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Showbiz Tonight

Martha Stewart Leaves Prison; Jury Finds Mel Gibson Stalker Guilty

Aired March 04, 2005 - 19:00   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.


A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Making over Martha.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: And Anna Nicole`s "Uh-oh!" I`m Karyn Bryant.

HAMMER: And I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

BRYANT: Home sweet home Tonight, Martha`s back, but what about her image? We`re on Martha makeover patrol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Oftentimes, beauty just doesn`t do it. You`re fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Beauty bounced. She had the looks, but didn`t do it for the Donald. Live tonight, the latest "Apprentice" castoff.

BRYANT: Dan ducks. Letterman dishes it out, as Rather plays the artful dodger.

HAMMER: Tonight, another wardrobe malfunction. It`s Anna Nicole this time. We`ll show you what she did.

BRYANT: Plus, Puerto Rico. Usher heads south for a live concert tomorrow, but we`re with him tonight behind the scenes!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHER, "CONFESSIONS": (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this is Usher. Listen, if it happened today, it most certainly is on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Hi. I`m Karyn Bryant, and you are at the top of the show.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. We are live with you from Headline Prime studios in New York for the next hour.

BRYANT: Tonight, it`s Martha mania. Martha Stewart`s back at home, but is she ready to be back in business?

HAMMER: The Martha media machine started cranking today as Martha Stewart said good-bye to prison and hello to her new life. And of course, that had everybody talking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`ll be very nice to her today, but the day she goes back on the air, the claws come out (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER (voice-over): This morning, the women of "The "View were getting ready for Martha Stewart`s return to TV. They weren`t the only ones. Stewart was back home at her New York estate this morning, just hours after her post-midnight release from a West Virginia federal prison. She served five months in the big house for lying to investigators about a stock sale. But she`s at her house. And first up this morning, some Martha hospitality. She offered breakfast to reporters shivering outside the mansion.

MARTHA STEWART: Do you all want some coffee and donuts and stuff?

HAMMER: She`ll be confined to this 153-acre, $16 million estate until August. It won`t be easy for Martha to regain her media dominance. This afternoon, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went to the expert, New York PR exec Sean Cassidy, to find out what Martha needs to do to rehabilitate her image.

SEAN CASSIDY, DAN KLORES COMMUNICATIONS: What I would not advise her to do would be to over-discuss this, you know, to make this -- you know, this is obviously part of who she is, we know that, she knows that, but she just needs to go back to business as usual.

HAMMER: Martha is ready to get going, with a little help from her friends.

TRUMP: She`s a friend of mine for a long time.

HAMMER: Donald Trump and the other producers of "The Apprentice" have tapped Martha to do her own version of the hit reality show next season. Trump told me about it when I caught up with him at an "Apprentice" casting call in New York City.

(on camera): So in effect, you`re Martha`s boss.

TRUMP: Well, I don`t like to think of it that way. But you know, Mark and I are doing a real job with "The Apprentice," and it`s become so successful, and we thought it was time for a spin-off.

HAMMER (voice-over): And as we found out when we took our cameras outside, you`ll find no shortage of Martha fans wanting to be her apprentice on the show.

PAULETTE ROBINSON, WOULD-BE APPRENTICE: But I really more than anything admire how she`s held her head high and been consistent in her appearance and in her -- you know, just -- just in how she carries herself.

HAMMER: Martha is also going to revive her daily homemaking show, which was dropped last September, a month before she began her sentence. And she`s going to print. She`ll resume her column in her company`s magazine, "Martha Stewart Living," which has been struggling since her legal troubles began. The new CEO of Martha`s media empire says the company has no plans to downplay Martha`s name.

SUSAN LYNE, CEO, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: She`s a huge talent, and we`re going to make use of that in every possible way we can.

HAMMER: Stewart`s legal troubles aren`t over. She`s still appealing her sentence, the SEC is still after her, and her company is still losing money But Martha Stewart was at the top before, and with her return to the limelight and an all-out effort to remodel her image, she could be again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The amount of media watching Martha`s every move is pretty impressive, crews and photographers everywhere, CNN correspondent Allan Chernoff among them. He`s been outside her home in Bedford, New York, all day -- Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., it was a media feeding frenzy, the paparazzi trying to get a picture of Martha Stewart from the front of the house, even overhead. Local television stations took turns flying their helicopters over the house. And on this road up and down, the various news organizations have their live trucks. We`re about a half mile away from Martha Stewart`s house. The police would not permit anybody to park their live trucks right in front of the house.

So a real feeding frenzy here, but at least Martha Stewart did oblige, popped out of the house a few times, even offered hot cocoa to the news media. A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: OK, Allan, thanks very much, Allan Chernoff with CNN, near Martha`s home in Bedford, New York. And word tonight that "Inside Edition" anchor Deborah Norville will do her own version of house arrest, not leaving the house all weekend and anchoring her show on Monday from her home.

BRYANT: Tonight, a man with a passion for stalking Mel Gibson is headed to prison. There was a verdict today in the Gibson stalker trial. Let`s get right to "Celebrity Justice" correspondent Dan Simon, who is live in Burbank, California. Dan, tell us what happened in the courtroom today.

DAN SIMON, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Well, Karyn, 34-year-old Zack Sinclair was found guilty of stalking Mel Gibson. The verdict -- it took about two hours for the jury to find Sinclair guilty. Not much reaction from Sinclair. He`s been stoic throughout the entire time this process has been going on. He acted as his own lawyer. He had the opportunity to cross-examine Mel Gibson on the stand yesterday. The judge said, Do you have any questions? And Sinclair said no.

So now Sinclair has been found guilty, but no one expects Sinclair to do any real hard time in prison. Everyone seems to acknowledge that he has some psychiatric problems, and so he`s probably headed to a mental hospital, Karyn.

BRYANT: What happened when you spoke with one of the jurors?

SIMON: Well, the juror told me just that. He didn`t think that jail time would be appropriate. He understands that this is a young man who has some problems. You know, this particular individual was inspired by Mel Gibson`s film "The Passion of the Christ," and he`s a religious zealot. And once he saw the film, he wanted to contact Mel Gibson. He sent a series of letters -- threatening -- not really threatening letters, but bizarre, religious-themed letters, saying things like, God could have chosen someone to send to you, but he chose me. He also showed up repeatedly at Mel Gibson`s church and went to his Malibu mansion. So obviously, Gibson is relieved that -- for him and his family that this matter has come to an end.

BRYANT: Right. And is there any response from Mel, quickly, at all?

SIMON: No response from Mel Gibson yet, but of course, he was there yesterday in the courtroom and, you know, gave his candid answers.

BRYANT: OK. Well, Dan thank you very much. "Celebrity Justice`s" Dan Simon on the Mel Gibson (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Thanks.

HAMMER: Well, it`s time now for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," some of the stories that are making news in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Casting Cate -- we learned today that Nicholas Cage has signed on to star in the "Wicker Man." It`s a remake of the 1973 thriller about a sheriff investigating the disappearance of a young girl. "Variety" reports that production is set to start in July.

Alanis unplugged. It`s now been 10 years since Alanis Morissette`s "Jagged Little Pill" came out, packed with hit songs like "You Ought to Know," "Ironic" and "You Learn." It sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. So to mark the anniversary, Alanis announced today she`s putting out an acoustic version of the album in June.

We have more "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

BRYANT: Right now, Usher is getting all revved up to usher in one hot concert in Puerto Rico. He has won 11 Billboard Music Awards, three Grammys and four American Music Awards for his "Confessions" album. Tomorrow, he burns up the stage in a major concert for Showtime. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was with Usher as he got ready to rumble on stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Puerto Rico`s the place to be, especially if you`re an Usher fan. Usher gives his only televised concert of the year tomorrow live from San Juan. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s cameras were in San Juan and caught every moment of Usher`s rehearsal. He tells us that the show will come with some surprises.

USHER: Expect the unexpected. For the most part, you know, I`ll be performing songs that date back to my second album, but there will be a few special guests that have never performed with me on stage. And you bring the hottest show and the hottest place together, and you got magic, you got heat. It`s muy caliente (ph).

BRYANT: 2004 was really good to Usher. His fifth album, "Confessions," dominated the charts, spending 21 weeks at No. 1. "yes," "My Boo" and "Confessions" helped it go platinum eight times in the United States alone.

So from here, where?

USHER: The sky`s the limit. There`s so much. You know, as I said, I`m a businessman, so I`m constantly looking for those opportunities to better myself (UNINTELLIGIBLE) You know, hopefully, by 29, I will have solidified something, and maybe I`ll have some (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you know, all this hard work and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) good pay-off, you know?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Usher, by the way, is 25 years old. You`re listening to his brand-new song, called "Dot Com." We want to thank AOL music. They are the only ones to have it before it goes to radio. You can catch Usher`s concert tomorrow at 9:00 PM on Showtime.

HAMMER: Well, Karyn, Usher says yes, the Donald says no. And Just like that, she`s gone. Coming up, last night`s fired "Apprentice" contestant is on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT live.

BRYANT: And Dan`s stepping down, but Dave doesn`t let him down easily. We`ll tell you what Letterman asked him.

HAMMER: Now it`s time for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly`s" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which mid-`80s musical was written by the two male members of Abba, A, "Phantom of the Opera, B, "Assassins, C, "Chess, D, "Cats"?

We`re coming right back, and we`ll give you the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. So again, today`s "Entertainment Weekly" pop culture quiz. Which mid-`80s musical was written by the two male members of Abba? Is it A, "The Phantom of the Opera, B, "Assassins, C, "Chess, or D, "Cats." And the answer is C, "Chess"

HAMMER: That music can mean only one thing. It`s now 14 past the hour and time for the "SHOWBIZ Showdown." As we reported earlier, Martha Stewart is back home tonight after five months in prison. Tonight`s hot topic in the "Showdown": Can Martha make a big comeback? Joining us live, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contributor Julia Boorstin, who covers the entertainment industry for "Fortune" magazine. And Julia says, Yes, Martha will make a comeback. And joining us, as well, Christopher Byron, Wall Street columnist for "The New York Post" and author of "Martha, Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," who says, No, Martha won`t be making a comeback.

So Christopher, you`re first. Let`s start with her image. Can she possibly rebound?

CHRISTOPHER BYRON, WALL STREET COLUMNIST, "NY POST": This is going to be a really long jump for her. I mean, she`s a convicted felon, and she`s got to -- somehow, she`s got to turn that to a positive, give it a positive spin. That`s pretty good, if she can pull that one off. I think it`s going to be hard. It really is.

HAMMER: Julie, you think this can work.

JULIA BOORSTIN, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It absolutely can work. And you know what, Chris? She already has given it a positive spin. The fact that she volunteered to go to prison earlier than she had to -- her court -- her -- the trial is still under appeal, so she could have waited and actually not had to go to prison, if it had been appealed, but she decided to go in there, get it over with, to move on with her life. And she`s really admitting that she`s going to be a big person about this. She`s not going to be petty. She`s not going to be the snob that everybody perceived her to be before this whole thing went down. And I think she`s going to actually emerge from this a warmer, softer, more realistic and honest Martha.

BYRON: You know, I think anybody who has bet against Martha Stewart over her lifetime has, in the end, been wrong. So I wouldn`t say that`s impossible at all. The one thing that I would say, and I`m fairly confident about, is that it`s going to be next to impossible to transfer that success into the success of her business. And I don`t think that one is -- I don`t think that dog`s going to hunt.

BOORSTIN: But if you look for a minute at what some of the problems have been in the business, is that she`s trying to sell advertising and sell products to, basically, middle-aged women. And Martha has been a very intimidating person -- Her whole image, her perfect house. And I think people love redemption stories, and they love to see that Martha is human. I mean, even look at the whole Bill Clinton scandal. People kind of started to relate to him more when they realized that he was human and he made mistakes, too. And I think with Martha, people are going to like her more when they see that she microwaves chicken wings in prison and she isn`t just sitting around making potpourri balls.

BYRON: No, I`m not so sure...

BOORSTIN: She is a human person.

BYRON: ... that`s going to work.

HAMMER: Well, Chris, let me ask you -- let me ask you now about what everybody`s talking about, this Mark Burnett reality show.

BYRON: Sure.

HAMMER: Mark obviously believes in her. Donald Trump believes in her. And is this, as she might say, a good thing?

BYRON: Well, look, what -- the message of that show is very conflicted and unsettled at the moment. To create a new, softer side of Martha Stewart is clearly what this woman needs in order to rehabilitate her image. On the other hand, it`s by no means clear that that`s what viewers are hoping to see here.

HAMMER: That would just be boring?

BYRON: Well, less than boring. What they`re really expecting is a personality who can out-Donald Trump Donald Trump...

HAMMER: Right.

BYRON: ... and that`s not the message that`s going to sell this rehabilitated Martha Stewart at all.

HAMMER: Do you think the show`s going to help her out, Julia?

BOORSTIN: Well, one thing for sure is that Mark Burnett is a marketing genius. He really knows how to do these shows. And Mark Burnett knows that Martha Stewart and Donald Trump are two entirely different characters and personalities. And I think, more than anything, people are really curious to see what this new post-prison Martha Stewart`s going to be like. And I think people want to see if she takes some of the lessons she learned in prison from the other convicted felons and takes them to run the business.

But I think that, you know, she needs to come across as softer, but she also needs to come across as human. And I think her failure and prison and what she learned in prison is what makes her human.

HAMMER: Chris, bottom line it for me. Is there any chance her business will succeed?

BYRON: I see none, frankly. These things don`t come back from the dead. Donald Trump and Martha Stewart may be completely different people, but they have one thing in common, and that`s that they`re selling their name as the brand. You`ll find Donald Trump`s name on every building he owns. And because of that, she`s somehow got to reinvigorate the brand and sell that. And it didn`t work for Donald Trump. He had the ownership of that show. was in two episodes of "The Apprentice" in his own Taj Mahal thing in -- down there on the Jersey coast, and the company that he owns went bankrupt anyway.

BOORSTIN: But Donald Trump...

HAMMER: All right, get in there quick, Julia.

BOORSTIN: Donald Trump and Martha Stewart`s business are entirely different. Donald Trump is dealing in real state and casinos. Those are businesses that exist separate from his name and...

BYRON: No, they`re dealing in the same thing. It`s called brand messaging.

(CROSSTALK)

BOORSTIN: But it`s not because Martha Stewart is only selling her brand. She is selling products with her name on it that...

BYRON: What are you talking about?

BOORSTIN: ... are Martha Stewart products...

BYRON: ... food with a name on it!

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: OK, OK, guys...

BOORSTIN: She`s selling food and she`s selling her recipes...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Hate to do this, Julia. I`ve got to jump in, Chris...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Sorry, we`re going to have to end it there. The world will be watching. We`re all going to watch this unfold before our very eyes on television for years to come. Chris Byron, Wall Street columnist for "The New York Post" and author of "Martha, Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," thanks for joining us. And Julia Boorstin, of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contributor, and who report on the entertainment industry for "Fortune" magazine. Thanks to you both for joining us on the "SHOWBIZ Showdown."

And now we want to know what your thoughts are, so please listen to the "SHOWBIZ Showdown" question of the day carefully. Can Martha recover? It`s that simple. Let us know your thoughts on this by voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. If you got more to say, say it by e-mailing us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. More of what you had to say later in the show.

BRYANT: Anna Nicole Smith gave herself a makeover. Today she`s giving us -- well, you`re just going to have to stay here to see the red- hot video.

HAMMER: And we all know John Travolta is cool, but is "Be Cool" a must-see? We`ve got "People`s" "Picks and Pans" coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Beauty, the boardroom and the boot. Last night`s fired apprentice, Audrey, joins us live in about 10 minutes.

Well, today in the Michael Jackson case, the jurors saw footage of the teenage accuser and his family singing Michael`s praises in a tape made by the pop star`s camp two years ago. Several family members repeat similar phrases on the tape, which leads prosecutors to believe that the family was coached on what to say.

One famous potential witness is asking for changes in the gag order which bars any public discussion of the Michael Jackson case. Jay Leno has been subpoenaed. His lawyers are asking the judge not to subject him to that gag order so he can still make his jokes about the trial because as you can see, Jackson figures prominently into Leno`s nightly monologue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "TONIGHT" SHOW: Although he`s under a gag order also, Michael did answer one reporter`s question yesterday. Did you see that? Show that footage from the trial yesterday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael? Michael? How do you feel about missing the Boy Scout jamboree this weekend?

MICHAEL JACKSON: Angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: On Wednesday on the show, Leno spent 17 minutes joking about the trial.

BRYANT: Time now for "People" magazine`s movie "Picks and Pans." "Be Cool" and "The Jacket" are out in theaters today. Should you check them out this weekend? Well, joining us from "People" magazine is movie critic Leah Rozen with some help on the matter.

So I want to start with "Be Cool." This is the follow-up to "Get Shorty," which came out a number of years ago.

LEAH ROZEN, MOVIE CRITIC, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Almost a decade ago. "Get Shorty" was a great movie. "Be Cool" be disappointing.

BRYANT: Oh! How come?

ROZEN: Yes. I know. I`m really -- I mean, you wanted to like this one because the first one was so much fun. This one -- It`s a comedy, but the timing sort of -- it just falls flat. Everyone is huffin` and puffin`, and it`s going nowhere.

BRYANT: But it`s John Travolta, Uma Thurman. Danny DeVito`s in it again. And there`s a great John/Uma dance scene in this, is there not?

ROZEN: They dance again, and you go, Oh, yes, they`re trying to reprise that magic.

BRYANT: Right.

ROZEN: And you know, it feels like a rerun, sort of.

BRYANT: What about The Rock as the gay bodyguard?

ROZEN: Well, you know, he arches his eyebrow in true Rock fashion.

BRYANT: Yes.

ROZEN: And he`s working hard, and you go, Yes, he has possibilities. He can be more than just the scorpion.

BRYANT: Right. But?

ROZEN: But this is not the movie that makes him a massive, huge, Gee, that guy should get an Oscar.

BRYANT: OK. Well, talking of Oscars, Adrien Brody won an Oscar for Best Actor for "The Pianist," and now he`s in a movie called "The Jacket." What do you think of this one?

ROZEN: I think "The Jacket" is one of those movies like "Memento." It`s a "mess with your mind" kind of movie.

BRYANT: I loved "Memento."

ROZEN: Well, this is a minor "Memento." Not quite as good as "Memento"...

BRYANT: It`s a tchotchke or a souvenir, perhaps.

ROZEN: It`s sort of an interesting plot, where he`s a Gulf war veteran, he had a shot through the head. He`s an amnesiac. He ends up in an institute for the criminally insane, where experiments are performed on him...

BRYANT: OK...

ROZEN: ... that allow him to travel to the future. What`s really going on? The question with movies like this is always, Is the payoff at the end worth all the attention you have to go through paying? And I`m not sure it is here.

BRYANT: You`re not sure. So it`s time travel and creepy, scary mental hospital. Great actor, though.

ROZEN: Interesting film, not a great one.

BRYANT: OK. Well, there we have it. It`s Leah Rozen from "People." And of course, for more "Picks and Pans," you can check out this week`s "People" magazine at newsstands everywhere.

HAMMER: OK, I hope you`re ready for this. Tonight, another Kodak moment from Anna Nicole Smith. At the Australian MTV Music Awards last night, she gave new meaning to the term "down under" when she pulled the top of her dress down under her -- well, just roll the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA NICOLE SMITH: You know, the show has been kind of boring. I`ve been watching it on TV.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Standing alongside pro surfer Kelly Slater, Smith stayed on stage while the winners came up to receive their awards. Smith was barely covered by the strategically placed MTV logo sticker.

BRYANT: You know, that -- that`s class with a capital K, right there, A.J.

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: Our "Buzz Bench" almost fell off the bench when they saw that piece of video. We`re going to talk about that, Martha Stewart and more coming up.

HAMMER: And clowning around on "The Apprentice," but by the end, one contestant wasn`t smiling. We will have the latest fired apprentice live coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Tonight, anchor almost away. Rather gets set to step down, but not before Letterman has his say.

