Showbiz Today

'Almost Famous' Looks at Raucous '70s Music Scene; Gwyneth Paltrow Flexes Her Vocal Cords in 'Duets'; Giselle Tops Latin Music Charts

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

LAURIN SYDNEY, CO-HOST: Hi, everybody. I'm Laurin Sydney in Hollywood with Jim Moret. And Jim, it's music day today on SHOWBIZ TODAY.

JIM MORET, CO-HOST: We've got Barenaked Ladies performing live. Even Gwyneth Paltrow is carrying a tune today. All this on a day when Congress is keeping an eye on music.

SYDNEY: The Senate Commerce Committee opened a hearing Wednesday on the way entertainment companies market violent-themed music, movies and videogames to kids. Congress is threatening to regulate Hollywood if the industry doesn't change its ways.

MORET: Disney responded by saying it will no longer accept ads for R-rated films on its ABC network during the first hour of primetime. And the head of the Motion Picture Association says the studios will refrain from marketing adult material to children.

For Washington, it's becoming an irresistible campaign issue.

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SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The leaders of these industries have to realize that they cannot tell parents that these products are inappropriate for their children and the ratings, and then turn around and market them to those same kids. That makes a mockery of the ratings system and that parents depend on.

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JACK VALENTI, CHAIRMAN, MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA: For almost 32 years, we have had a rating system that tells parents in advance, cautionary warnings so that they can make judgments on their own about what movies they want their children to see or not to see. It is their duty to exercise that power and their duty alone.

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MORET: Meanwhile, celebrities from the worlds of movies and music are responding to the criticism on Capitol Hill. SYDNEY: Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and Grammy-winning musician Sting have their own opinions on the D.C. hearings.

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SUSAN SARANDON, ACTRESS: I'm very much against censorship. I think that parents have to take a very active part in what their children watch, and my kids aren't allowed to play violent games or watch, you know, violent movies, and I think that's my responsibility. And I think it's a slippery slope when people start to interfere.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STING, MUSICIAN: Artists and entertainers need to be very honest about who their demographic audience is, and if your audience is generally aged to 12-year-old girls and boys, you should not be selling overt sexual messages to them, really, or violent messages to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SYDNEY: DreamWorks has been advertising its new R-rated film "Almost Famous" on the most popular network with teens.

MORET: That would be MTV. The Cameron Crowe movie is set in the raucous world of '70s rock, long before there was such a thing as music warning labels.

SYDNEY: Sherri Sylvester reports on the learning curve for the youngish cast.

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SHERRI SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There was a time when vinyl referred to a record, not a floor covering. Try telling that to the kids cast in "Almost Famous" who had to be taught about turntables and the music most likely spinning on them in 1973.

PATRICK FUGIT, ACTOR: I had never listened to the music before this. I put in Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven" came on, and I was hooked.

SYLVESTER: Credit director Cameron Crowe. The film is a fictionalized account of his teen years as a rock reporter for "Rolling Stone."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ALMOST FAMOUS")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We can only pay, let me see, $700. I'll write a grand (ph).

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SYLVESTER (on camera): You were for a lot of these actors the conduit to the '70s for them.

CAMERON CROWE, DIRECTOR: I think I supported all the '70s artists personally, just with stuff I needed to buy and give to the actors. I would make references and they'd kind of look off the side. They'd be like, "Exile on Main Street," the Stones, come on. "Houses of the Holy" -- am I getting through? And they'd be like, well, we -- Mariah Carey's OK, isn't she?

SYLVESTER (voice-over): These days, Crowe is known for writing and directing "Jerry Maguire," but as a kid, he traveled with and interviewed the Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, and others. Jason Lee and Billy Crudup front the fictional band Stillwater.

BILLY CRUDUP, ACTOR: He's got so much crap it's unbelievable. You know, we'll be talking about Led Zeppelin or whatever, and he'll go, oh, I've got to show you this picture. He'll bring in a picture the next day. It's him, you know, at 17 sitting with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. He's like that's when they wrote such and such, you know.

SYLVESTER: Kate Hudson plays the Band-Aid, defined as a groupie who likes the rock'n'roll more than the sex and drugs. The daughter of Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson knew the sounds of the '70s.

KATE HUDSON, ACTRESS: Growing up, my pa always listened to the Stones and Hendrix, Led Zeppelin. ZZ Top was a big one. So I was already, you know, listening to that kind of music.

SYLVESTER (on camera): What's the first concert you ever went to? A real concert?

FUGIT: It was Stillwater.

SYLVESTER: Really?

FUGIT: Yes, it was Stillwater.

FRANCES MCDORMAND, ACTRESS: Yes, it was Alice Cooper. It was organized by the band director of my band in high school.

SYLVESTER (voice-over): And for those like Frances McDormand, whose prom theme was "Stairway to Heaven," "Almost Famous" may be just the ticket.

