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Showbiz Tonight

Abdul Charged With Hit-and-Run; Is Hip-Hop Degrading to Women?

Aired March 24, 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.


KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: An "American Idol" judge judged.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And secrets of the new "Star Wars" movie. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant, and this is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Facing the music. Paula Abdul charged. We`ll tell you what happened.

BRYANT: Eye candy alert! We have a list of the 100 sexiest women. We`ll take you behind the scenes.

HAMMER: Jerry O`Connell live. He was only 11 when he hit the big screen in "Stand by Me." Just look at him now. We`re one on one live with the "Crossing Jordan" star.

BRYANT: Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac teaming up to give a new twist to a classic film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This movie needed to be made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Ashton and Bernie. It`s a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."

HAMMER: Spoiler alert. Plot twists in the new "Star Wars" movie revealed. We have your first look at "Secrets of the Sith."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN, "STAR WARS": I`m Hayden Christensen. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

BRYANT: What a week for "American Idol," and as they say, the hits just keep on coming.

HAMMER: Well, today, it was all about a hit-and-run, Paula Abdul admitting that she hit a car and then hit the road. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" Brooke Anderson is live in Hollywood with the story. Brooke, bring us up to speed.

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Karyn, A.J., the shocks just keep on coming for "Idol" fans. Today the LA city attorney filed a misdemeanor charge against Abdul for a hit-and-run.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): When Paula Abdul first sang about a hit-and-run in her 1989 hit strong "Straight Up," little did she know she`d be standing straight up in court, facing her own hit-and-run charges. Abdul wasn`t there at the arraignment in a courthouse just outside of Los Angeles. She was charged with a misdemeanor. Her attorneys entered a "no contest" plea, and she was sentenced to two years probation and fined $900. The alleged hit-and-run happened on the Los Angeles Freeway back on December 20. Cops say Abdul changed lanes and hit another car, causing minor damages. At first, Abdul denied it, but late today, her attorney she now admits being involved.

NEIL MEYER, PAULA ABDUL`S LAWYER: After learning that it had been determined that her car was actually involved, Paula immediately took full responsibility and paid $775 to repair the minor property damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That`s a lot different from her first claim that her car was damaged after hitting a bump in the road, a pothole.

"American Idol" had its own big bump in the road Tuesday night when they put the wrong phone numbers on the screen for 3 of the 11 "Idol" contestants. Last night, a re-vote took place in an hour-long special where the contestants` performances were replayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there it is, I hope with the correct numbers. We`re sorry, America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: But will America forgive "American Idol"?

NICHOLAS FONSECA, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": "American Idol" fans are very quick to forgive. I mean, look, they forgive contestants who do an awful job one week if they come out the next week and, you know, completely blow us away. So there`s no -- there`s no reason to believe "American Idol" fans won`t be there next week for the show. And there`s no reason to believe that they won`t be tuning in tonight to see the results, even if they did have to wait one more night.

ANDERSON: Forgiveness, indeed. Last night`s show dominated in the ratings. More than 20 million viewers tuned in to watch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And tonight, "American Idol`s" emergency episode, where they`ll announce the results of last night`s recount. A.J., it`s going to be a head-to-head showdown tonight between "Idol" and "Apprentice," which will air at same time.

HAMMER: It will be interesting to see who wins. Thanks a lot, Brooke, live in Hollywood.

And in a different California courtroom just a short time ago, testimony in Michael Jackson`s trial wrapped up for the day. But as he was leaving the courthouse, Jackson did something that he normally doesn`t do. He stopped briefly and talked to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) your back.

MICHAEL JACKSON, ON TRIAL FOR CHILD MOLESTATION: Very much still in pain.

QUESTION: Are you?

JACKSON: Yes.

QUESTION: Your back?

JACKSON: Yes, and my side. I`d like to say hello to the people in Santa Maria, my friends and neighbors.

question: Do you feel a little bit better, Michael?

JACKSON: Oh, still recovering. There`s a lot of pain, yes.

QUESTION: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to talk with your brothers. What`s it like for you to have a family here?

JACKSON: Oh, it`s great love, great bonding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Jackson has been late to the court twice since the trial began, complaining of back pain.

BRYANT: Hey, "Star Wars" fans, spoiler alert tonight! We`ve got some of what you can expect to see in the new "Star Wars" movie. The new issue of "Entertainment Weekly" spills some of the secrets of "Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith." Here`s "Entertainment Weekly`s" Scott Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BROWN, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY" (voice-over): Spoiler alert No. 1. Count Dooku, played by Christopher Lee. In the last movie, he cut off Anakin Skywalker`s hand. In this movie, he gets his hand cut off. Spoiler alert No. 2, Chewbacca. In the last movie, you saw Wookies. You did not see Chewbacca himself. In this movie, you not only see Chewbacca, he plays a key role.