HAMMER: And a big babysitter. He`s been fast and furious, but can he handle a minivan? A SHOWBIZ sit-down with Vin Diesel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hiyo, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I`m Joey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I`m Lance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if it happened today...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s right.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Thirty 30 minutes past the hour now. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant.

Here are tonight`s hot headlines.

Gibson`s stalker guilty. In California, Zack Sinclair was found guilty today of stalking Mel Gibson. He faces up to 16 months in prison. Sinclair claimed he was on a mission from God to pray with the actor.

No place like home. Borrowing a line from "The Wizard of Oz," that`s what Martha Stewart says of her release from federal prison. Well, tonight, she`s back home in Bedford, New York, starting off her five months of house arrest. It`s been one year since she was convicted of lying to government investigators about selling stock.

But as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT told you a little earlier, repairing her image could take a lot of work. And that`s what we`ve been asking to vote on on tonight`s SHOWBIZ showdown question of the day. Can Martha recover? We`d like you to keep voting by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also send us more thoughts in your e-mails at showbiztonight@cnn.com, and we`ll share some of what you say at 55 past the hour.

BRYANT: As you know, Martha Stewart is getting her own version of "The Apprentice." We`re going to have to wait to see how she handles the firings. But, you know, Donald Trump is chugging right along. On last night`s show, sparks flew in the boardroom over the classic beauty versus brains debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE APPRENTICE")

TRUMP: You`re constantly blaming everybody on your team. You never take any responsibility yourself. You were the team leader, and nobody from your team respected you, not even your best friend. Nobody respected you. And he is right, you are a beautiful young woman, but oftentimes beauty just doesn`t do it. And in this case, Audrey, you`re fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Oh, so sad. Joining us now is Audrey Evans, the latest apprentice to hear those famous words.

Audrey, what are your thoughts on beauty in the boardroom? Do you find it to be a benefit or a burden?

AUDREY EVANS, "THE APPRENTICE": It has nothing to do with the boardroom. You know what I mean, it has nothing to with business. I`ve never, ever been in a situation where somebody says, I can`t do business with you because you`re too damn good-looking. No. You know, you just don`t see that.

BRYANT: But certainly people could argue that attractive women have an advantage in the business place.

EVANS: Well, statistically, they make more sales because they`re beautiful. More people want to do business with them. You know, and there`s nothing that`s a negative towards that.

And the, and the thing that was insulting was the fact that John`s comment was demeaningful.

BRYANT: It was (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

EVANS: It was, yes, and it was, like, you know, there`s one thing, you know, men can handle me, and boys don`t know what to do with me. Mr. Trump was very polite and complimentary towards saying that statement, that I`m beautiful. Well, thank you very much, I can take a compliment.

But when the man makes a statement, when a boy makes the statement, it`s just embarrassing, and it`s like, that`s insulting, thank you, though.

BRYANT: Well, speaking of boy, though, he did call you just a young girl. I mean, how much do you think your age has played a factor in playing the game of "The Apprentice"?

EVANS: It doesn`t play an issue unless you make it an issue. These men, these boys were out to get me from the beginning. You know, it was never street smarts versus book smarts. It was boys against the girls in the team.

BRYANT: But you`re 22, right?

EVANS: Yes, absolutely.

BRYANT: That is young. I mean, you know...

EVANS: Well, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), well, I earned my merit to be there, though. I earned my position there. Mr. Trump, and I have a lot of respect for Mr. Trump and Mark Burnett. And, you know, they both of them gave me an opportunity to be there, so I can`t complain about that, you know.

BRYANT: Right. Now, some people are saying, though, that it`s a bit of a cop-out to say, as the leader, that they failed in their individual task. I mean, the whole point is that you`re supposed to unite them and get them to complete their task.

EVANS: The mistake that I made was from the very beginning. They didn`t have my, you know, I didn`t have their respect from the beginning. And that`s my mistake. I should have just taken my hat out of the ring and said, They`re not going to respect me.

Well, I can be better utilized somewhere else, and I can keep working on something else. And realizing that is a huge, huge accomplishment, because it`s taught me so much. I, you know, again, it`s, like, I can`t win, but I can`t lose. You know, it`s just, what do you want from me, you know?

BRYANT: Sure.

EVANS: And I gave these guys responsibilities, and again, what I said in the boardroom was, you give people some responsibility, they should be able to do it, and it shows their true colors. You know, I don`t have to defend them. They -- it shows who they are.

BRYANT: But, you know, a great leader has to earn their respect and has to earn the trust. You know, people have to want to work hard for you, because it`s a two-way street, and they feel that they`re getting the support and things, so...

EVANS: Yes, but they don`t care to see somebody that`s young, that`s successful...

BRYANT: Well...

EVANS: ... and that happens to be good-looking to be capable and competent of leading them. They don`t want to do that. Why would they wanted me to lead them?

BRYANT: Well, true...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... it`s also a competition. I mean, the whole point of the show is to backstab, so, you know, it`s a tough call, it`s a tough call. But you know what? You know, people are going to debate this around the water cooler.

Audrey Evans, thanks for joining me...

EVANS: You`re welcome. Thank you.

BRYANT: ... and best of luck in your future endeavors.

EVANS: Thank you.

BRYANT: There you have it. The latest from "The Apprentice."

A.J.?

HAMMER: All right, Karyn, time now for more SHOWBIZ shorts.

Another apprentice, Omarosa, under fire again, yes, this apprentice castoff is being trash talked by Nikki McKibbin from "American Idol." She tells TV Guide Online that Omarosa is, quote, "a beauty pageant princess who`s got no actual talent." The two women were on a reality show edition of "Fear Factor."

Final farewell. Tonight is the last time Jerry Orbach will appear on "Law and Order: Trial by Jury." Orbach filmed two episodes before he died. The first one was the series premiere, which aired last night, and early figures show about 17 million people were watching.

BRYANT: Just days before giving up the anchor chair, Dan Rather spoke out for the first time about the CBS News memogate scandal. And he chose, of all places, David Letterman`s show to tell his side of the story. Four people at CBS News were either fired or asked to resign over a controversial "60 Minutes" report questioning President Bush`s service in the National Guard. CBS chief Les Moonves made the call to let them go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN," CBS)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: Do you agree with his decisions for the dismissals?

DAN RATHER, ANCHOR, CBS NEWS: Whether I agree with it or not doesn`t matter. It was his decision to make, he made them, I respect that he had some tough choices to make. And that`s where I have to leave it.

LETTERMAN: In a situation like this, it was so public, right or wrong, left or right, people early on make up their minds about it. Such a high-profile story, and such a great journalistic institution. Should the president of CBS News have stepped down? Should have stepped forward and taken the bullet and stepped down?

RATHER: He`s on vacation right now. When he gets back, you can ask him.

Dave, this is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I feel. You know, it`s behind us. And we have to look forward. At some point, you know, you`ve had ups and downs in your career, you had criticisms. Sometimes you think it`s justified, sometimes not. But at a certain point you have to say, the committee, the panel has spoken, the corporate leadership has spoken, this is how it is, put a period. I take it with me, and let`s go forward into work.

That`s exactly how I feel about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Rather, whose last day in the anchor chair is next Wednesday, has said his decision to step down is not related to the scandal. He will continue reporting for the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes."

HAMMER: Well, Rather`s stepping down, while Ana Nicole Smith is dressing down. Why, oh, why, Ana? Our buzz bench wants to know, coming up.

BRYANT: And we also want to know, what does Vin Diesel think of having kids? He`ll tell us in the SHOWBIZ sitdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARA REID: Jean-Paul Gaultier, and my jewelry is Rosalina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: It is time now for tonight`s buzz bench. And tonight`s topics, Jay Leno, Martha Stewart, and Ana Nicole.

BRYANT: Joining us tonight on the buzz bench, the "New York Times" Lola Ogunnaike, CNN`s pop culture correspondent Toure, and SHOWBIZ tonight`s Amy Kean.

Amy, I want to talk to you first about Jay Leno. The gag order says that nobody is supposed to discuss the case at all. And he wants to be exempt from that so that he can still make jokes. He`s saying, I just won`t talk about anything I have firsthand knowledge of in the court, you know, in the courtroom. But on the whole, can I talk about it?

AMY KEAN, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Well, I think that`s fair, because, you know, as we all know, Jay Leno is being subpoenaed for the Jackson case, because apparently the mother of this little boy somehow tried to get money from Jay Leno. It`s sort of foggy. But without these jokes about Michael Jackson, he has no career. I mean, this is, like, what is he going to talk about?

BRYANT: Well, here`s the thing, wasn`t it...

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? I mean, Jay Leno without that M.J. jokes is like McDonald`s without the fries. He needs this to keep it going.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: But, I mean, if he can`t poke fun at this.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... what is the, what is the problem?

(CROSSTALK)

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, NEW YORK TIMES: ... the Blake jokes will run thin really quickly.

HAMMER: And as we said a little bit earlier, he spent 17 minutes on Jackson...

BRYANT: That`s a lot, that`s a lot of time.

HAMMER: ... and the trial.

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: But here`s the, here`s the thing. David Brenner, a comedian who used to sub for Johnny back in the day, said that actually Jay taking potshots at Michael is like shooting fish in a barrel, it`s almost that it`s that easy. And couldn`t you argue, that, you know, Jay, step up, get some new writers or get some other material? This is so easy.

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... that is current event, that is what you talk about. You do not ignore the Michael Jackson trial if you`re a comic.

KEAN: Right, I agree.

OGUNNAIKE: It`s material handed to you. That`s the whole point.

KEAN: He`ll get around it, no problem there.

BRYANT: But do you think he should be able to subvert the...

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: But I think, Mike, if anybody, the defense should really push for the gag order, because I think, in the court of public opinion, when Jay Leno tells these jokes, he convicts Michael every night.

TOURE: Right, right, right.

OGUNNAIKE: He drills...

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... opinion that he`s a pedophile...

KEAN: That`s true, that`s right.

TOURE: Right, right.

OGUNNAIKE: ... he`s a pedophile, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And he`s not been convicted yet, but those jokes...

TOURE: Most Americans...

OGUNNAIKE: ... all but convict him.

TOURE: ... already think that. To find 12 people who don`t, haven`t made up their mind about that...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... it`s pretty hard.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: Well, you think a lot differently...

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: ... I think Michael Jackson is, you know, a lunatic, and I think he`s crazy, but that doesn`t make you a pedophile.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... sleeping in the bed with children...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... hang on.

HAMMER: Guys, next topic, in fact...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: ... I`m going to introduce, I`m going to introduce this next topic...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: ... I`m going to pitch it to Toure, and I`m going to stand back. Martha Stewart.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: She`s so hip-hop right now. She did her time, with pride, chin up, doing her thing, and now she has all the moral integrity you get from going to jail...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, right.

TOURE: ... and doing it well. I`m happy for her.

OGUNNAIKE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so gangster right now.

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... I did five months, so what?

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: My favorite part of the whole thing is, if you go to Martha Stewart`s Web site, she has this statement prepared, and she has this beautiful picture of herself next to the statement. And she says, All the wonderful friends I`ve made, and this (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and she really tries to make you believe that it was her choice to go to jail.

TOURE: Well, it was her choice...

KEAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

TOURE: ... to go the way she went.

KEAN: Right, right. But she also says about these wonderful friends I made, I would love to see her face if any of those friends showed up at her door.

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: Yes, I mean, come on.

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: But she lost 20 pounds or something, right...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: I mean, she actually (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

OGUNNAIKE: She should write a book called "The Cellblock Diet." I`m serious.

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: Step one, get convicted of a white-collar crime. Step two, go to jail. Step three, give all your food to...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: I can`t wait.

OGUNNAIKE: ... prison inmates, and...

TOURE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of that show. That`s going to be fantastic.

KEAN: It`s going to be great.

HAMMER: I want to hear a little bit more from Lola about how she`s gangsta, though.

OGUNNAIKE: Look, she has street cred. The only thing she hasn`t done is been shot and survived being shot, but that`s it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other than that...

OGUNNAIKE: She (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

TOURE: That`s next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She should put out an album.

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: OK, OK...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: We got a nice shot of Ana Nicole, you saw earlier before. OK, Lola, help me on this one, girl, because what is going on? Ana Nicole says...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... she`s -- what`s going on with her?

OGUNNAIKE: That trimspa`s got her all crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, does it cook your brain or something?

OGUNNAIKE: I don`t know, it makes you, like, incredibly thin...

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... in a matter of months.

KEAN: ... it`s not a big, it`s not really a shocking new story, though. If somebody said that Ana Nicole Smith showed up sober and poised, I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: ... doesn`t surprise me at all. And then the fact that she had MTV (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... awards and stuff, but it`s just that, you know, she exposed herself there. And when she had given out that other award before to Kanye West, she was slurring, she was drunk. I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: But she lost the money that she was going to inherit from her dead husband.

OGUNNAIKE: Yes, she had to work it.

BRYANT: This girl needs help, obviously, right?

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: She making it, she`s making a living.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: You think (UNINTELLIGIBLE) be the class clown? That`s what she is...

KEAN: No, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

TOURE: ... she`s a big joke.

KEAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) clown, she`s a (UNINTELLIGIBLE). She would be like that anyway. I think that she`s, you know, she worked at Dairy Queen. She`s not, it`s not like she had really lofty ambitions before she became a star.

TOURE: Right, has no talent, right.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She does have talents, they`re called...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), by the way, can this officially be, can we institute the moratorium right now on the term "wardrobe malfunction" as of this moment?

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: No, no, no.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... on and on and on, I`m not going to push it, but it`s going to go on and on and on.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: It`s over, and the buzz bench is over. Thanks, guys, have a great weekend. Lola Ogunnaike from "The New York Times," CNN culture correspondent Toure, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Amy Kean.

BRYANT: Hey, Jay Leno, if you can`t make Michael Jackson jokes, Conan O`Brien will do it for you. And he does so in laughter dark. That`s coming up.

HAMMER: Plus, Vin Diesel dishes on babies. Yes, that`s in our SHOWBIZ sitdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: One of Hollywood`s biggest action stars is trading in his fast cars and reporting for diaper duty in his latest movie opening today. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sat down with Vin Diesel to talk about his role in "The Pacifier."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT (voice-over): He`s made mostly action films so far, like "The Fast and the Furious," "Tripe X," and "The Chronicles of Riddick," but Vin Diesel`s starring role in "The pacifier" is what got him thinking about something other than fast cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s move out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: In an interviews with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Vin Diesel reveals a little secret.

VIN DIESEL, "THE PACIFIER": It had a real effect on big Dinny. I could tell you that much. I was, I, you know, over the holidays, I think my mom was a little bit more confident that she`ll be getting grandchildren out of me soon.

BRYANT: So what was it about this new role for Vin that made him so, well, mushy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

DIESEL: Goodnight, Peter Panda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good night, Daddy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIESEL: I was holding this 9-month-old baby boy, a set of twins that I fell in love with, Bo and Luke. I fell in love with the kids across the board, and I had a different relationship with each one.

BRYANT: Vin Diesel plays Shane Wolfe, a disgraced Navy SEAL who`s handed a new assignment, protect the five Plummer kids from their dead father`s enemies. Their father was a government scientist whose top-secret experiment remains in the kids` house.

DIESEL: The whole concept of the picture is, you know, taking this guy that you`re familiar with somewhat, that has done these outrageous things like saving the planet, and what have you, and giving him a very seemingly simple task. And what makes the film interesting is seeing how this task isn`t so simple, and that he has a great deal to learn from this experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it went well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: So, in a career filled with death-defying stunts, we asked Vin how this new experience measured up.

DIESEL: I would go to work every day saying, I can`t wait to see my babies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can catch Vin Diesel in "The Pacifier" now in theaters everywhere.

A.J.?

HAMMER: All right, Karyn, it`s time now for more SHOWBIZ shorts.

Cher`s lawsuit. Cher says she`s not getting her share of royalties. So she is suing Warner/Chappell Music for breach of contract. The lawsuit accuses the music publisher of not paying royalties for four years to the tune of $250,000.

Jamie Foxx invited lawmakers in Georgia are asking Jamie Foxx to visit, just like Ray Charles did back in 1979, when "Georgia on My Mind" was named the state`s official song. Lawmakers are, of course, hoping Foxx will come to play the song on a piano in the house chamber.

BRYANT: So where did Vin Diesel get his name? Ellen finds out in talk of the day, coming up.

HAMMER: There`s still time for you to sound off in tonight`s SHOWBIZ showdown question of the day. Can Martha recover? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight, or e-mail us what you have to say, showbiztonight@cnn.com is the address.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Well, they`ve been talking all day, and we`ve been listening. Now, as we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the best from today`s talk shows.

BRYANT: Before the break, we heard from Vin Diesel, who has a new movie out tonight. When he stopped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Ellen`s first question was about his unusual name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST: It`s a lot of fun.

DIESEL: It`s amazing.

DEGENERES: Now, I`m calling you Vin, but is that -- Vin Diesel sounds like -- that can`t possibly be your name.

DIESEL: You know what? It`s not.

DEGENERES: OK. What is it?

DIESEL: Well, my real name is Mark Vincent. And I was a bouncer for nine years, and the name stuck. We all had fictitious names, just in case we got in trouble or anything, and they just started calling me Vin Diesel for some crazy reason.

DEGENERES: Well, Vin from Vincent, probably.

DIESEL: Vin from Vincent, and Diesel from...

DEGENERES: I don`t know.

DIESEL: In New York, you know, when you were kind of -- when you were built up a little bit...

DEGENERES: Oh, I see. Oh.

DIESEL: ... they`d say, that guy`s diesel.

DEGENERES: Yes. Oh, I`m Ellen Unleaded to my friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK. And now it`s time to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late-night laughs that you just might have missed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Earlier we told you that Jay Leno could face problems making Michael Jackson jokes because of the gag order in the trial. Luckily, there`s always Conan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "CONAN O`BRIEN")

CONAN O`BRIEN, HOST: Here`s the latest, brace yourselves. In a new interview, Michael Jackson`s former brother-in-law says that he once saw Michael doing inappropriate things to his chimp, Bubbles. Yes, after hearing this, Michael said Bubbles was asking for it, because he was dressed like a whore. Nothing worse than a chimp.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All right. Well, it`s been one year now since Martha Stewart was first convicted of lying to government investigators about selling stock. After five months in prison, we all know she is back home.

And throughout the show tonight. we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ showdown question of the day. Can Martha recover? Let`s take a look, see how the voting`s been going so far, 94 percent of you said...

BRYANT: Wow.

HAMMER: ... yes, Martha can recover. Pretty decisive there, 6 percent of you said no.

BRYANT: I guess so.

HAMMER: There is still time to vote. You can get online at cnn.com/showbiztonight to let us know what you think.

BRYANT: Time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on Monday. Let`s take a look at the SHOWBIZ marquee.

ANNOUNCER: Oh, but Britney, you are a woman. You`re married, thinking about kids, and even praising the papparazzi. Yes, it`s your prerogative to do your first magazine cover since getting hitched. And it`s our prerogative to show you the pictures on Monday.

Whether your house is brick or made of something else, you too can have a house like a desperate housewife. It`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT home edition, Monday.

OK, Rick Schroeder, first you had a silver spoon in your mouth. Then you got down and dirty on "Lonesome Dove" and busted bad guys on "NYPD Blue." But now you`ve got a black cloud hanging over your head. What? You`re going to show up Monday and explain it on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT? Cool.

HAMMER: You going up to Bedford to see Martha this weekend?

BRYANT: No, I don`t think so. I`m not that crazy. I just like her show. I, in fact, though, it`s my husband`s birthday. I need to make him a cake, so I might have to go look up a recipe.

HAMMER: Get on that.

BRYANT: I will.

HAMMER: Have a nice weekend.

BRYANT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HAMMER: Happy birthday to Karyn`s husband, Ray.

BRYANT: Thanks.

HAMMER: We`ll see you back here on Monday.

BRYANT: And "NANCY GRACE" is up right after the very latest from Headline News.

END


Aired March 4, 2005 - 19:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Making over Martha.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: And Anna Nicole`s "Uh-oh!" I`m Karyn Bryant.

HAMMER: And I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

BRYANT: Home sweet home Tonight, Martha`s back, but what about her image? We`re on Martha makeover patrol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Oftentimes, beauty just doesn`t do it. You`re fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Beauty bounced. She had the looks, but didn`t do it for the Donald. Live tonight, the latest "Apprentice" castoff.

BRYANT: Dan ducks. Letterman dishes it out, as Rather plays the artful dodger.

HAMMER: Tonight, another wardrobe malfunction. It`s Anna Nicole this time. We`ll show you what she did.

BRYANT: Plus, Puerto Rico. Usher heads south for a live concert tomorrow, but we`re with him tonight behind the scenes!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHER, "CONFESSIONS": (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this is Usher. Listen, if it happened today, it most certainly is on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Hi. I`m Karyn Bryant, and you are at the top of the show.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. We are live with you from Headline Prime studios in New York for the next hour.

BRYANT: Tonight, it`s Martha mania. Martha Stewart`s back at home, but is she ready to be back in business?

HAMMER: The Martha media machine started cranking today as Martha Stewart said good-bye to prison and hello to her new life. And of course, that had everybody talking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`ll be very nice to her today, but the day she goes back on the air, the claws come out (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER (voice-over): This morning, the women of "The "View were getting ready for Martha Stewart`s return to TV. They weren`t the only ones. Stewart was back home at her New York estate this morning, just hours after her post-midnight release from a West Virginia federal prison. She served five months in the big house for lying to investigators about a stock sale. But she`s at her house. And first up this morning, some Martha hospitality. She offered breakfast to reporters shivering outside the mansion.

MARTHA STEWART: Do you all want some coffee and donuts and stuff?

HAMMER: She`ll be confined to this 153-acre, $16 million estate until August. It won`t be easy for Martha to regain her media dominance. This afternoon, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went to the expert, New York PR exec Sean Cassidy, to find out what Martha needs to do to rehabilitate her image.

SEAN CASSIDY, DAN KLORES COMMUNICATIONS: What I would not advise her to do would be to over-discuss this, you know, to make this -- you know, this is obviously part of who she is, we know that, she knows that, but she just needs to go back to business as usual.

HAMMER: Martha is ready to get going, with a little help from her friends.

TRUMP: She`s a friend of mine for a long time.

HAMMER: Donald Trump and the other producers of "The Apprentice" have tapped Martha to do her own version of the hit reality show next season. Trump told me about it when I caught up with him at an "Apprentice" casting call in New York City.

(on camera): So in effect, you`re Martha`s boss.

TRUMP: Well, I don`t like to think of it that way. But you know, Mark and I are doing a real job with "The Apprentice," and it`s become so successful, and we thought it was time for a spin-off.

HAMMER (voice-over): And as we found out when we took our cameras outside, you`ll find no shortage of Martha fans wanting to be her apprentice on the show.

PAULETTE ROBINSON, WOULD-BE APPRENTICE: But I really more than anything admire how she`s held her head high and been consistent in her appearance and in her -- you know, just -- just in how she carries herself.

HAMMER: Martha is also going to revive her daily homemaking show, which was dropped last September, a month before she began her sentence. And she`s going to print. She`ll resume her column in her company`s magazine, "Martha Stewart Living," which has been struggling since her legal troubles began. The new CEO of Martha`s media empire says the company has no plans to downplay Martha`s name.

SUSAN LYNE, CEO, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: She`s a huge talent, and we`re going to make use of that in every possible way we can.

HAMMER: Stewart`s legal troubles aren`t over. She`s still appealing her sentence, the SEC is still after her, and her company is still losing money But Martha Stewart was at the top before, and with her return to the limelight and an all-out effort to remodel her image, she could be again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The amount of media watching Martha`s every move is pretty impressive, crews and photographers everywhere, CNN correspondent Allan Chernoff among them. He`s been outside her home in Bedford, New York, all day -- Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., it was a media feeding frenzy, the paparazzi trying to get a picture of Martha Stewart from the front of the house, even overhead. Local television stations took turns flying their helicopters over the house. And on this road up and down, the various news organizations have their live trucks. We`re about a half mile away from Martha Stewart`s house. The police would not permit anybody to park their live trucks right in front of the house.

So a real feeding frenzy here, but at least Martha Stewart did oblige, popped out of the house a few times, even offered hot cocoa to the news media. A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: OK, Allan, thanks very much, Allan Chernoff with CNN, near Martha`s home in Bedford, New York. And word tonight that "Inside Edition" anchor Deborah Norville will do her own version of house arrest, not leaving the house all weekend and anchoring her show on Monday from her home.

BRYANT: Tonight, a man with a passion for stalking Mel Gibson is headed to prison. There was a verdict today in the Gibson stalker trial. Let`s get right to "Celebrity Justice" correspondent Dan Simon, who is live in Burbank, California. Dan, tell us what happened in the courtroom today.

DAN SIMON, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Well, Karyn, 34-year-old Zack Sinclair was found guilty of stalking Mel Gibson. The verdict -- it took about two hours for the jury to find Sinclair guilty. Not much reaction from Sinclair. He`s been stoic throughout the entire time this process has been going on. He acted as his own lawyer. He had the opportunity to cross-examine Mel Gibson on the stand yesterday. The judge said, Do you have any questions? And Sinclair said no.

So now Sinclair has been found guilty, but no one expects Sinclair to do any real hard time in prison. Everyone seems to acknowledge that he has some psychiatric problems, and so he`s probably headed to a mental hospital, Karyn.

BRYANT: What happened when you spoke with one of the jurors?

SIMON: Well, the juror told me just that. He didn`t think that jail time would be appropriate. He understands that this is a young man who has some problems. You know, this particular individual was inspired by Mel Gibson`s film "The Passion of the Christ," and he`s a religious zealot. And once he saw the film, he wanted to contact Mel Gibson. He sent a series of letters -- threatening -- not really threatening letters, but bizarre, religious-themed letters, saying things like, God could have chosen someone to send to you, but he chose me. He also showed up repeatedly at Mel Gibson`s church and went to his Malibu mansion. So obviously, Gibson is relieved that -- for him and his family that this matter has come to an end.

BRYANT: Right. And is there any response from Mel, quickly, at all?

SIMON: No response from Mel Gibson yet, but of course, he was there yesterday in the courtroom and, you know, gave his candid answers.

BRYANT: OK. Well, Dan thank you very much. "Celebrity Justice`s" Dan Simon on the Mel Gibson (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Thanks.

HAMMER: Well, it`s time now for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," some of the stories that are making news in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Casting Cate -- we learned today that Nicholas Cage has signed on to star in the "Wicker Man." It`s a remake of the 1973 thriller about a sheriff investigating the disappearance of a young girl. "Variety" reports that production is set to start in July.

Alanis unplugged. It`s now been 10 years since Alanis Morissette`s "Jagged Little Pill" came out, packed with hit songs like "You Ought to Know," "Ironic" and "You Learn." It sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. So to mark the anniversary, Alanis announced today she`s putting out an acoustic version of the album in June.

We have more "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

BRYANT: Right now, Usher is getting all revved up to usher in one hot concert in Puerto Rico. He has won 11 Billboard Music Awards, three Grammys and four American Music Awards for his "Confessions" album. Tomorrow, he burns up the stage in a major concert for Showtime. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was with Usher as he got ready to rumble on stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Puerto Rico`s the place to be, especially if you`re an Usher fan. Usher gives his only televised concert of the year tomorrow live from San Juan. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s cameras were in San Juan and caught every moment of Usher`s rehearsal. He tells us that the show will come with some surprises.

USHER: Expect the unexpected. For the most part, you know, I`ll be performing songs that date back to my second album, but there will be a few special guests that have never performed with me on stage. And you bring the hottest show and the hottest place together, and you got magic, you got heat. It`s muy caliente (ph).

BRYANT: 2004 was really good to Usher. His fifth album, "Confessions," dominated the charts, spending 21 weeks at No. 1. "yes," "My Boo" and "Confessions" helped it go platinum eight times in the United States alone.

So from here, where?

USHER: The sky`s the limit. There`s so much. You know, as I said, I`m a businessman, so I`m constantly looking for those opportunities to better myself (UNINTELLIGIBLE) You know, hopefully, by 29, I will have solidified something, and maybe I`ll have some (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you know, all this hard work and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) good pay-off, you know?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Usher, by the way, is 25 years old. You`re listening to his brand-new song, called "Dot Com." We want to thank AOL music. They are the only ones to have it before it goes to radio. You can catch Usher`s concert tomorrow at 9:00 PM on Showtime.

HAMMER: Well, Karyn, Usher says yes, the Donald says no. And Just like that, she`s gone. Coming up, last night`s fired "Apprentice" contestant is on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT live.

BRYANT: And Dan`s stepping down, but Dave doesn`t let him down easily. We`ll tell you what Letterman asked him.

HAMMER: Now it`s time for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly`s" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which mid-`80s musical was written by the two male members of Abba, A, "Phantom of the Opera, B, "Assassins, C, "Chess, D, "Cats"?

We`re coming right back, and we`ll give you the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. So again, today`s "Entertainment Weekly" pop culture quiz. Which mid-`80s musical was written by the two male members of Abba? Is it A, "The Phantom of the Opera, B, "Assassins, C, "Chess, or D, "Cats." And the answer is C, "Chess"

HAMMER: That music can mean only one thing. It`s now 14 past the hour and time for the "SHOWBIZ Showdown." As we reported earlier, Martha Stewart is back home tonight after five months in prison. Tonight`s hot topic in the "Showdown": Can Martha make a big comeback? Joining us live, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contributor Julia Boorstin, who covers the entertainment industry for "Fortune" magazine. And Julia says, Yes, Martha will make a comeback. And joining us, as well, Christopher Byron, Wall Street columnist for "The New York Post" and author of "Martha, Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," who says, No, Martha won`t be making a comeback.

So Christopher, you`re first. Let`s start with her image. Can she possibly rebound?

CHRISTOPHER BYRON, WALL STREET COLUMNIST, "NY POST": This is going to be a really long jump for her. I mean, she`s a convicted felon, and she`s got to -- somehow, she`s got to turn that to a positive, give it a positive spin. That`s pretty good, if she can pull that one off. I think it`s going to be hard. It really is.

HAMMER: Julie, you think this can work.

JULIA BOORSTIN, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It absolutely can work. And you know what, Chris? She already has given it a positive spin. The fact that she volunteered to go to prison earlier than she had to -- her court -- her -- the trial is still under appeal, so she could have waited and actually not had to go to prison, if it had been appealed, but she decided to go in there, get it over with, to move on with her life. And she`s really admitting that she`s going to be a big person about this. She`s not going to be petty. She`s not going to be the snob that everybody perceived her to be before this whole thing went down. And I think she`s going to actually emerge from this a warmer, softer, more realistic and honest Martha.

BYRON: You know, I think anybody who has bet against Martha Stewart over her lifetime has, in the end, been wrong. So I wouldn`t say that`s impossible at all. The one thing that I would say, and I`m fairly confident about, is that it`s going to be next to impossible to transfer that success into the success of her business. And I don`t think that one is -- I don`t think that dog`s going to hunt.

BOORSTIN: But if you look for a minute at what some of the problems have been in the business, is that she`s trying to sell advertising and sell products to, basically, middle-aged women. And Martha has been a very intimidating person -- Her whole image, her perfect house. And I think people love redemption stories, and they love to see that Martha is human. I mean, even look at the whole Bill Clinton scandal. People kind of started to relate to him more when they realized that he was human and he made mistakes, too. And I think with Martha, people are going to like her more when they see that she microwaves chicken wings in prison and she isn`t just sitting around making potpourri balls.

BYRON: No, I`m not so sure...

BOORSTIN: She is a human person.

BYRON: ... that`s going to work.

HAMMER: Well, Chris, let me ask you -- let me ask you now about what everybody`s talking about, this Mark Burnett reality show.

BYRON: Sure.

HAMMER: Mark obviously believes in her. Donald Trump believes in her. And is this, as she might say, a good thing?

BYRON: Well, look, what -- the message of that show is very conflicted and unsettled at the moment. To create a new, softer side of Martha Stewart is clearly what this woman needs in order to rehabilitate her image. On the other hand, it`s by no means clear that that`s what viewers are hoping to see here.

HAMMER: That would just be boring?

BYRON: Well, less than boring. What they`re really expecting is a personality who can out-Donald Trump Donald Trump...

HAMMER: Right.

BYRON: ... and that`s not the message that`s going to sell this rehabilitated Martha Stewart at all.

HAMMER: Do you think the show`s going to help her out, Julia?

BOORSTIN: Well, one thing for sure is that Mark Burnett is a marketing genius. He really knows how to do these shows. And Mark Burnett knows that Martha Stewart and Donald Trump are two entirely different characters and personalities. And I think, more than anything, people are really curious to see what this new post-prison Martha Stewart`s going to be like. And I think people want to see if she takes some of the lessons she learned in prison from the other convicted felons and takes them to run the business.

But I think that, you know, she needs to come across as softer, but she also needs to come across as human. And I think her failure and prison and what she learned in prison is what makes her human.

HAMMER: Chris, bottom line it for me. Is there any chance her business will succeed?

BYRON: I see none, frankly. These things don`t come back from the dead. Donald Trump and Martha Stewart may be completely different people, but they have one thing in common, and that`s that they`re selling their name as the brand. You`ll find Donald Trump`s name on every building he owns. And because of that, she`s somehow got to reinvigorate the brand and sell that. And it didn`t work for Donald Trump. He had the ownership of that show. was in two episodes of "The Apprentice" in his own Taj Mahal thing in -- down there on the Jersey coast, and the company that he owns went bankrupt anyway.

BOORSTIN: But Donald Trump...

HAMMER: All right, get in there quick, Julia.

BOORSTIN: Donald Trump and Martha Stewart`s business are entirely different. Donald Trump is dealing in real state and casinos. Those are businesses that exist separate from his name and...

BYRON: No, they`re dealing in the same thing. It`s called brand messaging.

(CROSSTALK)

BOORSTIN: But it`s not because Martha Stewart is only selling her brand. She is selling products with her name on it that...

BYRON: What are you talking about?

BOORSTIN: ... are Martha Stewart products...

BYRON: ... food with a name on it!

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: OK, OK, guys...

BOORSTIN: She`s selling food and she`s selling her recipes...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Hate to do this, Julia. I`ve got to jump in, Chris...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Sorry, we`re going to have to end it there. The world will be watching. We`re all going to watch this unfold before our very eyes on television for years to come. Chris Byron, Wall Street columnist for "The New York Post" and author of "Martha, Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia," thanks for joining us. And Julia Boorstin, of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contributor, and who report on the entertainment industry for "Fortune" magazine. Thanks to you both for joining us on the "SHOWBIZ Showdown."

And now we want to know what your thoughts are, so please listen to the "SHOWBIZ Showdown" question of the day carefully. Can Martha recover? It`s that simple. Let us know your thoughts on this by voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. If you got more to say, say it by e-mailing us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. More of what you had to say later in the show.

BRYANT: Anna Nicole Smith gave herself a makeover. Today she`s giving us -- well, you`re just going to have to stay here to see the red- hot video.

HAMMER: And we all know John Travolta is cool, but is "Be Cool" a must-see? We`ve got "People`s" "Picks and Pans" coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Beauty, the boardroom and the boot. Last night`s fired apprentice, Audrey, joins us live in about 10 minutes.

Well, today in the Michael Jackson case, the jurors saw footage of the teenage accuser and his family singing Michael`s praises in a tape made by the pop star`s camp two years ago. Several family members repeat similar phrases on the tape, which leads prosecutors to believe that the family was coached on what to say.

One famous potential witness is asking for changes in the gag order which bars any public discussion of the Michael Jackson case. Jay Leno has been subpoenaed. His lawyers are asking the judge not to subject him to that gag order so he can still make his jokes about the trial because as you can see, Jackson figures prominently into Leno`s nightly monologue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "TONIGHT" SHOW: Although he`s under a gag order also, Michael did answer one reporter`s question yesterday. Did you see that? Show that footage from the trial yesterday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael? Michael? How do you feel about missing the Boy Scout jamboree this weekend?

MICHAEL JACKSON: Angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: On Wednesday on the show, Leno spent 17 minutes joking about the trial.

BRYANT: Time now for "People" magazine`s movie "Picks and Pans." "Be Cool" and "The Jacket" are out in theaters today. Should you check them out this weekend? Well, joining us from "People" magazine is movie critic Leah Rozen with some help on the matter.

So I want to start with "Be Cool." This is the follow-up to "Get Shorty," which came out a number of years ago.

LEAH ROZEN, MOVIE CRITIC, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Almost a decade ago. "Get Shorty" was a great movie. "Be Cool" be disappointing.

BRYANT: Oh! How come?

ROZEN: Yes. I know. I`m really -- I mean, you wanted to like this one because the first one was so much fun. This one -- It`s a comedy, but the timing sort of -- it just falls flat. Everyone is huffin` and puffin`, and it`s going nowhere.

BRYANT: But it`s John Travolta, Uma Thurman. Danny DeVito`s in it again. And there`s a great John/Uma dance scene in this, is there not?

ROZEN: They dance again, and you go, Oh, yes, they`re trying to reprise that magic.

BRYANT: Right.

ROZEN: And you know, it feels like a rerun, sort of.

BRYANT: What about The Rock as the gay bodyguard?

ROZEN: Well, you know, he arches his eyebrow in true Rock fashion.

BRYANT: Yes.

ROZEN: And he`s working hard, and you go, Yes, he has possibilities. He can be more than just the scorpion.

BRYANT: Right. But?

ROZEN: But this is not the movie that makes him a massive, huge, Gee, that guy should get an Oscar.

BRYANT: OK. Well, talking of Oscars, Adrien Brody won an Oscar for Best Actor for "The Pianist," and now he`s in a movie called "The Jacket." What do you think of this one?

ROZEN: I think "The Jacket" is one of those movies like "Memento." It`s a "mess with your mind" kind of movie.

BRYANT: I loved "Memento."

ROZEN: Well, this is a minor "Memento." Not quite as good as "Memento"...

BRYANT: It`s a tchotchke or a souvenir, perhaps.

ROZEN: It`s sort of an interesting plot, where he`s a Gulf war veteran, he had a shot through the head. He`s an amnesiac. He ends up in an institute for the criminally insane, where experiments are performed on him...

BRYANT: OK...

ROZEN: ... that allow him to travel to the future. What`s really going on? The question with movies like this is always, Is the payoff at the end worth all the attention you have to go through paying? And I`m not sure it is here.

BRYANT: You`re not sure. So it`s time travel and creepy, scary mental hospital. Great actor, though.

ROZEN: Interesting film, not a great one.

BRYANT: OK. Well, there we have it. It`s Leah Rozen from "People." And of course, for more "Picks and Pans," you can check out this week`s "People" magazine at newsstands everywhere.

HAMMER: OK, I hope you`re ready for this. Tonight, another Kodak moment from Anna Nicole Smith. At the Australian MTV Music Awards last night, she gave new meaning to the term "down under" when she pulled the top of her dress down under her -- well, just roll the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA NICOLE SMITH: You know, the show has been kind of boring. I`ve been watching it on TV.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Standing alongside pro surfer Kelly Slater, Smith stayed on stage while the winners came up to receive their awards. Smith was barely covered by the strategically placed MTV logo sticker.

BRYANT: You know, that -- that`s class with a capital K, right there, A.J.

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: Our "Buzz Bench" almost fell off the bench when they saw that piece of video. We`re going to talk about that, Martha Stewart and more coming up.

HAMMER: And clowning around on "The Apprentice," but by the end, one contestant wasn`t smiling. We will have the latest fired apprentice live coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Tonight, anchor almost away. Rather gets set to step down, but not before Letterman has his say.

HAMMER: And a big babysitter. He`s been fast and furious, but can he handle a minivan? A SHOWBIZ sit-down with Vin Diesel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hiyo, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I`m Joey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I`m Lance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if it happened today...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s right.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Thirty 30 minutes past the hour now. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant.

Here are tonight`s hot headlines.

Gibson`s stalker guilty. In California, Zack Sinclair was found guilty today of stalking Mel Gibson. He faces up to 16 months in prison. Sinclair claimed he was on a mission from God to pray with the actor.

No place like home. Borrowing a line from "The Wizard of Oz," that`s what Martha Stewart says of her release from federal prison. Well, tonight, she`s back home in Bedford, New York, starting off her five months of house arrest. It`s been one year since she was convicted of lying to government investigators about selling stock.

But as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT told you a little earlier, repairing her image could take a lot of work. And that`s what we`ve been asking to vote on on tonight`s SHOWBIZ showdown question of the day. Can Martha recover? We`d like you to keep voting by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also send us more thoughts in your e-mails at showbiztonight@cnn.com, and we`ll share some of what you say at 55 past the hour.

BRYANT: As you know, Martha Stewart is getting her own version of "The Apprentice." We`re going to have to wait to see how she handles the firings. But, you know, Donald Trump is chugging right along. On last night`s show, sparks flew in the boardroom over the classic beauty versus brains debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE APPRENTICE")

TRUMP: You`re constantly blaming everybody on your team. You never take any responsibility yourself. You were the team leader, and nobody from your team respected you, not even your best friend. Nobody respected you. And he is right, you are a beautiful young woman, but oftentimes beauty just doesn`t do it. And in this case, Audrey, you`re fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Oh, so sad. Joining us now is Audrey Evans, the latest apprentice to hear those famous words.

Audrey, what are your thoughts on beauty in the boardroom? Do you find it to be a benefit or a burden?

AUDREY EVANS, "THE APPRENTICE": It has nothing to do with the boardroom. You know what I mean, it has nothing to with business. I`ve never, ever been in a situation where somebody says, I can`t do business with you because you`re too damn good-looking. No. You know, you just don`t see that.

BRYANT: But certainly people could argue that attractive women have an advantage in the business place.

EVANS: Well, statistically, they make more sales because they`re beautiful. More people want to do business with them. You know, and there`s nothing that`s a negative towards that.

And the, and the thing that was insulting was the fact that John`s comment was demeaningful.

BRYANT: It was (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

EVANS: It was, yes, and it was, like, you know, there`s one thing, you know, men can handle me, and boys don`t know what to do with me. Mr. Trump was very polite and complimentary towards saying that statement, that I`m beautiful. Well, thank you very much, I can take a compliment.

But when the man makes a statement, when a boy makes the statement, it`s just embarrassing, and it`s like, that`s insulting, thank you, though.

BRYANT: Well, speaking of boy, though, he did call you just a young girl. I mean, how much do you think your age has played a factor in playing the game of "The Apprentice"?

EVANS: It doesn`t play an issue unless you make it an issue. These men, these boys were out to get me from the beginning. You know, it was never street smarts versus book smarts. It was boys against the girls in the team.

BRYANT: But you`re 22, right?

EVANS: Yes, absolutely.

BRYANT: That is young. I mean, you know...

EVANS: Well, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), well, I earned my merit to be there, though. I earned my position there. Mr. Trump, and I have a lot of respect for Mr. Trump and Mark Burnett. And, you know, they both of them gave me an opportunity to be there, so I can`t complain about that, you know.

BRYANT: Right. Now, some people are saying, though, that it`s a bit of a cop-out to say, as the leader, that they failed in their individual task. I mean, the whole point is that you`re supposed to unite them and get them to complete their task.

EVANS: The mistake that I made was from the very beginning. They didn`t have my, you know, I didn`t have their respect from the beginning. And that`s my mistake. I should have just taken my hat out of the ring and said, They`re not going to respect me.

Well, I can be better utilized somewhere else, and I can keep working on something else. And realizing that is a huge, huge accomplishment, because it`s taught me so much. I, you know, again, it`s, like, I can`t win, but I can`t lose. You know, it`s just, what do you want from me, you know?

BRYANT: Sure.

EVANS: And I gave these guys responsibilities, and again, what I said in the boardroom was, you give people some responsibility, they should be able to do it, and it shows their true colors. You know, I don`t have to defend them. They -- it shows who they are.

BRYANT: But, you know, a great leader has to earn their respect and has to earn the trust. You know, people have to want to work hard for you, because it`s a two-way street, and they feel that they`re getting the support and things, so...

EVANS: Yes, but they don`t care to see somebody that`s young, that`s successful...

BRYANT: Well...

EVANS: ... and that happens to be good-looking to be capable and competent of leading them. They don`t want to do that. Why would they wanted me to lead them?

BRYANT: Well, true...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... it`s also a competition. I mean, the whole point of the show is to backstab, so, you know, it`s a tough call, it`s a tough call. But you know what? You know, people are going to debate this around the water cooler.

Audrey Evans, thanks for joining me...

EVANS: You`re welcome. Thank you.

BRYANT: ... and best of luck in your future endeavors.

EVANS: Thank you.

BRYANT: There you have it. The latest from "The Apprentice."

A.J.?

HAMMER: All right, Karyn, time now for more SHOWBIZ shorts.

Another apprentice, Omarosa, under fire again, yes, this apprentice castoff is being trash talked by Nikki McKibbin from "American Idol." She tells TV Guide Online that Omarosa is, quote, "a beauty pageant princess who`s got no actual talent." The two women were on a reality show edition of "Fear Factor."

Final farewell. Tonight is the last time Jerry Orbach will appear on "Law and Order: Trial by Jury." Orbach filmed two episodes before he died. The first one was the series premiere, which aired last night, and early figures show about 17 million people were watching.

BRYANT: Just days before giving up the anchor chair, Dan Rather spoke out for the first time about the CBS News memogate scandal. And he chose, of all places, David Letterman`s show to tell his side of the story. Four people at CBS News were either fired or asked to resign over a controversial "60 Minutes" report questioning President Bush`s service in the National Guard. CBS chief Les Moonves made the call to let them go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN," CBS)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: Do you agree with his decisions for the dismissals?

DAN RATHER, ANCHOR, CBS NEWS: Whether I agree with it or not doesn`t matter. It was his decision to make, he made them, I respect that he had some tough choices to make. And that`s where I have to leave it.

LETTERMAN: In a situation like this, it was so public, right or wrong, left or right, people early on make up their minds about it. Such a high-profile story, and such a great journalistic institution. Should the president of CBS News have stepped down? Should have stepped forward and taken the bullet and stepped down?

RATHER: He`s on vacation right now. When he gets back, you can ask him.

Dave, this is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I feel. You know, it`s behind us. And we have to look forward. At some point, you know, you`ve had ups and downs in your career, you had criticisms. Sometimes you think it`s justified, sometimes not. But at a certain point you have to say, the committee, the panel has spoken, the corporate leadership has spoken, this is how it is, put a period. I take it with me, and let`s go forward into work.

That`s exactly how I feel about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Rather, whose last day in the anchor chair is next Wednesday, has said his decision to step down is not related to the scandal. He will continue reporting for the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes."

HAMMER: Well, Rather`s stepping down, while Ana Nicole Smith is dressing down. Why, oh, why, Ana? Our buzz bench wants to know, coming up.

BRYANT: And we also want to know, what does Vin Diesel think of having kids? He`ll tell us in the SHOWBIZ sitdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARA REID: Jean-Paul Gaultier, and my jewelry is Rosalina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: It is time now for tonight`s buzz bench. And tonight`s topics, Jay Leno, Martha Stewart, and Ana Nicole.

BRYANT: Joining us tonight on the buzz bench, the "New York Times" Lola Ogunnaike, CNN`s pop culture correspondent Toure, and SHOWBIZ tonight`s Amy Kean.

Amy, I want to talk to you first about Jay Leno. The gag order says that nobody is supposed to discuss the case at all. And he wants to be exempt from that so that he can still make jokes. He`s saying, I just won`t talk about anything I have firsthand knowledge of in the court, you know, in the courtroom. But on the whole, can I talk about it?

AMY KEAN, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Well, I think that`s fair, because, you know, as we all know, Jay Leno is being subpoenaed for the Jackson case, because apparently the mother of this little boy somehow tried to get money from Jay Leno. It`s sort of foggy. But without these jokes about Michael Jackson, he has no career. I mean, this is, like, what is he going to talk about?

BRYANT: Well, here`s the thing, wasn`t it...

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? I mean, Jay Leno without that M.J. jokes is like McDonald`s without the fries. He needs this to keep it going.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: But, I mean, if he can`t poke fun at this.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... what is the, what is the problem?

(CROSSTALK)

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, NEW YORK TIMES: ... the Blake jokes will run thin really quickly.

HAMMER: And as we said a little bit earlier, he spent 17 minutes on Jackson...

BRYANT: That`s a lot, that`s a lot of time.

HAMMER: ... and the trial.

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: But here`s the, here`s the thing. David Brenner, a comedian who used to sub for Johnny back in the day, said that actually Jay taking potshots at Michael is like shooting fish in a barrel, it`s almost that it`s that easy. And couldn`t you argue, that, you know, Jay, step up, get some new writers or get some other material? This is so easy.

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... that is current event, that is what you talk about. You do not ignore the Michael Jackson trial if you`re a comic.

KEAN: Right, I agree.

OGUNNAIKE: It`s material handed to you. That`s the whole point.

KEAN: He`ll get around it, no problem there.

BRYANT: But do you think he should be able to subvert the...

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: But I think, Mike, if anybody, the defense should really push for the gag order, because I think, in the court of public opinion, when Jay Leno tells these jokes, he convicts Michael every night.

TOURE: Right, right, right.

OGUNNAIKE: He drills...

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... opinion that he`s a pedophile...

KEAN: That`s true, that`s right.

TOURE: Right, right.

OGUNNAIKE: ... he`s a pedophile, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And he`s not been convicted yet, but those jokes...

TOURE: Most Americans...

OGUNNAIKE: ... all but convict him.