Sherri Sylvester, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYDNEY: While rockers hit the road in "Almost Famous," it is a group of traveling karaoke singers that get behind the mike in the new film "Duets."

MORET: Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow flexes her vocal cords in the film, while her father, Bruce Paltrow, called the shots as director.

SYDNEY: Mark Scheerer spoke with the father/daughter team and has much more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DUETS")

GWYNETH PALTROW, ACTRESS (singing): ... she's got Bette Davis eyes.

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MARK SCHEERER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The question is not whether Gwyneth Paltrow has Bette Davis eyes, but does she have the vocal cords to make her onscreen singing debut, alongside Huey Lewis at times, in "Duets"?

G. PALTROW: That was fun. He is such a nice man. I couldn't believe I was singing a song with Huey Lewis, you know, being a child of the '80s.

SCHEERER: Paltrow's father, Bruce, directed this feature about karaoke contestants.

(on camera): So did you one day say, dad, we should make a karaoke movie and put...

BRUCE PALTROW, DIRECTOR: I gave her the script five years ago, and said, I read the script and I'm going to direct it. I think it's fabulous. There's a part in it and I think it would be great for you to play. Would you read it? She read it and said, I'd love to do this part.

SCHEERER (voice-over): But the project was disrupted by Bruce Paltrow's bout with throat cancer and Gwyneth's breakup with Brad Pitt. Finally, it's finished.

G. PALTROW: He is my favorite director I've ever worked with.

B. PALTROW: Thank you.

SCHEERER (on camera): How come I wouldn't expect you to say anything else?

G. PALTROW: I mean it.

B. PALTROW: Sweet.

SCHEERER (voice-over): Along for the ride are a paroled convict played by Andre Braugher and a mid-life crisis victim portrayed by Paul Giammatti.

PAUL GIAMMATTI, ACTOR: I guess it's we're the unlikeliest pairing of people in the movie.

ANDRE BRAUGHER, ACTOR: And they're both in essence seeking what the other person's fleeing.

SCHEERER: Last seen in "Coyote Ugly," Maria Bello segues from coyote girl to karaoke girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DUETS")

MARIA BELLO, ACTRESS: I don't have any money, but I'd be willing to be nice to you, real nice...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELLO: My friends and I have become completely addicted, and even last week, we had a party for a friend, and 30 people in a backyard in Hollywood with a karaoke DJ singing until 2:00 in the morning.

SCHEERER: The ensemble cast also includes Scott Speedman from "Felicity." But all eyes will be on the Academy Award-winner Gwyneth Paltrow, cutting loose as a chanteuse.

(on camera): You're in danger of being Madonna in reverse here. You could throw this whole film career out the window and go into music, right?

G. PALTROW: I won't do that.

SCHEERER: Really?

G. PALTROW: No.

SCHEERER (voice-over): Despite a duet with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmunds on the "Duets" soundtrack CD, Gwyneth Paltrow says movies will stay her priority over music.

Mark Scheerer, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYDNEY: Coming up, Latin sensation Giselle is living La Vida Loca. And you don't have to wait one week to hear the Barenaked Ladies perform live.

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MORET: Striking actors got support from stars on both coasts on Wednesday.

SYDNEY: Paul Newman was in New York. And he was joined by Billy Crudup, Richard Dreyfus and Susan Sarandon at a rally there. On the West Coast, Tom Hanks joined the crowd at a rally across from SAG headquarters in Los Angeles.

MORET: Talks between the unions and the advertisers were expected to resume on Wednesday. The union wants Republican vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney, who sits on the board of Procter & Gamble, to use his influence with the ad industry to help end the five-month strike.

SYDNEY: Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Carlos Santana are just a couple of the artists expected to shake their bon-bons at the first ever Latin Grammys in Los Angeles Wednesday night

MORET: And while Latin singing sensation Giselle isn't up for any awards, she has been sitting pretty on top of "Billboard's" Latin charts for the past 15 weeks.

SYDNEY: Lori Blackman went shopping in the Big Apple with this SHOWBIZ TODAY "Star of Tomorrow."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LORI BLACKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are going to pick an outfit Giselle to wear on the stage -- and then something for you to wear on like a Saturday or a Sunday, when Giselle is just being herself.

GISELLE, MUSICIAN: OK. OK. This is for show.

BLACKMAN: So this is the Giselle on-stage number. And this is Giselle on a Saturday or Sunday.

GISELLE: Yes.

BLACKMAN: Now where -- are you living now in Puerto Rico or in Miami?

GISELLE: I am living in Puerto Rico. But I usually visit Miami a lot.

BLACKMAN: But since we are here in New York, what do you think of the Big Apple?

GISELLE: Well, I was born here. I was raised here. I have lived here for 11 years. I like it a lot. But I like it more for shopping.