Spoiler alert No. 3. Mace Windu, a Jedi night played by Samuel L. Jackson. We saw him in the first two movies. In this movie, he meets a very dramatic end. Spoiler alert No. 4. In the old movies, you may remember dead Jedis don`t generally stay dead. They show up, they talk to each other. They appear in shimmery little holograms. We see this happen for the first time in this movie, when Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson, appears to Yoda.

Spoiler alert No. 5. If you are wondering if Anakin is really going to go bad, you know it when he leads a death squad to the Jedi temple. That`s pretty bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Well, "Entertainment Weekly" is releasing not one but six different special editions of the magazine with some of your favorite characters on the covers. They hit newsstands tomorrow, and the movie, of course, comes out May 19.

HAMMER: OK, I can uncover my ears now.

Time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts" a look at more stories that are making news tonight. M. Knight`s new one. We learned tonight that M. Knight Shyamalan has a new one thriller in the works called "Lady in the Water." Now, this movie is about an apartment manager who finds a sea creature in the complex`s swimming pool. It`s set to come out in July, 2006.

Usher waxing poetic. The Usher wax figure was unveiled at Madam Tussaud`s in New York City today. It`s part of a virtual music experience. When visitors walk through lightbeams, clips of Usher`s most famous songs start playing.

BRYANT: It`s play time right now. The Sony Playstation Portable, or PSP, officially hit stores today. People lined up to buy them as early as midnight last night, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was up late, too. We found the PSP is not just about gaming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Gadget freaks are freaking out over the new Sony PSP. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was at the festive PSP launch party at the Sony store in New York City. Carson Daly was there, too, and he told us why he`s excited about the new device.

CARSON DALY, "LAST CALL": I go through cell phones constantly. Thanks, Paris! And you know, I have a lot of different devices, but it`s nice that the PSP`s come out to house music and movies and pictures and games. And now I just have one.

BRYANT: Like Carson said, the big deal behind the PSP is the tiny, ultra-portable device also plays music and movies.

ERIC BRATCHER, "PSM" MAGAZINE: The appeal is the machine can literally give you almost anything you want on the go.

BRYANT: It does this by using a new Post-it-sized disc called Universal Media Disc or UMD. The first million people to buy a PSP are getting a free UMD copy of the movie "Spider-Man II." "Hellboy" and "XXX" are coming out on UMD next month. And soon you`ll see "Kill Bill: Volume I" on UMD, as well as "National Treasure" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Keep an eye out for music, as well.

BRATCHER: UMD has the ability for you to buy not only albums but an album that also has videos and concert footage.

BRYANT: Top-selling acts like Jennifer Lopez and Omarion all happened to be signed to Sony, meaning you could very well see new material from them on the UMD format.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

For now, no one has officially announced plans to release UMD records for the Sony PSP, but a Sony executive tells "CNN MONEY" that you`ll probably see some music videos in that format within three months.

HAMMER: Hip hop lyrics and videos under the microscope. Tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showdown": Is hip-hop degrading to women? That debate`s coming up next.

BRYANT: Plus, life in the fast lane with Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. They talk about love, marriage and go-carts coming up in the "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."

Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Warren Beatty`s sister is also an actor. Who is she? Is it, A, Candice Bergen, B, Diane Lane, C. Meryl Streep, or D, Shirley MacLaine? We`ll be right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Warren Beatty`s sister is also an actor. Who is she? is it Candice Bergen, Diane Lane, Meryl Streep or Shirley MacLaine? he answer is D, Shirley MacLaine.

HAMMER: It`s 12 minutes past the hour and time for the "SHOWBIZ Showdown." Hip hop and women. In New York last night, there was a heated debate over images of women in hip hop. With explicit lyrics and videos, some hip hop artists are being accused of crossing the line from edgy to degrading. And that`s tonight`s hot topic. Hip hop: Is it degrading to women?

Joining us live in New York, model, actress and singer Alexi Panos, who has been featured in hip hop videos. She says, no, hip hop is not degrading to women. Also in New York, Michaela Angela Davis, the executive fashion and beauty director at "Essence" magazine, who says, yes, hip hop is degrading to women.

Michaela, I want to begin with you. There`s been controversy swirling around this issue for a while now. Why is hip hop degrading to women?

MICHAELA ANGELA DAVIS, "ESSENCE" MAGAZINE: I don`t say that hip hop is degrading to women. To take hip hop as a big culture and say that it`s degrading to women is not our position at all. Hip hop includes the Roots, Common and MC Lyte and Missy Elliott. It`s a huge thing. What we`re saying -- which we love. We love hip hop. What we`re saying is that we`ve got out of balance in terms of the kinds of images that we get to see. We`re out of balance with the amount of different kinds of images, particularly young women of color, particularly black women, we have seen one kind of thing.