TOURE: ... already think that. To find 12 people who don`t, haven`t made up their mind about that...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... it`s pretty hard.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: Well, you think a lot differently...

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: ... I think Michael Jackson is, you know, a lunatic, and I think he`s crazy, but that doesn`t make you a pedophile.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... sleeping in the bed with children...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... hang on.

HAMMER: Guys, next topic, in fact...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: ... I`m going to introduce, I`m going to introduce this next topic...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: ... I`m going to pitch it to Toure, and I`m going to stand back. Martha Stewart.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: She`s so hip-hop right now. She did her time, with pride, chin up, doing her thing, and now she has all the moral integrity you get from going to jail...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, right.

TOURE: ... and doing it well. I`m happy for her.

OGUNNAIKE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so gangster right now.

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... I did five months, so what?

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: My favorite part of the whole thing is, if you go to Martha Stewart`s Web site, she has this statement prepared, and she has this beautiful picture of herself next to the statement. And she says, All the wonderful friends I`ve made, and this (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and she really tries to make you believe that it was her choice to go to jail.

TOURE: Well, it was her choice...

KEAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

TOURE: ... to go the way she went.

KEAN: Right, right. But she also says about these wonderful friends I made, I would love to see her face if any of those friends showed up at her door.

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: Yes, I mean, come on.

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: But she lost 20 pounds or something, right...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: I mean, she actually (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

OGUNNAIKE: She should write a book called "The Cellblock Diet." I`m serious.

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: Step one, get convicted of a white-collar crime. Step two, go to jail. Step three, give all your food to...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: I can`t wait.

OGUNNAIKE: ... prison inmates, and...

TOURE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of that show. That`s going to be fantastic.

KEAN: It`s going to be great.

HAMMER: I want to hear a little bit more from Lola about how she`s gangsta, though.

OGUNNAIKE: Look, she has street cred. The only thing she hasn`t done is been shot and survived being shot, but that`s it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other than that...

OGUNNAIKE: She (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

TOURE: That`s next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She should put out an album.

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: OK, OK...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: We got a nice shot of Ana Nicole, you saw earlier before. OK, Lola, help me on this one, girl, because what is going on? Ana Nicole says...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... she`s -- what`s going on with her?

OGUNNAIKE: That trimspa`s got her all crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, does it cook your brain or something?

OGUNNAIKE: I don`t know, it makes you, like, incredibly thin...

(CROSSTALK)

OGUNNAIKE: ... in a matter of months.

KEAN: ... it`s not a big, it`s not really a shocking new story, though. If somebody said that Ana Nicole Smith showed up sober and poised, I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: ... doesn`t surprise me at all. And then the fact that she had MTV (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: ... awards and stuff, but it`s just that, you know, she exposed herself there. And when she had given out that other award before to Kanye West, she was slurring, she was drunk. I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: But she lost the money that she was going to inherit from her dead husband.

OGUNNAIKE: Yes, she had to work it.

BRYANT: This girl needs help, obviously, right?

(CROSSTALK)

KEAN: She making it, she`s making a living.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: You think (UNINTELLIGIBLE) be the class clown? That`s what she is...

KEAN: No, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

TOURE: ... she`s a big joke.

KEAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) clown, she`s a (UNINTELLIGIBLE). She would be like that anyway. I think that she`s, you know, she worked at Dairy Queen. She`s not, it`s not like she had really lofty ambitions before she became a star.

TOURE: Right, has no talent, right.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She does have talents, they`re called...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), by the way, can this officially be, can we institute the moratorium right now on the term "wardrobe malfunction" as of this moment?

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: No, no, no.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: ... on and on and on, I`m not going to push it, but it`s going to go on and on and on.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: It`s over, and the buzz bench is over. Thanks, guys, have a great weekend. Lola Ogunnaike from "The New York Times," CNN culture correspondent Toure, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Amy Kean.

BRYANT: Hey, Jay Leno, if you can`t make Michael Jackson jokes, Conan O`Brien will do it for you. And he does so in laughter dark. That`s coming up.

HAMMER: Plus, Vin Diesel dishes on babies. Yes, that`s in our SHOWBIZ sitdown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: One of Hollywood`s biggest action stars is trading in his fast cars and reporting for diaper duty in his latest movie opening today. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sat down with Vin Diesel to talk about his role in "The Pacifier."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT (voice-over): He`s made mostly action films so far, like "The Fast and the Furious," "Tripe X," and "The Chronicles of Riddick," but Vin Diesel`s starring role in "The pacifier" is what got him thinking about something other than fast cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s move out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: In an interviews with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Vin Diesel reveals a little secret.

VIN DIESEL, "THE PACIFIER": It had a real effect on big Dinny. I could tell you that much. I was, I, you know, over the holidays, I think my mom was a little bit more confident that she`ll be getting grandchildren out of me soon.

BRYANT: So what was it about this new role for Vin that made him so, well, mushy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

DIESEL: Goodnight, Peter Panda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good night, Daddy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIESEL: I was holding this 9-month-old baby boy, a set of twins that I fell in love with, Bo and Luke. I fell in love with the kids across the board, and I had a different relationship with each one.

BRYANT: Vin Diesel plays Shane Wolfe, a disgraced Navy SEAL who`s handed a new assignment, protect the five Plummer kids from their dead father`s enemies. Their father was a government scientist whose top-secret experiment remains in the kids` house.

DIESEL: The whole concept of the picture is, you know, taking this guy that you`re familiar with somewhat, that has done these outrageous things like saving the planet, and what have you, and giving him a very seemingly simple task. And what makes the film interesting is seeing how this task isn`t so simple, and that he has a great deal to learn from this experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE PACIFIER")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it went well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: So, in a career filled with death-defying stunts, we asked Vin how this new experience measured up.

DIESEL: I would go to work every day saying, I can`t wait to see my babies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can catch Vin Diesel in "The Pacifier" now in theaters everywhere.

A.J.?

HAMMER: All right, Karyn, it`s time now for more SHOWBIZ shorts.

Cher`s lawsuit. Cher says she`s not getting her share of royalties. So she is suing Warner/Chappell Music for breach of contract. The lawsuit accuses the music publisher of not paying royalties for four years to the tune of $250,000.

Jamie Foxx invited lawmakers in Georgia are asking Jamie Foxx to visit, just like Ray Charles did back in 1979, when "Georgia on My Mind" was named the state`s official song. Lawmakers are, of course, hoping Foxx will come to play the song on a piano in the house chamber.

BRYANT: So where did Vin Diesel get his name? Ellen finds out in talk of the day, coming up.

HAMMER: There`s still time for you to sound off in tonight`s SHOWBIZ showdown question of the day. Can Martha recover? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight, or e-mail us what you have to say, showbiztonight@cnn.com is the address.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Well, they`ve been talking all day, and we`ve been listening. Now, as we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the best from today`s talk shows.

BRYANT: Before the break, we heard from Vin Diesel, who has a new movie out tonight. When he stopped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Ellen`s first question was about his unusual name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST: It`s a lot of fun.

DIESEL: It`s amazing.

DEGENERES: Now, I`m calling you Vin, but is that -- Vin Diesel sounds like -- that can`t possibly be your name.

DIESEL: You know what? It`s not.

DEGENERES: OK. What is it?

DIESEL: Well, my real name is Mark Vincent. And I was a bouncer for nine years, and the name stuck. We all had fictitious names, just in case we got in trouble or anything, and they just started calling me Vin Diesel for some crazy reason.

DEGENERES: Well, Vin from Vincent, probably.

DIESEL: Vin from Vincent, and Diesel from...

DEGENERES: I don`t know.

DIESEL: In New York, you know, when you were kind of -- when you were built up a little bit...

DEGENERES: Oh, I see. Oh.

DIESEL: ... they`d say, that guy`s diesel.

DEGENERES: Yes. Oh, I`m Ellen Unleaded to my friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK. And now it`s time to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late-night laughs that you just might have missed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Earlier we told you that Jay Leno could face problems making Michael Jackson jokes because of the gag order in the trial. Luckily, there`s always Conan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "CONAN O`BRIEN")

CONAN O`BRIEN, HOST: Here`s the latest, brace yourselves. In a new interview, Michael Jackson`s former brother-in-law says that he once saw Michael doing inappropriate things to his chimp, Bubbles. Yes, after hearing this, Michael said Bubbles was asking for it, because he was dressed like a whore. Nothing worse than a chimp.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All right. Well, it`s been one year now since Martha Stewart was first convicted of lying to government investigators about selling stock. After five months in prison, we all know she is back home.

And throughout the show tonight. we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ showdown question of the day. Can Martha recover? Let`s take a look, see how the voting`s been going so far, 94 percent of you said...

BRYANT: Wow.

HAMMER: ... yes, Martha can recover. Pretty decisive there, 6 percent of you said no.

BRYANT: I guess so.

HAMMER: There is still time to vote. You can get online at cnn.com/showbiztonight to let us know what you think.

BRYANT: Time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on Monday. Let`s take a look at the SHOWBIZ marquee.

ANNOUNCER: Oh, but Britney, you are a woman. You`re married, thinking about kids, and even praising the papparazzi. Yes, it`s your prerogative to do your first magazine cover since getting hitched. And it`s our prerogative to show you the pictures on Monday.

Whether your house is brick or made of something else, you too can have a house like a desperate housewife. It`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT home edition, Monday.

OK, Rick Schroeder, first you had a silver spoon in your mouth. Then you got down and dirty on "Lonesome Dove" and busted bad guys on "NYPD Blue." But now you`ve got a black cloud hanging over your head. What? You`re going to show up Monday and explain it on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT? Cool.

HAMMER: You going up to Bedford to see Martha this weekend?

BRYANT: No, I don`t think so. I`m not that crazy. I just like her show. I, in fact, though, it`s my husband`s birthday. I need to make him a cake, so I might have to go look up a recipe.

HAMMER: Get on that.

BRYANT: I will.

HAMMER: Have a nice weekend.

BRYANT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HAMMER: Happy birthday to Karyn`s husband, Ray.

BRYANT: Thanks.

HAMMER: We`ll see you back here on Monday.

BRYANT: And "NANCY GRACE" is up right after the very latest from Headline News.

END