BLACKMAN: Now, what do you do typically in Puerto Rico on a weekend when you are not working?

GISELLE: Well, I am with my son. I have a six-year-old boy. He loves sexy mommy. Sometimes, I just take all the clothes out of the closet and he usually -- I tell him: Help me pick something out. And he just picks out the most sexiest stuff I wore.

BLACKMAN: In Puerto Rico and in Latin America, you are a tremendous success. Everybody loves you. Your concerts draw huge numbers. Is it weird for you to come from a place where you can't even walk down the street, to come to New York City and kind of be starting to get to know the audience again?

GISELLE: It's like everything. You're new. You're starting. It's like starting all over again. It's becoming even bigger for us Latins because people are curious about us and about our music and acting and singing. We're really, you know, getting there.

BLACKMAN: So, while -- while you are on that subject, obviously, this is a time in our musical culture where Latin singers are incredibly popular. GISELLE: It's like a fever all of the sudden. And it's like when you open a new club, a new discotech, people -- everyone wants to go and see how it is inside and hear the music. So I believe that, in a way, Americans too are very curious about what we are doing, why are we having so much success. And because it's good music, you know.

You could dance to it. You could listen to it at a party and have fun with it.

BLACKMAN: So tell me what the title of your album means in English.

GISELLE: It's: "I'm going to make you fall in love with me."

BLACKMAN: You're going to make the United States fall in love with you.

GISELLE: Yes, I hope so.

BLACKMAN (voice-over): Lori Blackman, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SYDNEY: Tomorrow on SHOWBIZ: Latin music's best is honored at the first ever Latin Grammy award show. And we are live in Monterey with the music of Roy Hargrove.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SYDNEY: And we've got something today that should please the guys and you: Barenaked Ladies.

MORET: We are talking about the band, of course. One of our favorites. They're known for pleasing all sorts of music fans, even our executive producer.

Mark Scheerer is with them on our rooftop in New York -- Mark.

SCHEERER: It is a delight to welcome back Barenaked Ladies to "SHOWBIZ Sessions." It was about a year ago that you -- two years ago, now, that you were here with your most recent album "Stunt." It went multi-platinum.

The new one is out this week, it's called "Maroon." By all accounts, it's a more mature album, it's less glib, it has fewer pop culture references.

Ed Robertson, Steven Page, what say you about that?

ED ROBERTSON, BARENAKED LADIES: I say I deny it categorically, and I'm going to plead the Fifth on some of the other things you mentioned.

STEVEN PAGE, BARENAKED LADIES: I think people, with every successive record -- this is our sixth album that we've put out, and with each successive record people say, oh, this is their serious one, or oh, this is there more mature record.

I mean, you can't but help but be a little bit more mature as you get older, we hopefully don't get so mature that we're boring.

I think we've just kind of had...

ROBERTSON: I think we still rock for guys -- fellas in their late 40s.

PAGE: That's true, we're still doing all right.

ROBERTSON: And we've got great legs. We've got great legs for a gal in her 40s.

SCHEERER: Well, I guess our audience will be the judge of that.

PAGE: The game is on us.

SCHEERER: Don Was produced the album, he's known for his work with Iggy Pop, Paul Westerberg, Rolling Stones.

ROBERTSON: Speaking of guys in their late 40s, let's talk about Don Was.

SCHEERER: What does he bring to the new album?

ROBERTSON: He was excellent. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, and he brings it in a really modest and creative way. He's -- he brings a great vibe and a good style.

PAGE: He's a real musician, but he doesn't try to trounce all over the people he's producing. He let's us be ourselves, while still having an ear open.

SCHEERER: We're running short on time, but I want to ask you a key question: There's one track on the album that ends with the F- word. There have been adult content in some of your other songs. This week, all the talk in Washington is, does the music industry, along with other parts of the entertainment business, market violence to children?

Do you guys have any thoughts on that?

ROBERTSON: Well, we tried to get the F-word in on this record, because we're going to support Farm Aid next weekend with Willy Nelson.

PAGE: We had to say farm on the record somewhere.

SCHEERER: Not that word, not that word, not the farm word.

ROBERTSON: Oh, not "farm?"

SCHEERER: Seriously, though, what about this issue?

PAGE: I think as a human being you have to take responsibility. I think, you know, ours is said in jest and it's certainly not -- there's no sense of promoting violence.

A lot our songs on this record are about taking responsibility in your own life and the lives around you; and I think that's a big thing for us. It's not about you role as a role model, I don't think that's what artists need to be, but I think artists need to be decent human beings.

SCHEERER: All right, let's hear some decent music from the new Barenaked Ladies album; how about "Pinch Me"? All right?

PAGE: All right.

SCHEERER: Take it away.

(MUSIC)

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