So it`s not -- we`re not demonizing hip hop at all. We love it. It`s full, it`s rich. It`s got all kinds of legs to it. We`re just saying right now, it has been marginalized in the popular media that we only see one kind of image. That`s what we`re saying. We love hip hop.

HAMMER: OK, well, Alexi, you`ve been a part of these images in the music videos. What`s your take on it?

ALEXI PANOS, ACTRESS AND SINGER: My take is basically hip hop in general includes everything, just as you said. However, you have to realize that women are here as a choice. We come to these videos. We get paid, just as actresses come to the set and get paid it do certain things. And the fact that people are calling -- telling us that we`re degrading ourselves and doing things that are against, you know, being a woman and being a strong woman -- I am a strong woman. I do have a full-time job. I am smart. And I do go on these videos and know what it consists of, and I just get paid for that.

DAVIS: Sure, you get paid, but what I`m saying is that the disproportionate amount of women of color that are shown in these videos, what is the cost to us as a culture? Because black Americans, know that our music is the soundtrack of our culture. It is the commercial to the rest of the world who we are. It says in history who we are.

PANOS: Absolutely.

DAVIS: So what we`re saying is era, if you look back at this in 20 years, it`s going to look like all black women are on the stripper pole, and that is so not so.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: To be clear, Michaela, you`re talking about perpetuating a stereotype.

DAVIS: Absolutely, in mainstream popular media.

PANOS: OK, so let`s talk about...

(CROSSTALK)

PANOS: ... mainstream popular media is video games. Let`s talk about movies. What about the violence and sex...

DAVIS: But we`re here to talk about hip hop videos...

PANOS: ... in video games?

DAVIS: ... and women...

HAMMER: Let`s talk about hip hop right now...

DAVIS: ... sweetheart not...

HAMMER: ... because -- because that`s our subject.

DAVIS: ... not video games. We`re here to talk about women.

PANOS: I understand. But I`m just saying if you`re saying that black women or women of color are being...

DAVIS: Disproportionately shown.

PANOS: OK. All right. But these women are also getting other avenues. They`re going into magazines. They`re going into movies.

DAVIS: But what magazines? They`re going into "Smooth" and "King"...

PANOS: But then...

DAVIS: ... where they`re still wearing -- they don`t -- they`re not like Paris Hilton, sweetheart. They don`t get a reality show. To think that their options are the same as white women is crazy. They don`t go on like Monica Lewinsky and become a star.

(CROSSTALK)

PANOS: You can`t say that. There are girls that have gone out and done that.

DAVIS: Melissa Ford (ph).

PANOS: Yes. Absolutely.

DAVIS: And?

PANOS: Kee Toy (ph). She`s done -- she`s done movies. She`s done videos. She`s done magazines. She`s got...

DAVIS: Yes, but...

PANOS: ... a successful calendar line, a successful video line.

DAVIS: To think that...

PANOS: And she is a businesswoman making money for herself.

DAVIS: This is one girl out of 400.

PANOS: It`s not just one girl!

DAVIS: But what I`m saying is...

PANOS: There are many girls out there.

DAVIS: ... who she represents is a large culture. It`s a large culture of women that young girls that are 10 years old -- this is the only image that they see on TV.

PANOS: Well, then, don`t allow your kids to watch the videos.

DAVIS: The thing is -- the thing is, is that`s not fair to say that they`re wrong. It`s not about not being a video girl. That is so cool. But there was also M.C. Light and Salt N`Pepa and...

PANOS: Unbelievable.

(CROSSTALK)

DAVIS: So that`s what our issue is. It`s not about you. Make your money. Make your choices. But if I`m a single mother and I`m in college or I`m on Welfare, I can`t control my kids. We`re here to care about the women that aren`t privileged, that maybe need some help, that maybe need some controls with their children, that don`t have the privilege to have nannies.

HAMMER: Alexi, I want you to jump in real quick.

PANOS: I understand that, but being a parent means being at home. And whether that means...

DAVIS: I`m a parent!

PANOS: ... you have somebody watching...

DAVIS: I`m a parent, and I have...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Michaela, please let Alexi finish.

PANOS: I have friends who are single parents who regulate what their children watch, who regulate what music they listen to, what video games they play. And their children are amazing kids.

HAMMER: All right...

DAVIS: So I`m just saying if you -- if the problem comes down to kids and what they see is correct in our -- you know, in our entertainment world...

DAVIS: But those are...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: OK, ladies...

DAVIS: We`re talking about young girls, 20-year-old single moms...

HAMMER: And ladies, we`re going to have to...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: We`re going to have to -- we`re out of time. We`re going to have to -- we`re going to have to end it there. This is a dialogue that will certainly continue. Now, I do appreciate you both, