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CNN Larry King Live

Encore Presentation: Interview with Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, Snoop Dogg

Aired February 12, 2005 - 21:00   ET

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

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Tonight, "American Idol's" Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul, the real stars of the TV phenomena. Taking your phone calls.

And then, Rap superstar Snoop Dogg. Always controversial, he survived gang wars and a murder trial. And now, his first interview about being accused or rape by a woman who has hit him with a multimillion dollar lawsuit. It's all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

"American Idol" is now in its fourth year on FOX. They said it wouldn't last.

We welcome its host, Ryan Seacrest, who also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, "American Top 40," as well as "On the Air with Ryan Seacrest" on KISS-FM in Los Angeles. E! Online named him one of the 20 young guns under 30 who hold the future of Hollywood in their hands.

And Paula Abdul, judge on "American Idol," recording artist has sold more than 30 albums, and winner of a Grammy, Emmy and MTV award.

Did you think this would go four years?

RYAN SEACREST, "AMERICAN IDOL": You won all of those? That's great, sorry. That's the first time I've heard all of those.

PAULA ABDUL, "AMERICAN IDOL": Over 40 million.

SEACREST: Wow.

KING: Forty million.

SEACREST: Put that down on the card.

KING: We got it wrong.

ABDUL: I have two Emmys.

KING: And two Emmys -- changing as we talk. Wait a minute. You just won another.

SEACREST: We had no idea it would be this big. And I think that we had no idea it would still be this big, wouldn't you say, especially the fourth time around?

KING: What were your expectations?

ABDUL: Well, I must say, this fourth season, in the auditions, I was phoning home saying, "This feels magical." And I was also telling everyone back home that it feels like this is the first season.

KING: Why?

ABDUL: There is something magical. And I think maybe because Fantasia Barrino won, that she woke up uber-talented people, who felt that, if people embraced her unique talent, maybe I should audition, too.

KING: This is basically a talent contest. Now, radio has had this for years. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout.

SEACREST: Right.

KING: We've always had this.

SEACREST: Look for talent, make a record, we'll play it.

KING: If you win, you're on.

SEACREST: Right.

KING: So why now? Why this?

SEACREST: I think it's a sum of all parts. I believe that this show -- it doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it has a very compelling component. And that is the people, America as a country, as a nation, can invest in each of these contestants and they decide.

I also think that this panel of judges, I mean, when you watch the panel of judges, and you see a contestant perform in front of them, you're always on the edge of your seat wondering what they're going to say and wondering how that contestant is going to handle the criticism. So I do think that the contestants are not only judged on their song but also how they handle the adversity of competition.

KING: And the diverseness of the fact that you could like someone the audience doesn't like, right?

ABDUL: Absolutely.

KING: And they'll resonate in votes. The people you like doesn't always win.

SEACREST: People take pride in who they, I think, invest in early on in the season.

KING: Let's see some of the changes this year. We raised the age limit to 28. Why?

SEACREST: Twenty-eight years old changes the competition a little bit. I believe, from a perspective of a contestant, it makes it more difficult. I think it makes it more challenging. I think that these contestants who are older have been through more life experience.

ABDUL: Absolutely. If they're singing about heartbreak, one of the things...

SEACREST: They've lived it.

ABDUL: They've lived it. I mean, it is -- they feel that, at 28, if I don't make it in my career now, really, that is a certain age that, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: It's do or die at that point, right?

ABDUL: And if they're singing about heartbreak, they've actually had heartbreak.

KING: What was it before, 25?

SEACREST: Twenty-four.

KING: Now another change. You've divided the guys and girls. Guys and girls are separated for the semi-finals. Men and women sing separately with six female and six male finalists. Why?

SEACREST: Paula wanted it that way. She's very demanding this time around.

KING: One call from Paula...

SEACREST: And she says, "Or I'm walking out."

ABDUL: The producers decided.

KING: The suits?

SEACREST: The suits decided to do this.

ABDUL: I think that this is a very good change that the producers made. All these changes have been made to make the television viewer have a better time getting to know each of these contestants. It's going to be harder for the television viewer to say goodbye to these contestants. It's not going to be easy.

KING: This is like a reality show, in that sense?

SEACREST: It is the ultimate reality of making it in pop music and making it very quickly. These contestants who compete -- it's a bit of culture shock. Because many of them have never been to Hollywood before. Then they're thrown into this machine.

And there are no breaks. Every single day they are working. And every single day they have to compete.

KING: And 24 now semi-finalists instead of 32. Why?

SEACREST: Twenty-four instead of thirty-two?

ABDUL: Felt that that was a fair number to be able to get -- 24 would be good for the audience, the television viewing audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.

SEACREST: Exactly, to get to know their story.

KING: Do you think, Ryan, they're voting talent or personality, because I like that guy?

SEACREST: I think both. I think it's a combination of it all. I think it is a combination of the personality. I think it's how they come across to the audience. I think, if they sell themselves as a genuine person, I think that goes into it. And I think obviously a lot of it is heavily weighted in the talent. But I think it's big equation.

ABDUL: And it's a great equal mix this time. It's unique talent this time.

SEACREST: And you know what? What I've noticed with these contestants who are older, they're not as careful in front of the cameras. In years past, the younger contestants have really been aware of the camera and being careful...

ABDUL: Well, they've been very pageant-oriented.

SEACREST: They've been pageant-oriented, and almost like politicians to a degree. Whereas these older contestants tell us how it is. And they will say to you, look, I don't care about you. I just want to win the competition.

KING: Do you feel pressure?

ABDUL: Do I feel pressure? No.

KING: When you're judging these people, you got to be honest?

ABDUL: I feel that it is my job to make sure that these kids who are talented get every chance that they can and not to be passed over, that this is life or death for them.

KING: What do you make of William Hung who butchered a Ricky Martin song and got a recording contract? Now, this is where that I go wrong.

SEACREST: "She Bangs" is the title of the song. And there's a dance that goes along with it, Larry, a little of this.

KING: Right. And why did he get a recording contract?

SEACREST: He was memorable.

ABDUL: That's America. That's America that fell in love with the innocence of a kid who just was honest, saying, "I did the best I could, and I had no formal training." SEACREST: I think people followed that story. He came across as so naive, and America wanted to follow him to see when he was going to pull off the mask, and say, OK, hey, the joke's on you. But there really was no end to that.

KING: By the way, I won "Faraway Idol" in "Shrek 3's" Idol contest. Simon judged me, but I won. The voters voted.

SEACREST: And what was it that he saw in you?

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: What did the judges see in you? The good singing voice, stage presence?

KING: I sang "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."

(LAUGHTER)

KING: I was good.

ABDUL: Did that just give you the itch to...

KING: It was my new chance. Oh, I'm going to be big in "Shrek 3." I think I get an opera.

Simon, he's sort of like Cosell, voted hated and loved at the same time. How big a part is he?

SEACREST: Huge. He's a major part of the show. He was a big part of it before it came over to the United States of America. I think that's the problem with our relationship with Simon, is that he's extremely aware of how important he is to the success of the program.

KING: Is he pompous and egotistical off the air?

SEACREST: Is he pompous? I think it's a mild term to use. Yes. He's arrogant, he's pompous, he believes that everything he says is right. He drives you crazy.

ABDUL: He drives me crazy.

SEACREST: He actually tries to get under your skin, but he, you know, he does know what he's doing. He does know what he's doing.

KING: He knows the business.

SEACREST: I think he knows the business well, yes. You?

KING: You don't think so?

ABDUL: No...

SEACREST: No, no. I have to actually set the stage. This has been a very interesting year and season. The two of you have gone at it more than I've ever seen you go at on the show. And it's real.

KING: That could be, maybe, an attraction?

ABDUL: Oh, no.

SEACREST: A physical attraction?

KING: Sometimes, come on, sometimes...

SEACREST: I remember that one night when I went to bed and you guys stayed up in the lobby of the hotel room when we were on the road.

ABDUL: Arguing. We were still arguing.

KING: Let me get break and we'll come right back...

SEACREST: It was still romantic, for arguing.

KING: Here they go. Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest, fourth season of "American Idol." Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're stuck in the middle, and the pain is thunder, I sent my baby girl to the doctor for nothing but a fever for nothing (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the podiatrist in the street said she had a break down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never felt before your touch, I never needed anyone to make me feel alive

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did anyone ever say to you that you sounded like a woman?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I get that a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your golden sun will shine for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel the sky tumbling down. I feel my heart start trembling. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

SIMON COWELL, "AMERICAN IDOL": Honestly? One of the worst I've ever heard in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The worst?

COWELL: Yes, honestly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you just saying that to get on my nerves, or are you totally serious? Because something tells me that I think you're saying it to annoy me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: A little bit of a "Gong Show" here, too?

SEACREST: A bit. That one was a little scary.

KING: Did he call you, Simon, today on the radio...

SEACREST: He did, yes.

KING: ... saying that, what, you called him fat?

SEACREST: I didn't call him fat. I said I read a report recently that he thinks he looks a little chunky on this season's show. And he agreed and said that he was going to stop eating cake.

ABDUL: Oh, really?

SEACREST: Yes, I did have a conversation with him a couple of times recently on the radio about that, the fact that he has this really wet pit sweat on the show that just drives me crazy when he puts his hands up like this and talks to the contestants.

ABDUL: Oh, it's yucky.

KING: But he also revealed that you broke up with your girlfriend?

SEACREST: He revealed that?

KING: Simon did.

SEACREST: He did reveal that. He revealed that a couple of weeks ago.

