place in south carolina, newt gingrich. those are the ads for the cam pans. there's something brand new in this campaign race. super pax. tens of millions of dollars are flowing in like never before. super papacs. what are super pacs. josh levs is breaking this down. >> look. pretty soon the whole country is going to be seeing them. especially battleground states. we're used to sees ads that support or attack candidates. what we have not seen before is the unlimited of these groups called super pacs. that's because they're new. they're the results of two court decisions in 2010. one was from the supreme court two years ago today. basically these groups can take unlimited donations from corporations, unions, et cetera. traditional can only take in limited contributions. the rule is they cannot coordinate their spending with candidates. critics say it's ultimately ridiculous because the ads that the super pacs put out are echoing the candidates' messages anyway. it circumvents having campaign finance limits but supporters say it's absolutely free speech thamd should be allowed. it's said that the new rules change it to a house of mirrors. they have a way of helping to fund money now have an outsize way to help candidates by funneling their money. stephen colbert, jon stewart of comedy central. s sat tire icing. expect a slew of ads from all sides and it will especially be true in the battleground state. >> is there a way to accurately characterize money? >> yeah. listen to this figure. more than $33 million have already been spent by the super pac s. this is in the 2012 sickle. i want you to all see this and a lot more. go to c n n dann.com/josh. facebook and twitter. i want you to know the next hour i'll be back with you and we're going to break down specifically which super pacs out there have put in how much money in support of which candidates. they'll be here in the next hour. >> we're still 9 1/2 hours away. >> a lot of commercials. >> a lot of money for local tv stations around the country. well, dinner and a movie just isn't what it used to be. we'll take a look at why movie theaters are hurting and what people are doing instead. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. but if you take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the storybook narrator... 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[ male announcer ] sustainable solutions. fedex. solutions that matter. going to the movies used to be a friday or saturday night tradition, but traditions change, as does our appetite for entertainment. kareen wynter takes a look at the falling fortunes aet the box office. >> reporter: going to the movies, it's been a favorite pastime for americans for more than a century, but is that changing? >> it's always like a has toll just go to the movie theaters. >> most of the movies i'll just wait. >> technically they're very interesting but very little substance. >> prices are so out of control. >> reporter: seems like everyone feels that way. consumers sent a clear message about movies in 2011 by holding onto money. >> 2011 was a tough year at the box office for hollywood. we saw the lowest attendance since 1999, and r 1995, and rev down. >> reporter: paul traction everything. movie industry leaders downplay the drop. >> it wound up not as bad as they were predicting. down 3% to 4%. you'll find out over the years it goes up 3%, 4%, down 3%, 4%. >> reporter: what was 2011 missing at the movies? according to him, a holiday blockbuster. >> there was no movie like "titanic" or "avatar." >> reporter: those who stayed away from the mega plex were watching movies at home. i watch it on hulu or netflix. >> we watch films on our tv. we have the wi-fi on your tv where it comes up automatically, so that's really convenient. it's a lot more convenient than dvds. >> reporter: despite a 20% drop in dvd sales, blu-ray saw a rise. >> they take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, you know, a little bit of video, a little bit of going the movie theater, a little bit of download, a and that becomes the way you consume entertainment. in the end the consumer wins but all these other industries that rely on the consumer are going to have to scramble and figure how to play catch-up with that audience. >> reporter: wherever the audience goes, there's something about movie magic and hollywood glamour that will always draw a crowd. kareen wynter, cn, hollywood. >> thanks, kareen. did one moment put newt gingrich over the top for a potential primary victory today? i'll find out what our political strategists think about it right after this. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement available only with liberty mutual auto insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. to learn more, visit us today. responsibility. what's your policy? like splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweeteners. this bowl of strawberries is loaded with vitamin c. and now, b vitamins to boot. coffee doesn't have fiber. unless you want it to. splenda® essentials™ are the first and only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. mmm. same great taste with an added "way to go, me" feeling. splenda® essentials™. get more out of what you put in. it's 29 minutes past the hour. welcome back. i'm gary tuchman. thank you very much for starting your day with us. checking the top stories, south carolina voters have been casting their ballots for 3 1/2 hours now in the state's gop primary. mitt romney is looking to score victory number two. it's a very close race between him and newt gingrich. nigerian curfew. an islamic group is claims responsibility. divers have resumed their search for any more survives of the italian cruise ship the "costa concordia." crews are also looking how to remove 2,300 tons of fuel from the vessel to prevent a disaster. one great man has found a way to say thanks to family who saved his life. a quick programming note. all four remaining candidates have agreed to take part in the next cnn debate in jacksonville, florida. we'll be at the university of florida next thursday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern time. the spotlight has been on newt gingrich. his ex-wife has been on a television interview accusing him of wanting a, quote, open marriage. here's how he answered the question at thursday night's cnn debate. >> i think -- i think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for office and i am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. >> the last poll shows gingrich and romney nearly a dead heat in south carolina. joining me to talk about the race, cnn political contributor and strategist and a republican strategist. we're having a little problem with maria's signal. we'll get back to her, we promise. but we're going to start this conversation with you, lenny. the first question i want to ask you, in the debate thursday, everyone's talking about it. i was wondering what you think about newt gingrich's answer. do you think it helps give him momentum to give him a win in