KING: Did that bother you?

SEACREST: Well, I told him in confidence. We were talking about our relationships. And he's been in a very serious one for a long time. And I think they'll probably get engaged. But he...

KING: What's with you Paula. How are you doing in that department?

ABDUL: I'm part of that, too, I suppose, the threesome.

KING: Wait a minute.

SEACREST: I don't want to shift gears, but I got out of that one, so, Paula...

KING: So you are single again, like you're floating?

SEACREST: I'm single. I think floating is an appropriate term.

KING: Saturday night -- are you married or anything?

ABDUL: No, I'm single.

KING: You dating anyone special?

SEACREST: Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

ABDUL: That's right. I'm happily single.

SEACREST: Oh, happily. That's rejection.

KING: Who's married on the show?

SEACREST: Randy Jackson is married. Simon is soon to be married. I promise you I'm going to call in the day that he tells me so you can break the news.

KING: "Saturday Night Live" had fun with "American Idol" this past Saturday. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not serious, are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, come on, you're goofing on us, dawg.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not goofing on no one, Randy. I'm going to be a star.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Honey, you really think you can sing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know I can sing. Anybody knows I say so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, get yourself a new everybody you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL: That was funny.

KING: Do you appreciate that when they do it?

SEACREST: I love it. I think it's great. It's fun to watch.

KING: It's high compliment that they take you on, right?

ABDUL: Oh, yes.

KING: Now how long is this show entrenched for, "American Idol"?

SEACREST: I don't think we actually know the real answer to that.

KING: Is it renewed year-to-year?

SEACREST: I usually answer that question by saying everything in my mind in television is renewed year-to-year. There are no safe bets. You know, just when you think it's going to be picked up forever, and you can count on it for the rest of your life, it goes away.

KING: How did you get this job?

Abdul: Well, you know, I thought for sure that I got it from the U.K., because I was called from...

KING: It started in the U.K.

ABDUL: It started in the U.K. And I was called from my attorneys, saying that there was a producer from the U.K. saying that they wanted to talk to you regarding -- I needed to give over licensing and mechanical -- just to give up -- saying, yes, I would give away the ability to let these kids sing, lip sync, and also then to sing, actually, songs that I recorded. And especially one that I wrote for Kylie Minogue.

And a lot of kids in the U.K. were singing this Kylie Minogue song. And one of the producers called me up, named Claire (ph), and she said, "Listen, when we get to that final ten, we would like for you to come over and work with the top ten." And she said this show's huge. The queen clears her calendar. And I said, I'm really interested. She goes, oh, and it's really great, because the whole U.K., they vote. And it's wonderful.

And we have these really mean nasty guys that sandwich each other. And they just insult these kids. And I went, "This is horrible." And I didn't know much about it. She goes, "Probably there will be a bidding war in America." And, almost seven months later, I got a call to come in and meet FOX and Free Mantle (ph) and the rest is history.

KING: And the rest is history. Clay Aiken didn't win, but he's been the most popular winner so far, right, the non-winner?

SEACREST: The most popular, yes, runner-up. Why? Love affair with this guy. He came across -- I think you asked the question earlier about how people assess, judge the contestants. He was a guy that people liked in terms of personality. He was a guy that carried himself well. He had likeability and a fantastic voice.

KING: So he had all of it.

SEACREST: He had all of it. And there was a niche, there was a void in the marketplace.

ABDUL: For that kind of marketplace, for that kind of singing.

KING: And how is Fantasia doing? She won last year, right?

ABDUL: Fantasia is actively promoting her new record.

KING: She has a new CD.

ABDUL: And, you know, she is so loved by so many. She has so many fans out there, so everyone wants to get her out there and see her out there.

KING: Let's take some calls for Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest.

Clark Summit, Pennsylvania, hello?

CALLER: Hi. First of all, I'd like to tell Paula that it was dream come true meeting you in Washington, D.C., this past summer. And I was wondering if you were going to be touring with your new CD?

ABDUL: You know what...

SEACREST: What's the story with the new CD? What new CD?

ABDUL: This came about when Randy mentioned that we were going to collaborate together...

SEACREST: Back at the studio.

ABDUL: Which we are. We're collaborating on several projects together, and, provided, you know, that there's time in between the next "American Idol." When that's all said and done, if I decide to tour, I definitely would come to Washington, D.C. We'll see.

KING: Is "American Idol" now take preference in your life?

ABDUL: It's like taken over my whole life.

KING: Really?

ABDUL: In an odd sense, it has pretty much taken me sort of out of my recording and out of my choreography. However, I have managed to slip in some choreography jobs. And I've been writing songs for other artists now.

KING: If you could go back, be a youngster, would you enter this?

ABDUL: Consensus amongst every recording artist I know, heck no. Who wants to audition in front of Simon Cowell?

KING: No one wants to be embarrassed.

ABDUL: I don't think Simon -- Simon would not want to audition in front of Simon.

KING: How much of Simon is a shtick?

ABDUL: None.

KING: None is a shtick?

ABDUL: None.

SEACREST: Well, it's an interesting question.

ABDUL: None. SEACREST: None of it's a shtick?

ABDUL: You just said on your radio station...

SEACREST: This morning?

ABDUL: ... how rude he is in public.

SEACREST: Yes. He's rude in public. But let's be totally honest with Mr. King.

ABDUL: He can be charming.

SEACREST: Yes. He can also be charming. But he does say things to make a sound bite. He does say things to get a ride.

ABDUL: He's a walking sound bite.

KING: That means shtick. If you can say, if you hear, like, there are certain disc jockeys, or wild guys in America, if you hear them doing wild things, you know that, driving to work, they said, "What am I going to do today to rise them up?" That's shtick.

SEACREST: I think he knows how to articulate something that people are entertained by and still be true to the message he's trying to send the contestant.

ABDUL: That is absolutely true.

KING: All right. So he's aware of himself?

SEACREST: He's aware. Very aware of himself.

KING: We'll be right back with more on this fourth season of "American Idol." More phone calls, don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: The other night, last week, Groundhog Day, and Jay Leno had a little fun at Ryan's expense. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, NBC "TONIGHT SHOW": Hey, Kev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, Jay?

LENO: What's the difference between Punxsutawney Phil and Ryan Seacrest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, what's that?

LENO: Phil came out this morning. See, that's the difference.

Oh, we tease the Ryan Seacrest. We love Ryan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: How do you react to stuff like that?

SEACREST: I think that's funny.

KING: Where did that start?

SEACREST: Where did it start? Perhaps it started because I put a chemical in my hair at one point in time. And, you know, people seem to think that if you highlight your hair in some way it means, perhaps, that you are gay, or if you like to put on a nice shirt and go shopping for new shoes, perhaps the stereotype is that you lean more...

ABDUL: Or Botox.

SEACREST: I don't Botox. I've never Botoxed.

ABDUL: Tanning bed.

SEACREST: I've gone to a tanning bed.

KING: What is that other term, metrosomething?

SEACREST: Metrosexual.

KING: Are you metrosexual?

SEACREST: Oh, for sure. Proud of it. I think you are, too. I'm looking at the tie and the shirt. Again, Larry, this is a couple of times I've been here, and you've got the metro look kicking high.

KING: I'm a Jewish guy.

SEACREST: Well, you can still be a metrosexual.

KING: I'm a Jewish metrosexual.

SEACREST: You are a Jewish metrosexual, yes.

KING: Is it true you dated Teri Hatcher this weekend?

SEACREST: That is not true.

KING: My spies tell me you did.

SEACREST: I did not date Teri Hatcher this weekend.

KING: Where did that come from?

SEACREST: I don't know where that came from.

ABDUL: That's good.

SEACREST: I have these polar rumors.

KING: You're supposed to say maybe.

SEACREST: Oh, OK, sorry. Ask me again. Ask me again.

KING: Here's where you...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Did you date Teri Hatcher this weekend?

SEACREST: Terri is a very talented and beautiful young lady on a fantastic television show, and I'm very proud of her, and don't want to say anything.

ABDUL: "That's all I'm going to say."

SEACREST: Well, I screwed that up.

KING: OK. Charlotte, North Carolina, hello.

CALLER: Yes, yes. Hi, Larry. This is Alfea (ph). It's great to see Ryan and Paula. I'm big fans of the show. I love it.

ABDUL: Great.

KING: What's the question?

CALLER: Yes, sir. I'm 32. And I wanted to know if they were going to, maybe in the future, raise the age anymore?

SEACREST: A very common question. It's a very common question. If it were up to you, what would you do? It's not my decision.

ABDUL: I think they should. I think it would be great. I think it would be great if there were no age limit. I think there should be...

KING: Sixty-five-year-olds.

ABDUL: Yes.

KING: Why can't you have talent there?

ABDUL: Absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

ABDUL: There are many talented people.

KING: Wakefield, Massachusetts, hello?

CALLER: Hi, Larry. I wanted to know. Can I marry Simon? Because I think he's so hunky. And I don't know why Paula -- why she isn't crazy about him.

SEACREST: Oh, wow.

KING: Is there any attraction? Can you find any attraction?

ABDUL: It's love-hate relationship.

KING: There is love then?

ABDUL: There is love there. And then there's times when I can't even stomach him.

KING: Would you date him?

ABDUL: No, because I'd have to face him after the date.

SEACREST: There was hesitation. That means a little hope. There was hesitation. That indicates a bit of hope.

ABDUL: You don't have to sit next to him. That's all I have to say.

SEACREST: Yes, but, I mean, think of your worst nightmare, and never waking up from that. That would be the rest of your life married to this man. And it would all be about him and not you. At Valentine's Day, it would be a celebration of him.

KING: That's right. He would say things to you, like, "Enough about me. Let's talk about you. What do you think of me?"

ABDUL: I would always think he was cheating on me with himself.

KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Anyway, we'll be back with a few more minutes with the group, and then we'll discuss that incredible case in South Carolina. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEACREST: Let's see what's out there in San Francisco.

(voice-over): As the wannabes warmed up, we wondered if they had come to the right audition. We found trombone players and some people looking for more than "American Idol" audition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, America, you're watching "American Idol" on Fox. My name is David Corbel (ph) and I'm auditioning for "American Idol" here and I'm also auditioning to take Ryan Seacrest's job.

SEACREST (voice-over): For some reason I don't feel too threatened by that guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That ain't bad.

SEACREST: He's pretty good that's why I had to say that on the track. KING: Millersburg, Ohio. Hello.

CALLER: Hello. First of all I'd like to say to Paula, I'm a huge fan and I love the show. And my question is do you know if there is going to be auditions in Cleveland this summer?

KING: Do you sing?

CALLER: Yes, I do.

KING: Give us a couple of lines.

SEACREST: You sound like a rapper. You sure you sing?

CALLER: Yes, I'm not a rapper.

SEACREST: OK. All right.

KING: Do a couple of lines.

ABDUL: Larry, listen to you.

CALLER: OK, sing?

KING: Go ahead.

CALLER: When I first saw you I already knew that there was something inside of you...

KING: I like her.

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: Let's go to our judges. Larry King, what do you think?

KING: I liked her a lot...

SEACREST: What did she have?

KING: She had talent, she had grace, she had performance level. And I liked the tone of your voice.

SEACREST: Larry would like to offer you a job singing at his home for dinner each and every night for the next month.

KING: You're going to Cleveland? When do you...

SEACREST: We don't make those decisions. We're going to get through the season first then we make decisions about next year.

KING: La Palma, California, hello.

CALLER: Hi. My question is for Ryan. I know you say you haven't gone in for the Botox shots. But I want to find out if it's true that you enjoyed the buttocks injection? SEACREST: Yes. I haven't heard that one, but not a lot of experience in that area.

KING: By the way, someone called in and said, now, this was just was someone, that they saw you with Teri Hatcher.

SEACREST: You're driving me -- you're just driving this.

KING: I'm just reporting...

SEACREST: Larry.

KING: Ryan.

SEACREST: It's not a bad rumor. It would be a dream come true, wouldn't it?

KING: Why not?

ABDUL: Look at you.

SEACREST: It would be a dream come true.

KING: Maybe she's watching. Maybe she would like you.

SEACREST: Well, give me some advice if I were in a relationship or entering into a new one. For example, what are you doing for Shawn this Valentine's Day? What should I do for her?

(CROSSTALK)

KING: We go to dinner. And I get her a nice gift and I have two boys so they have to get her a gift, you know, it's a boy-girl...

SEACREST: They have to or they feel obligated to or they want to?

KING: They already told me what they want to get.

SEACREST: What?

KING: I can't tell you on the air.

ABDUL: You can't blow it on television.

KING: OK, last call. Akron, Ohio. Hello.

Akron, are you there?

CALLER: Yes, hello.

KING: Speak.

CALLER: I was wondering. I kind of have two questions. What is the youngest you've ever had and would you consider lowering the age limit? ABDUL: The youngest is 16 years old.

KING: What was the second part?

CALLER: And would you ever consider lowering the age limit?

KING: Lowering the age limit.

ABDUL: I think sixteen's the youngest it's going to be.

KING: By the way, I know anyone can show up for audition, clarinet players, right? Must you be a singer to be on "American Idol?"

SEACREST: To be on, to make it, yes. To show up, no. It's an open call. If you think you're...

KING: What if you had a guy come in with a clarinet, he came in front of you and he plays like Kenny G. What do you say to him?

SEACREST: We say that you're fantastic.

ABDUL: We say you play like Kenny G. Maybe we'll direct him to...

SEACREST: The right person who can help.

ABDUL: The right person who can help.

SEACREST: But that's not what this show does. This show's looking for a pop singer.

KING: Got to be a singer to make it.

ABDUL: Maybe hire him for the band when we have a band.

KING: Great seeing both of you as always. Continued good luck.

ABDUL: Great seeing you, too.

SEACREST: Thank you. Good to see you.

KING: May it last many moons. Give our best to Teri.

Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest. "American Idol" in its fourth season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Let's get you up to date on the Snoop Dogg story. Late last month, a female makeup artist filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against rapper Snoop Dogg, the ABC Network, the Walt Disney Company and the "Jimmy Kimmel Show." The woman alleges that on January 31, 2003, over two years ago, she was drugged and raped backstage at "The Kimmel Show" by Snoop Dogg and four associates.

We'll get into all of this. We thank him for making his exclusive appearance with us to discuss it.

What was your reaction to this? What to your knowledge happened that night, Snoop?

SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: Well, actually, I was kind of shocked when I heard of the information, Larry, because this was a woman that I had gave a job to do the makeup on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show." And when she originally made the police report, my name had nothing do with it, I was never there. Through payments or what not through certain companies like Disney and myself, with my lawyers advising me to pay her, it was supposed to go away because it was all extortion as far as I was concerned.

And then the last couple of months, she threatened to go to the "Enquirer" and all of these news stands to say that I had something to do with it and make up allegations. So, I said, you know what, I'm tired of this. I'm going to sue her. And I'm putting this out to let people know that she's trying to extort me. Because I had nothing to do with it. And don't know nothing.

KING: Well, let's go back. You hired her to do makeup. Were you hosting a show that week?

SNOOP DOGG: Yes, I was hosting for first week on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" when it first opened. I believe it was 2 years ago.

KING: Did you know the woman?

SNOOP DOGG: No, I didn't. I had met her that same week.

KING: When the original charges were made that four associates, and you weren't involved, what did you think of those charges?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, my suggestion to her was go to the police and have the police do an investigation, because I felt like rape is a serious charge. And, you know, it should really be handled the right way. Like I said, if it is rape, you need to really go to the police and see what's up. But her intentions weren't to criminally convict somebody, it was to get paid financially off of me or Disney. Disney stopped paying. So the next in line was me.

KING: Did you talk to the associates that she alleged raped her? Were they your associates, people that work for you?

SNOOP DOGG: No, I haven't talked to anyone who she accused of doing this to.

KING: Who are these people?

SNOOP DOGG: I have no idea. I know that my name is not on the police report. And that's what I'm here to talk about, me individually. She said Snoop Dogg raped her. So, I'm just here to show you that Snoop Dogg didn't.

KING: So she has never filed a police report regarding you?

SNOOP DOGG: Nope. No police report regarding me, Calvin Broadus, Snoop Dogg, anything relevant to me.

KING: So the only thing you have been hit with is a lawsuit, not a criminal charge?

SNOOP DOGG: Exactly. This is straight extortion.

And what is so crazy, Larry, this type of stuff happens all the time to entertainers where someone makes a false accusation and lawyer tells them just pay them and it all go away. And me personally, I was going along with it for first year and a half, because I thought would go away. Then I said, you know what, I'm not going to pay nobody no $100,000 check for me to clear my name up over rape. I would rather go court and fight it in the court of law and prove that I was innocent. And show that she was trying to extort me. So this type of act will never happen again.

KING: Why, Snoop, were you going to give her $100,000? Why give her anything if you weren't named? You weren't even involved?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, actually, I never wanted to give her anything to begin with. But my attorneys advised me to pay her this certain amount of money monthly, because she was having problems with her medical bills and just all kind of excuses that they were making up to pay her because they felt it was a nuisance and would all go away.

So I agreed with them, because I was doing so much work. But then after a while, I said I'm innocent. Why am I paying her? I need to be suing her like she trying to sue me.

KING: Do you think entertainers do this a lot, pay off people, just not to be nuisanced?

SNOOP DOGG: Definitely, it happens a lot of times to a lot of my friends. I know of a lot of cases where it happens you pay somebody off to keep your name going, because it becomes a bigger situation in the court of law when you have to really try to fight the fact that somebody is extorting you.

But me personally, rape is not my nature. I feel very compassionate towards any woman that has been raped. I have a mother, a daughter and a wife and rape is a serious allegation. That's why I'm here tonight with you to let you know that that is not in my nature and I cannot believe that I've been accused of this financially, but not criminally.

KING: This program, Snoop, has invited the accuser and her attorney to be guests on the show. They are considering the invitation. The woman's attorney, we're not naming her, but her attorney Perry Walter was interviewed by CNN earlier this week.

We have some excerpts from the conversation. He talked about the other defendants in the clients lawsuit and why they also should share blame for what was done to her. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PERRY WALKER, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM: The media seems to be focusing a lot on Snoop Dogg. And his involvement in this is -- we have alleged he's one of the perpetrators. But one of the other perpetrators are the corporate defendants in this case. ABC, Disney, "The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show" in my opinion, metaphorically raped my client as much as the perpetrators. They provided alcohol for the guests. They provided alcohol for the hosts. They provided alcohol, even, for the audience. They created an atmosphere of partying in order to attract a younger audience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Walt Disney, ABC and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" respond. They say there is simply no merit to the charges against the company.

Was alcohol being -- were you consuming alcohol while on the air that night, Snoop?

SNOOP DOGG: Me personally, I don't really drink alcohol. So I can't say what other people was doing. But I know personally me, I don't going to down with alcohol like that. So, I would have to say no for myself.

KING: Do you think in your heart something happened to that girl that night?

SNOOP DOGG: In my heart, I don't know if something happened to that girl that night, because, you now, like I said, she immediately started asking me for money instead of asking to go to court. And like I said, any woman that I know that has been raped, their first mindstate is, I need to go find the guy that raped me, get them off of the streets, and get them away from me so they did not do that to me or any woman again.

They don't automatically say I need to get some money from you. It is the other way around. You go for the criminal side first and then you ask for the money second.

KING: What is your memory of that night when the show ended? Do you remember what you did? Where you went? Did you remember seeing her?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, actually, every night after "The Jimmy Kimmel Show," I proceeded to jump in my vehicle with my PR guy, Richey Abbott, my hairstylist Queen Bee. And we rolled back to the house and go do what we do in the studio. You know, because I had another day to go back to do that. It was a five day show.

KING: So, you didn't go in to have your makeup taken off. You didn't go back -- you didn't see her after the show. You were out of there?

SNOOP DOGG: Yes. I never went to have my makeup taken off. I was more or less, once she put it on, I go home and take a shower and take it off like that. KING: So, when she initially made the charges, you were there to help figuring -- did you believe her initially when she didn't name you?

SNOOP DOGG: I believed her. And my suggestion to her was go to the police. Because if you have been raped, your first state of mind is go to the police to find the perpetrators to take them off the streets. And that's what I was -- under the assumption that she was going to the law.

But now I'm reading into the paper and seeing on TV that Snoop Dogg raped her. And my name is not in the police report. So that just throws me off. That's why I'm here taking a stand, because I refuse to be another entertainer that just writes a check on a false allegation. And this allegation is not like, you know a car accident or something that -- of that nature, this is rape. And don't stand for that. I'm not with that. That's why I'm here to defend myself and let you all know I don't get down like that.

KING: We'll be right back with Snoop Dogg on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Snoop Dogg. So you're telling us that you've never had a relation of any kind with this woman?

SNOOP DOGG: No. And I was willing to take a DNA test, a lie detector test, all of that. But she was not with me doing neither one of them. So like I said, that's a serious allegation, rape. So the first thing you do when you say you're raped, you go find a guy who you said that raped you, you get a DNA test on him, and you find all the evidence and you take him to court and you prosecute him. None of that has ever happened with me. This has happened two years ago. Why now is it coming out in the media?

And I'm going to tell you why it is coming out in the media. Because Disney refused to keep paying her, and I told myself that I'm not going to pay her. I would rather go to court and show that she's trying to extort me. And that's what time it is right now.

KING: Was Disney paying her?

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, they paid her off a little bit, you know what I'm saying, because they felt like it was a nuisance and it would go away sooner or later. But then I guess she got some new attorneys that just felt like they could get a lot of money from me. You know what I'm saying? I've got a lot of money, true indeed, but I'm not going to give it to you for something that I didn't do.

KING: Now you filed an extortion lawsuit against her. Where does that stand?

SNOOP DOGG: I filed an extortion lawsuit. It's actually a motion right now. And we got a deposition set up in a couple of weeks for her to come do a deposition and tell her side of the story, so that way we can get it all documented and we'll roll from there. Like I said, even in America, as a celebrity, you're innocent until proven guilty, and that's what I am, I'm innocent until proven guilty. And actually I haven't even been charged, so I don't even know what these statements are even about.

KING: Her lawyer, Perry Wander, was asked his reaction to the extortion complaint that you filed. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY WANDER, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM: The lawsuit that was filed in my legal opinion is a total abuse of process. That lawsuit doesn't even name anybody in the lawsuit. And Snoop Dogg, if he really felt and his attorneys really felt that he was a victim of blackmail and extortion, they should have filed a police report, but they didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Why didn't you file an extortion report?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, what we did was we did file one. We had Jane Doe. I had respect for her. I didn't want to put her name out there like that, you know what I'm saying? Because I felt like, you know, she had been raped if that's what she says she had been done, you know, I'm going to keep that name in discreet right now. But then after a while, we started to think, and me and my attorneys said, why is she coming down on me like this all of a sudden? We need to go back and show people that this is a lie. And like I said, in a court of law, it will all come out. It should be criminal first, civil second. Not civil first, criminal second. That's what I was taught, you know what I'm saying?

KING: What has this done to you personally? Relationship with other people, children?

SNOOP DOGG: Nothing with the children. You know, I coach football and I have a Snoop Youth Football League, Snooper Bowl game out here in Jacksonville tomorrow. And everything is going beautiful. And that's what I love the most, is out there coaching the kids and being a part of their lives. Their parents don't even have no insight on this right now. They know that this is not even my nature. They support me. They're down with me. And they're just waiting on the truth to come out.

KING: Oh, yeah, that game tomorrow, you have the Snoop's Youth All-Star football game, the Snoop Bowl, right? The Snooper Bowl.

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, the Snooper Bowl. Snooper Bowl, Larry, Snooper Bowl. Not the Super Bowl, but the Snooper Bowl.

KING: Now, you have done some sometimes sexually explicit videos, haven't you?

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, I've done it in my past. KING: Do you think this puts you -- do you think this puts you more open to this kind of thing, where the public might tend to believe it?

SNOOP DOGG: I think it makes me a target. But the public and the people in general that know Snoop Dogg and follow me and support me know that that's not my nature. So that's why, you know, we go at it with such diligence as far as putting an extortion lawsuit on her, instead of just sitting back, waiting on the police to try to come and arrest me, which they won't, which they haven't, and if they are, I believe it is a little bit too late. But I'm willing to go do whatever they want me to do -- DNA, lie detector, all that. I'm down to do that. Come get at me, policeman, so we can get this resolved.

KING: Has your ex-wife said anything?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, no. Me and my wife are still together. We filed for divorce, but we reconciled and we're living together...

KING: Oh, I didn't know that.

SNOOP DOGG: ... and enjoying ourselves. Yeah. She's out here with me right now. So Shante, if you're watching, I love you, baby.

KING: What has been her reaction to this?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, actually, she's the one that called me first and -- when she seen it on CNN, she was, like, baby, you ain't going to believe this BS I just seen on TV. You know what I'm saying? She talked to me about it, and she knew that, you know, I had nothing to do with it and she stands by my side.

KING: Do you think having a -- you had a criminal record once. Do you think that is going to affect you in this lawsuit?

SNOOP DOGG: I don't think so, because the criminal record that I have has nothing to do with rape. I've never been inclined to do rape, never been involved with anything that has nothing to do with rape. My criminal cases were completely separate. And just to let you know, Larry, my record has been expunged, it's closed. You know, I haven't committed a crime in over 10 years. So I've been doing the right thing lately.

KING: Would you say you've changed?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, I know I've changed. And that's one thing about life. Change is going to come. And that's where I'm at right now in my life. I'm about doing more right than wrong. I come from a background where, you know, crime is every day. You can see it everywhere you turn. But that doesn't mean it's still in me. It's around me. You know what I'm saying? But at the same time, I learned to walk my walk. I learned to be more positive, to be creative, to be innovative, to be a role model and to be a leader. And that's what I am.

KING: How has the public treated you since all of this? SNOOP DOGG: Well, it's still the red carpet treatment. They still love Snoop Dogg. Like I say, you're innocent until proven guilty, and that's one thing America stands by. I have not been handcuffed, I have not been charged, so that really makes America just really wanting to, you know, plea with me and side with me and understand the fact that this could be a real extortion case like I'm saying it is, because like I said, a lot of people don't understand that these types of events happen all the time with entertainers, and they're quick to write a check because their attorney says, hey, man, write the check, you don't want to blemish your name.

But me, personally, I don't care about blemishing my name. I'm with going to court and proving this lady wrong, and keeping my name clean the way I worked it to be out.

KING: You're saying tonight, then, you will pay no more money, there is no settlement involved, that's it, you want to go to court?

SNOOP DOGG: I want to go to court. I want them to come at me the way they come at real rapists. If somebody -- Ted Bundy was a rapist, right? I'm pretty sure they didn't get Ted Bundy and say, hey, Ted, we need to get $35 million out of you, and then we're going to try to prosecute you. They locked him up, and then they went after his money, if he had money. That's the proper way. That's the appropriate way. If you have a criminal act committed against you, you go to the law enforcement and you get that act handled. That didn't happen with me. My name was not named in none of the criminal acts that happened. I wasn't even in the building.

KING: Does it make you feel an affinity for, like, Kobe Bryant or other celebrities charged with things?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, definitely. Definitely, Larry. And it is crazy because this game is designed to make us feel like that. But we have to know and understand that somebody has to take a stand and stand up and fight this. And not just write the check because an attorney says, write the check. Stand up and fight this. If you're innocent, go all the way to court. I'm innocent. I'm with going to court. I stand before one judge or 12 jurors, it don't matter. I'm innocent.

KING: Good luck, Snoop. Thanks.

SNOOP DOGG: Thank you for having me, Larry. And you all stay tuned for the Snoop Youth Football League taking over a city near you.

KING: Who are you picking in the Super Bowl?

SNOOP DOGG: I'm taking the Patriots. Willie McGinest, that's my homeboy, from Long Beach.

KING: Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah, that figures.

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, yeah, though.

KING: Thanks, Snoop.

SNOOP DOGG: Be cool, Larry.

KING: Snoop Dogg. You too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Thanks for joining us on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. We'll be back again tomorrow night with a very special show, great guests too. You will not want to miss it.

Stay tuned now for more news around the clock on your most trusted name in news, CNN.

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Aired February 12, 2005 - 21:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Tonight, "American Idol's" Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul, the real stars of the TV phenomena. Taking your phone calls.

And then, Rap superstar Snoop Dogg. Always controversial, he survived gang wars and a murder trial. And now, his first interview about being accused or rape by a woman who has hit him with a multimillion dollar lawsuit. It's all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

"American Idol" is now in its fourth year on FOX. They said it wouldn't last.

We welcome its host, Ryan Seacrest, who also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, "American Top 40," as well as "On the Air with Ryan Seacrest" on KISS-FM in Los Angeles. E! Online named him one of the 20 young guns under 30 who hold the future of Hollywood in their hands.

And Paula Abdul, judge on "American Idol," recording artist has sold more than 30 albums, and winner of a Grammy, Emmy and MTV award.

Did you think this would go four years?

RYAN SEACREST, "AMERICAN IDOL": You won all of those? That's great, sorry. That's the first time I've heard all of those.

PAULA ABDUL, "AMERICAN IDOL": Over 40 million.

SEACREST: Wow.

KING: Forty million.

SEACREST: Put that down on the card.

KING: We got it wrong.

ABDUL: I have two Emmys.

KING: And two Emmys -- changing as we talk. Wait a minute. You just won another.

SEACREST: We had no idea it would be this big. And I think that we had no idea it would still be this big, wouldn't you say, especially the fourth time around?

KING: What were your expectations?

ABDUL: Well, I must say, this fourth season, in the auditions, I was phoning home saying, "This feels magical." And I was also telling everyone back home that it feels like this is the first season.

KING: Why?

ABDUL: There is something magical. And I think maybe because Fantasia Barrino won, that she woke up uber-talented people, who felt that, if people embraced her unique talent, maybe I should audition, too.

KING: This is basically a talent contest. Now, radio has had this for years. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout.

SEACREST: Right.

KING: We've always had this.

SEACREST: Look for talent, make a record, we'll play it.

KING: If you win, you're on.

SEACREST: Right.

KING: So why now? Why this?

SEACREST: I think it's a sum of all parts. I believe that this show -- it doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it has a very compelling component. And that is the people, America as a country, as a nation, can invest in each of these contestants and they decide.

I also think that this panel of judges, I mean, when you watch the panel of judges, and you see a contestant perform in front of them, you're always on the edge of your seat wondering what they're going to say and wondering how that contestant is going to handle the criticism. So I do think that the contestants are not only judged on their song but also how they handle the adversity of competition.

KING: And the diverseness of the fact that you could like someone the audience doesn't like, right?

ABDUL: Absolutely.

KING: And they'll resonate in votes. The people you like doesn't always win.

SEACREST: People take pride in who they, I think, invest in early on in the season.

KING: Let's see some of the changes this year. We raised the age limit to 28. Why?

SEACREST: Twenty-eight years old changes the competition a little bit. I believe, from a perspective of a contestant, it makes it more difficult. I think it makes it more challenging. I think that these contestants who are older have been through more life experience.

ABDUL: Absolutely. If they're singing about heartbreak, one of the things...

SEACREST: They've lived it.

ABDUL: They've lived it. I mean, it is -- they feel that, at 28, if I don't make it in my career now, really, that is a certain age that, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: It's do or die at that point, right?

ABDUL: And if they're singing about heartbreak, they've actually had heartbreak.

KING: What was it before, 25?

SEACREST: Twenty-four.

KING: Now another change. You've divided the guys and girls. Guys and girls are separated for the semi-finals. Men and women sing separately with six female and six male finalists. Why?

SEACREST: Paula wanted it that way. She's very demanding this time around.

KING: One call from Paula...

SEACREST: And she says, "Or I'm walking out."

ABDUL: The producers decided.

KING: The suits?

SEACREST: The suits decided to do this.

ABDUL: I think that this is a very good change that the producers made. All these changes have been made to make the television viewer have a better time getting to know each of these contestants. It's going to be harder for the television viewer to say goodbye to these contestants. It's not going to be easy.

KING: This is like a reality show, in that sense?

SEACREST: It is the ultimate reality of making it in pop music and making it very quickly. These contestants who compete -- it's a bit of culture shock. Because many of them have never been to Hollywood before. Then they're thrown into this machine.

And there are no breaks. Every single day they are working. And every single day they have to compete.

KING: And 24 now semi-finalists instead of 32. Why?

SEACREST: Twenty-four instead of thirty-two?

ABDUL: Felt that that was a fair number to be able to get -- 24 would be good for the audience, the television viewing audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.

SEACREST: Exactly, to get to know their story.

KING: Do you think, Ryan, they're voting talent or personality, because I like that guy?

SEACREST: I think both. I think it's a combination of it all. I think it is a combination of the personality. I think it's how they come across to the audience. I think, if they sell themselves as a genuine person, I think that goes into it. And I think obviously a lot of it is heavily weighted in the talent. But I think it's big equation.

ABDUL: And it's a great equal mix this time. It's unique talent this time.

SEACREST: And you know what? What I've noticed with these contestants who are older, they're not as careful in front of the cameras. In years past, the younger contestants have really been aware of the camera and being careful...

ABDUL: Well, they've been very pageant-oriented.

SEACREST: They've been pageant-oriented, and almost like politicians to a degree. Whereas these older contestants tell us how it is. And they will say to you, look, I don't care about you. I just want to win the competition.

KING: Do you feel pressure?

ABDUL: Do I feel pressure? No.

KING: When you're judging these people, you got to be honest?

ABDUL: I feel that it is my job to make sure that these kids who are talented get every chance that they can and not to be passed over, that this is life or death for them.

KING: What do you make of William Hung who butchered a Ricky Martin song and got a recording contract? Now, this is where that I go wrong.

SEACREST: "She Bangs" is the title of the song. And there's a dance that goes along with it, Larry, a little of this.

KING: Right. And why did he get a recording contract?

SEACREST: He was memorable.

ABDUL: That's America. That's America that fell in love with the innocence of a kid who just was honest, saying, "I did the best I could, and I had no formal training." SEACREST: I think people followed that story. He came across as so naive, and America wanted to follow him to see when he was going to pull off the mask, and say, OK, hey, the joke's on you. But there really was no end to that.

KING: By the way, I won "Faraway Idol" in "Shrek 3's" Idol contest. Simon judged me, but I won. The voters voted.

SEACREST: And what was it that he saw in you?

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: What did the judges see in you? The good singing voice, stage presence?

KING: I sang "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."

(LAUGHTER)

KING: I was good.

ABDUL: Did that just give you the itch to...

KING: It was my new chance. Oh, I'm going to be big in "Shrek 3." I think I get an opera.

Simon, he's sort of like Cosell, voted hated and loved at the same time. How big a part is he?

SEACREST: Huge. He's a major part of the show. He was a big part of it before it came over to the United States of America. I think that's the problem with our relationship with Simon, is that he's extremely aware of how important he is to the success of the program.

KING: Is he pompous and egotistical off the air?

SEACREST: Is he pompous? I think it's a mild term to use. Yes. He's arrogant, he's pompous, he believes that everything he says is right. He drives you crazy.

ABDUL: He drives me crazy.

SEACREST: He actually tries to get under your skin, but he, you know, he does know what he's doing. He does know what he's doing.

KING: He knows the business.

SEACREST: I think he knows the business well, yes. You?

KING: You don't think so?

ABDUL: No...

SEACREST: No, no. I have to actually set the stage. This has been a very interesting year and season. The two of you have gone at it more than I've ever seen you go at on the show. And it's real.

KING: That could be, maybe, an attraction?

ABDUL: Oh, no.

SEACREST: A physical attraction?

KING: Sometimes, come on, sometimes...

SEACREST: I remember that one night when I went to bed and you guys stayed up in the lobby of the hotel room when we were on the road.

ABDUL: Arguing. We were still arguing.

KING: Let me get break and we'll come right back...

SEACREST: It was still romantic, for arguing.

KING: Here they go. Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest, fourth season of "American Idol." Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're stuck in the middle, and the pain is thunder, I sent my baby girl to the doctor for nothing but a fever for nothing (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the podiatrist in the street said she had a break down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never felt before your touch, I never needed anyone to make me feel alive

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did anyone ever say to you that you sounded like a woman?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I get that a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your golden sun will shine for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel the sky tumbling down. I feel my heart start trembling. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

SIMON COWELL, "AMERICAN IDOL": Honestly? One of the worst I've ever heard in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The worst?

COWELL: Yes, honestly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you just saying that to get on my nerves, or are you totally serious? Because something tells me that I think you're saying it to annoy me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: A little bit of a "Gong Show" here, too?

SEACREST: A bit. That one was a little scary.

KING: Did he call you, Simon, today on the radio...

SEACREST: He did, yes.

KING: ... saying that, what, you called him fat?

SEACREST: I didn't call him fat. I said I read a report recently that he thinks he looks a little chunky on this season's show. And he agreed and said that he was going to stop eating cake.

ABDUL: Oh, really?

SEACREST: Yes, I did have a conversation with him a couple of times recently on the radio about that, the fact that he has this really wet pit sweat on the show that just drives me crazy when he puts his hands up like this and talks to the contestants.

ABDUL: Oh, it's yucky.

KING: But he also revealed that you broke up with your girlfriend?

SEACREST: He revealed that?

KING: Simon did.

SEACREST: He did reveal that. He revealed that a couple of weeks ago.

KING: Did that bother you?

SEACREST: Well, I told him in confidence. We were talking about our relationships. And he's been in a very serious one for a long time. And I think they'll probably get engaged. But he...

KING: What's with you Paula. How are you doing in that department?

ABDUL: I'm part of that, too, I suppose, the threesome.

KING: Wait a minute.

SEACREST: I don't want to shift gears, but I got out of that one, so, Paula...

KING: So you are single again, like you're floating?

SEACREST: I'm single. I think floating is an appropriate term.

KING: Saturday night -- are you married or anything?

ABDUL: No, I'm single.

KING: You dating anyone special?

SEACREST: Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

ABDUL: That's right. I'm happily single.

SEACREST: Oh, happily. That's rejection.

KING: Who's married on the show?

SEACREST: Randy Jackson is married. Simon is soon to be married. I promise you I'm going to call in the day that he tells me so you can break the news.

KING: "Saturday Night Live" had fun with "American Idol" this past Saturday. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not serious, are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, come on, you're goofing on us, dawg.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not goofing on no one, Randy. I'm going to be a star.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Honey, you really think you can sing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know I can sing. Anybody knows I say so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, get yourself a new everybody you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL: That was funny.

KING: Do you appreciate that when they do it?

SEACREST: I love it. I think it's great. It's fun to watch.

KING: It's high compliment that they take you on, right?

ABDUL: Oh, yes.

KING: Now how long is this show entrenched for, "American Idol"?

SEACREST: I don't think we actually know the real answer to that.

KING: Is it renewed year-to-year?

SEACREST: I usually answer that question by saying everything in my mind in television is renewed year-to-year. There are no safe bets. You know, just when you think it's going to be picked up forever, and you can count on it for the rest of your life, it goes away.

KING: How did you get this job?

Abdul: Well, you know, I thought for sure that I got it from the U.K., because I was called from...

KING: It started in the U.K.

ABDUL: It started in the U.K. And I was called from my attorneys, saying that there was a producer from the U.K. saying that they wanted to talk to you regarding -- I needed to give over licensing and mechanical -- just to give up -- saying, yes, I would give away the ability to let these kids sing, lip sync, and also then to sing, actually, songs that I recorded. And especially one that I wrote for Kylie Minogue.

And a lot of kids in the U.K. were singing this Kylie Minogue song. And one of the producers called me up, named Claire (ph), and she said, "Listen, when we get to that final ten, we would like for you to come over and work with the top ten." And she said this show's huge. The queen clears her calendar. And I said, I'm really interested. She goes, oh, and it's really great, because the whole U.K., they vote. And it's wonderful.

And we have these really mean nasty guys that sandwich each other. And they just insult these kids. And I went, "This is horrible." And I didn't know much about it. She goes, "Probably there will be a bidding war in America." And, almost seven months later, I got a call to come in and meet FOX and Free Mantle (ph) and the rest is history.

KING: And the rest is history. Clay Aiken didn't win, but he's been the most popular winner so far, right, the non-winner?

SEACREST: The most popular, yes, runner-up. Why? Love affair with this guy. He came across -- I think you asked the question earlier about how people assess, judge the contestants. He was a guy that people liked in terms of personality. He was a guy that carried himself well. He had likeability and a fantastic voice.

KING: So he had all of it.

SEACREST: He had all of it. And there was a niche, there was a void in the marketplace.

ABDUL: For that kind of marketplace, for that kind of singing.

KING: And how is Fantasia doing? She won last year, right?

ABDUL: Fantasia is actively promoting her new record.

KING: She has a new CD.

ABDUL: And, you know, she is so loved by so many. She has so many fans out there, so everyone wants to get her out there and see her out there.

KING: Let's take some calls for Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest.

Clark Summit, Pennsylvania, hello?

CALLER: Hi. First of all, I'd like to tell Paula that it was dream come true meeting you in Washington, D.C., this past summer. And I was wondering if you were going to be touring with your new CD?

ABDUL: You know what...

SEACREST: What's the story with the new CD? What new CD?

ABDUL: This came about when Randy mentioned that we were going to collaborate together...

SEACREST: Back at the studio.

ABDUL: Which we are. We're collaborating on several projects together, and, provided, you know, that there's time in between the next "American Idol." When that's all said and done, if I decide to tour, I definitely would come to Washington, D.C. We'll see.

KING: Is "American Idol" now take preference in your life?

ABDUL: It's like taken over my whole life.

KING: Really?

ABDUL: In an odd sense, it has pretty much taken me sort of out of my recording and out of my choreography. However, I have managed to slip in some choreography jobs. And I've been writing songs for other artists now.

KING: If you could go back, be a youngster, would you enter this?

ABDUL: Consensus amongst every recording artist I know, heck no. Who wants to audition in front of Simon Cowell?

KING: No one wants to be embarrassed.

ABDUL: I don't think Simon -- Simon would not want to audition in front of Simon.

KING: How much of Simon is a shtick?

ABDUL: None.

KING: None is a shtick?

ABDUL: None.

SEACREST: Well, it's an interesting question.

ABDUL: None. SEACREST: None of it's a shtick?

ABDUL: You just said on your radio station...

SEACREST: This morning?

ABDUL: ... how rude he is in public.

SEACREST: Yes. He's rude in public. But let's be totally honest with Mr. King.

ABDUL: He can be charming.

SEACREST: Yes. He can also be charming. But he does say things to make a sound bite. He does say things to get a ride.

ABDUL: He's a walking sound bite.

KING: That means shtick. If you can say, if you hear, like, there are certain disc jockeys, or wild guys in America, if you hear them doing wild things, you know that, driving to work, they said, "What am I going to do today to rise them up?" That's shtick.

SEACREST: I think he knows how to articulate something that people are entertained by and still be true to the message he's trying to send the contestant.

ABDUL: That is absolutely true.

KING: All right. So he's aware of himself?

SEACREST: He's aware. Very aware of himself.

KING: We'll be right back with more on this fourth season of "American Idol." More phone calls, don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: The other night, last week, Groundhog Day, and Jay Leno had a little fun at Ryan's expense. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, NBC "TONIGHT SHOW": Hey, Kev.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, Jay?

LENO: What's the difference between Punxsutawney Phil and Ryan Seacrest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, what's that?

LENO: Phil came out this morning. See, that's the difference.

Oh, we tease the Ryan Seacrest. We love Ryan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: How do you react to stuff like that?

SEACREST: I think that's funny.

KING: Where did that start?

SEACREST: Where did it start? Perhaps it started because I put a chemical in my hair at one point in time. And, you know, people seem to think that if you highlight your hair in some way it means, perhaps, that you are gay, or if you like to put on a nice shirt and go shopping for new shoes, perhaps the stereotype is that you lean more...

ABDUL: Or Botox.

SEACREST: I don't Botox. I've never Botoxed.

ABDUL: Tanning bed.

SEACREST: I've gone to a tanning bed.

KING: What is that other term, metrosomething?

SEACREST: Metrosexual.

KING: Are you metrosexual?

SEACREST: Oh, for sure. Proud of it. I think you are, too. I'm looking at the tie and the shirt. Again, Larry, this is a couple of times I've been here, and you've got the metro look kicking high.

KING: I'm a Jewish guy.

SEACREST: Well, you can still be a metrosexual.

KING: I'm a Jewish metrosexual.

SEACREST: You are a Jewish metrosexual, yes.

KING: Is it true you dated Teri Hatcher this weekend?

SEACREST: That is not true.

KING: My spies tell me you did.

SEACREST: I did not date Teri Hatcher this weekend.

KING: Where did that come from?

SEACREST: I don't know where that came from.

ABDUL: That's good.

SEACREST: I have these polar rumors.

KING: You're supposed to say maybe.

SEACREST: Oh, OK, sorry. Ask me again. Ask me again.

KING: Here's where you...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Did you date Teri Hatcher this weekend?

SEACREST: Terri is a very talented and beautiful young lady on a fantastic television show, and I'm very proud of her, and don't want to say anything.

ABDUL: "That's all I'm going to say."

SEACREST: Well, I screwed that up.

KING: OK. Charlotte, North Carolina, hello.

CALLER: Yes, yes. Hi, Larry. This is Alfea (ph). It's great to see Ryan and Paula. I'm big fans of the show. I love it.

ABDUL: Great.

KING: What's the question?

CALLER: Yes, sir. I'm 32. And I wanted to know if they were going to, maybe in the future, raise the age anymore?

SEACREST: A very common question. It's a very common question. If it were up to you, what would you do? It's not my decision.

ABDUL: I think they should. I think it would be great. I think it would be great if there were no age limit. I think there should be...

KING: Sixty-five-year-olds.

ABDUL: Yes.

KING: Why can't you have talent there?

ABDUL: Absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

ABDUL: There are many talented people.

KING: Wakefield, Massachusetts, hello?

CALLER: Hi, Larry. I wanted to know. Can I marry Simon? Because I think he's so hunky. And I don't know why Paula -- why she isn't crazy about him.

SEACREST: Oh, wow.

KING: Is there any attraction? Can you find any attraction?

ABDUL: It's love-hate relationship.

KING: There is love then?

ABDUL: There is love there. And then there's times when I can't even stomach him.

KING: Would you date him?

ABDUL: No, because I'd have to face him after the date.

SEACREST: There was hesitation. That means a little hope. There was hesitation. That indicates a bit of hope.

ABDUL: You don't have to sit next to him. That's all I have to say.

SEACREST: Yes, but, I mean, think of your worst nightmare, and never waking up from that. That would be the rest of your life married to this man. And it would all be about him and not you. At Valentine's Day, it would be a celebration of him.

KING: That's right. He would say things to you, like, "Enough about me. Let's talk about you. What do you think of me?"

ABDUL: I would always think he was cheating on me with himself.

KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Anyway, we'll be back with a few more minutes with the group, and then we'll discuss that incredible case in South Carolina. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEACREST: Let's see what's out there in San Francisco.

(voice-over): As the wannabes warmed up, we wondered if they had come to the right audition. We found trombone players and some people looking for more than "American Idol" audition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, America, you're watching "American Idol" on Fox. My name is David Corbel (ph) and I'm auditioning for "American Idol" here and I'm also auditioning to take Ryan Seacrest's job.

SEACREST (voice-over): For some reason I don't feel too threatened by that guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That ain't bad.

SEACREST: He's pretty good that's why I had to say that on the track. KING: Millersburg, Ohio. Hello.

CALLER: Hello. First of all I'd like to say to Paula, I'm a huge fan and I love the show. And my question is do you know if there is going to be auditions in Cleveland this summer?

KING: Do you sing?

CALLER: Yes, I do.

KING: Give us a couple of lines.

SEACREST: You sound like a rapper. You sure you sing?

CALLER: Yes, I'm not a rapper.

SEACREST: OK. All right.

KING: Do a couple of lines.

ABDUL: Larry, listen to you.

CALLER: OK, sing?

KING: Go ahead.

CALLER: When I first saw you I already knew that there was something inside of you...

KING: I like her.

(CROSSTALK)

SEACREST: Let's go to our judges. Larry King, what do you think?

KING: I liked her a lot...

SEACREST: What did she have?

KING: She had talent, she had grace, she had performance level. And I liked the tone of your voice.

SEACREST: Larry would like to offer you a job singing at his home for dinner each and every night for the next month.

KING: You're going to Cleveland? When do you...

SEACREST: We don't make those decisions. We're going to get through the season first then we make decisions about next year.

KING: La Palma, California, hello.

CALLER: Hi. My question is for Ryan. I know you say you haven't gone in for the Botox shots. But I want to find out if it's true that you enjoyed the buttocks injection? SEACREST: Yes. I haven't heard that one, but not a lot of experience in that area.

KING: By the way, someone called in and said, now, this was just was someone, that they saw you with Teri Hatcher.

SEACREST: You're driving me -- you're just driving this.

KING: I'm just reporting...

SEACREST: Larry.

KING: Ryan.

SEACREST: It's not a bad rumor. It would be a dream come true, wouldn't it?

KING: Why not?

ABDUL: Look at you.

SEACREST: It would be a dream come true.

KING: Maybe she's watching. Maybe she would like you.

SEACREST: Well, give me some advice if I were in a relationship or entering into a new one. For example, what are you doing for Shawn this Valentine's Day? What should I do for her?

(CROSSTALK)

KING: We go to dinner. And I get her a nice gift and I have two boys so they have to get her a gift, you know, it's a boy-girl...

SEACREST: They have to or they feel obligated to or they want to?

KING: They already told me what they want to get.

SEACREST: What?

KING: I can't tell you on the air.

ABDUL: You can't blow it on television.

KING: OK, last call. Akron, Ohio. Hello.

Akron, are you there?

CALLER: Yes, hello.

KING: Speak.

CALLER: I was wondering. I kind of have two questions. What is the youngest you've ever had and would you consider lowering the age limit? ABDUL: The youngest is 16 years old.

KING: What was the second part?

CALLER: And would you ever consider lowering the age limit?

KING: Lowering the age limit.

ABDUL: I think sixteen's the youngest it's going to be.

KING: By the way, I know anyone can show up for audition, clarinet players, right? Must you be a singer to be on "American Idol?"

SEACREST: To be on, to make it, yes. To show up, no. It's an open call. If you think you're...

KING: What if you had a guy come in with a clarinet, he came in front of you and he plays like Kenny G. What do you say to him?

SEACREST: We say that you're fantastic.

ABDUL: We say you play like Kenny G. Maybe we'll direct him to...

SEACREST: The right person who can help.

ABDUL: The right person who can help.

SEACREST: But that's not what this show does. This show's looking for a pop singer.

KING: Got to be a singer to make it.

ABDUL: Maybe hire him for the band when we have a band.

KING: Great seeing both of you as always. Continued good luck.

ABDUL: Great seeing you, too.

SEACREST: Thank you. Good to see you.

KING: May it last many moons. Give our best to Teri.

Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest. "American Idol" in its fourth season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Let's get you up to date on the Snoop Dogg story. Late last month, a female makeup artist filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against rapper Snoop Dogg, the ABC Network, the Walt Disney Company and the "Jimmy Kimmel Show." The woman alleges that on January 31, 2003, over two years ago, she was drugged and raped backstage at "The Kimmel Show" by Snoop Dogg and four associates.

We'll get into all of this. We thank him for making his exclusive appearance with us to discuss it.

What was your reaction to this? What to your knowledge happened that night, Snoop?

SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: Well, actually, I was kind of shocked when I heard of the information, Larry, because this was a woman that I had gave a job to do the makeup on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show." And when she originally made the police report, my name had nothing do with it, I was never there. Through payments or what not through certain companies like Disney and myself, with my lawyers advising me to pay her, it was supposed to go away because it was all extortion as far as I was concerned.

And then the last couple of months, she threatened to go to the "Enquirer" and all of these news stands to say that I had something to do with it and make up allegations. So, I said, you know what, I'm tired of this. I'm going to sue her. And I'm putting this out to let people know that she's trying to extort me. Because I had nothing to do with it. And don't know nothing.

KING: Well, let's go back. You hired her to do makeup. Were you hosting a show that week?

SNOOP DOGG: Yes, I was hosting for first week on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" when it first opened. I believe it was 2 years ago.

KING: Did you know the woman?

SNOOP DOGG: No, I didn't. I had met her that same week.

KING: When the original charges were made that four associates, and you weren't involved, what did you think of those charges?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, my suggestion to her was go to the police and have the police do an investigation, because I felt like rape is a serious charge. And, you know, it should really be handled the right way. Like I said, if it is rape, you need to really go to the police and see what's up. But her intentions weren't to criminally convict somebody, it was to get paid financially off of me or Disney. Disney stopped paying. So the next in line was me.

KING: Did you talk to the associates that she alleged raped her? Were they your associates, people that work for you?

SNOOP DOGG: No, I haven't talked to anyone who she accused of doing this to.

KING: Who are these people?

SNOOP DOGG: I have no idea. I know that my name is not on the police report. And that's what I'm here to talk about, me individually. She said Snoop Dogg raped her. So, I'm just here to show you that Snoop Dogg didn't.

KING: So she has never filed a police report regarding you?

SNOOP DOGG: Nope. No police report regarding me, Calvin Broadus, Snoop Dogg, anything relevant to me.

KING: So the only thing you have been hit with is a lawsuit, not a criminal charge?

SNOOP DOGG: Exactly. This is straight extortion.

And what is so crazy, Larry, this type of stuff happens all the time to entertainers where someone makes a false accusation and lawyer tells them just pay them and it all go away. And me personally, I was going along with it for first year and a half, because I thought would go away. Then I said, you know what, I'm not going to pay nobody no $100,000 check for me to clear my name up over rape. I would rather go court and fight it in the court of law and prove that I was innocent. And show that she was trying to extort me. So this type of act will never happen again.

KING: Why, Snoop, were you going to give her $100,000? Why give her anything if you weren't named? You weren't even involved?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, actually, I never wanted to give her anything to begin with. But my attorneys advised me to pay her this certain amount of money monthly, because she was having problems with her medical bills and just all kind of excuses that they were making up to pay her because they felt it was a nuisance and would all go away.

So I agreed with them, because I was doing so much work. But then after a while, I said I'm innocent. Why am I paying her? I need to be suing her like she trying to sue me.

KING: Do you think entertainers do this a lot, pay off people, just not to be nuisanced?

SNOOP DOGG: Definitely, it happens a lot of times to a lot of my friends. I know of a lot of cases where it happens you pay somebody off to keep your name going, because it becomes a bigger situation in the court of law when you have to really try to fight the fact that somebody is extorting you.

But me personally, rape is not my nature. I feel very compassionate towards any woman that has been raped. I have a mother, a daughter and a wife and rape is a serious allegation. That's why I'm here tonight with you to let you know that that is not in my nature and I cannot believe that I've been accused of this financially, but not criminally.

KING: This program, Snoop, has invited the accuser and her attorney to be guests on the show. They are considering the invitation. The woman's attorney, we're not naming her, but her attorney Perry Walter was interviewed by CNN earlier this week.

We have some excerpts from the conversation. He talked about the other defendants in the clients lawsuit and why they also should share blame for what was done to her. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PERRY WALKER, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM: The media seems to be focusing a lot on Snoop Dogg. And his involvement in this is -- we have alleged he's one of the perpetrators. But one of the other perpetrators are the corporate defendants in this case. ABC, Disney, "The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show" in my opinion, metaphorically raped my client as much as the perpetrators. They provided alcohol for the guests. They provided alcohol for the hosts. They provided alcohol, even, for the audience. They created an atmosphere of partying in order to attract a younger audience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Walt Disney, ABC and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" respond. They say there is simply no merit to the charges against the company.

Was alcohol being -- were you consuming alcohol while on the air that night, Snoop?

SNOOP DOGG: Me personally, I don't really drink alcohol. So I can't say what other people was doing. But I know personally me, I don't going to down with alcohol like that. So, I would have to say no for myself.

KING: Do you think in your heart something happened to that girl that night?

SNOOP DOGG: In my heart, I don't know if something happened to that girl that night, because, you now, like I said, she immediately started asking me for money instead of asking to go to court. And like I said, any woman that I know that has been raped, their first mindstate is, I need to go find the guy that raped me, get them off of the streets, and get them away from me so they did not do that to me or any woman again.

They don't automatically say I need to get some money from you. It is the other way around. You go for the criminal side first and then you ask for the money second.

KING: What is your memory of that night when the show ended? Do you remember what you did? Where you went? Did you remember seeing her?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, actually, every night after "The Jimmy Kimmel Show," I proceeded to jump in my vehicle with my PR guy, Richey Abbott, my hairstylist Queen Bee. And we rolled back to the house and go do what we do in the studio. You know, because I had another day to go back to do that. It was a five day show.

KING: So, you didn't go in to have your makeup taken off. You didn't go back -- you didn't see her after the show. You were out of there?

SNOOP DOGG: Yes. I never went to have my makeup taken off. I was more or less, once she put it on, I go home and take a shower and take it off like that. KING: So, when she initially made the charges, you were there to help figuring -- did you believe her initially when she didn't name you?

SNOOP DOGG: I believed her. And my suggestion to her was go to the police. Because if you have been raped, your first state of mind is go to the police to find the perpetrators to take them off the streets. And that's what I was -- under the assumption that she was going to the law.

But now I'm reading into the paper and seeing on TV that Snoop Dogg raped her. And my name is not in the police report. So that just throws me off. That's why I'm here taking a stand, because I refuse to be another entertainer that just writes a check on a false allegation. And this allegation is not like, you know a car accident or something that -- of that nature, this is rape. And don't stand for that. I'm not with that. That's why I'm here to defend myself and let you all know I don't get down like that.

KING: We'll be right back with Snoop Dogg on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with Snoop Dogg. So you're telling us that you've never had a relation of any kind with this woman?

SNOOP DOGG: No. And I was willing to take a DNA test, a lie detector test, all of that. But she was not with me doing neither one of them. So like I said, that's a serious allegation, rape. So the first thing you do when you say you're raped, you go find a guy who you said that raped you, you get a DNA test on him, and you find all the evidence and you take him to court and you prosecute him. None of that has ever happened with me. This has happened two years ago. Why now is it coming out in the media?

And I'm going to tell you why it is coming out in the media. Because Disney refused to keep paying her, and I told myself that I'm not going to pay her. I would rather go to court and show that she's trying to extort me. And that's what time it is right now.

KING: Was Disney paying her?

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, they paid her off a little bit, you know what I'm saying, because they felt like it was a nuisance and it would go away sooner or later. But then I guess she got some new attorneys that just felt like they could get a lot of money from me. You know what I'm saying? I've got a lot of money, true indeed, but I'm not going to give it to you for something that I didn't do.

KING: Now you filed an extortion lawsuit against her. Where does that stand?

SNOOP DOGG: I filed an extortion lawsuit. It's actually a motion right now. And we got a deposition set up in a couple of weeks for her to come do a deposition and tell her side of the story, so that way we can get it all documented and we'll roll from there. Like I said, even in America, as a celebrity, you're innocent until proven guilty, and that's what I am, I'm innocent until proven guilty. And actually I haven't even been charged, so I don't even know what these statements are even about.

KING: Her lawyer, Perry Wander, was asked his reaction to the extortion complaint that you filed. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY WANDER, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM: The lawsuit that was filed in my legal opinion is a total abuse of process. That lawsuit doesn't even name anybody in the lawsuit. And Snoop Dogg, if he really felt and his attorneys really felt that he was a victim of blackmail and extortion, they should have filed a police report, but they didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Why didn't you file an extortion report?

SNOOP DOGG: Well, what we did was we did file one. We had Jane Doe. I had respect for her. I didn't want to put her name out there like that, you know what I'm saying? Because I felt like, you know, she had been raped if that's what she says she had been done, you know, I'm going to keep that name in discreet right now. But then after a while, we started to think, and me and my attorneys said, why is she coming down on me like this all of a sudden? We need to go back and show people that this is a lie. And like I said, in a court of law, it will all come out. It should be criminal first, civil second. Not civil first, criminal second. That's what I was taught, you know what I'm saying?

KING: What has this done to you personally? Relationship with other people, children?

SNOOP DOGG: Nothing with the children. You know, I coach football and I have a Snoop Youth Football League, Snooper Bowl game out here in Jacksonville tomorrow. And everything is going beautiful. And that's what I love the most, is out there coaching the kids and being a part of their lives. Their parents don't even have no insight on this right now. They know that this is not even my nature. They support me. They're down with me. And they're just waiting on the truth to come out.

KING: Oh, yeah, that game tomorrow, you have the Snoop's Youth All-Star football game, the Snoop Bowl, right? The Snooper Bowl.

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, the Snooper Bowl. Snooper Bowl, Larry, Snooper Bowl. Not the Super Bowl, but the Snooper Bowl.

KING: Now, you have done some sometimes sexually explicit videos, haven't you?

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, I've done it in my past. KING: Do you think this puts you -- do you think this puts you more open to this kind of thing, where the public might tend to believe it?

SNOOP DOGG: I think it makes me a target. But the public and the people in general that know Snoop Dogg and follow me and support me know that that's not my nature. So that's why, you know, we go at it with such diligence as far as putting an extortion lawsuit on her, instead of just sitting back, waiting on the police to try to come and arrest me, which they won't, which they haven't, and if they are, I believe it is a little bit too late. But I'm willing to go do whatever they want me to do -- DNA, lie detector, all that. I'm down to do that. Come get at me, policeman, so we can get this resolved.

KING: Has your ex-wife said anything?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, no. Me and my wife are still together. We filed for divorce, but we reconciled and we're living together...

KING: Oh, I didn't know that.

SNOOP DOGG: ... and enjoying ourselves. Yeah. She's out here with me right now. So Shante, if you're watching, I love you, baby.

KING: What has been her reaction to this?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, actually, she's the one that called me first and -- when she seen it on CNN, she was, like, baby, you ain't going to believe this BS I just seen on TV. You know what I'm saying? She talked to me about it, and she knew that, you know, I had nothing to do with it and she stands by my side.

KING: Do you think having a -- you had a criminal record once. Do you think that is going to affect you in this lawsuit?

SNOOP DOGG: I don't think so, because the criminal record that I have has nothing to do with rape. I've never been inclined to do rape, never been involved with anything that has nothing to do with rape. My criminal cases were completely separate. And just to let you know, Larry, my record has been expunged, it's closed. You know, I haven't committed a crime in over 10 years. So I've been doing the right thing lately.

KING: Would you say you've changed?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, I know I've changed. And that's one thing about life. Change is going to come. And that's where I'm at right now in my life. I'm about doing more right than wrong. I come from a background where, you know, crime is every day. You can see it everywhere you turn. But that doesn't mean it's still in me. It's around me. You know what I'm saying? But at the same time, I learned to walk my walk. I learned to be more positive, to be creative, to be innovative, to be a role model and to be a leader. And that's what I am.

KING: How has the public treated you since all of this? SNOOP DOGG: Well, it's still the red carpet treatment. They still love Snoop Dogg. Like I say, you're innocent until proven guilty, and that's one thing America stands by. I have not been handcuffed, I have not been charged, so that really makes America just really wanting to, you know, plea with me and side with me and understand the fact that this could be a real extortion case like I'm saying it is, because like I said, a lot of people don't understand that these types of events happen all the time with entertainers, and they're quick to write a check because their attorney says, hey, man, write the check, you don't want to blemish your name.

But me, personally, I don't care about blemishing my name. I'm with going to court and proving this lady wrong, and keeping my name clean the way I worked it to be out.

KING: You're saying tonight, then, you will pay no more money, there is no settlement involved, that's it, you want to go to court?

SNOOP DOGG: I want to go to court. I want them to come at me the way they come at real rapists. If somebody -- Ted Bundy was a rapist, right? I'm pretty sure they didn't get Ted Bundy and say, hey, Ted, we need to get $35 million out of you, and then we're going to try to prosecute you. They locked him up, and then they went after his money, if he had money. That's the proper way. That's the appropriate way. If you have a criminal act committed against you, you go to the law enforcement and you get that act handled. That didn't happen with me. My name was not named in none of the criminal acts that happened. I wasn't even in the building.

KING: Does it make you feel an affinity for, like, Kobe Bryant or other celebrities charged with things?

SNOOP DOGG: Oh, definitely. Definitely, Larry. And it is crazy because this game is designed to make us feel like that. But we have to know and understand that somebody has to take a stand and stand up and fight this. And not just write the check because an attorney says, write the check. Stand up and fight this. If you're innocent, go all the way to court. I'm innocent. I'm with going to court. I stand before one judge or 12 jurors, it don't matter. I'm innocent.

KING: Good luck, Snoop. Thanks.

SNOOP DOGG: Thank you for having me, Larry. And you all stay tuned for the Snoop Youth Football League taking over a city near you.

KING: Who are you picking in the Super Bowl?

SNOOP DOGG: I'm taking the Patriots. Willie McGinest, that's my homeboy, from Long Beach.

KING: Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah, that figures.

SNOOP DOGG: Yeah, yeah, though.

KING: Thanks, Snoop.

SNOOP DOGG: Be cool, Larry.

KING: Snoop Dogg. You too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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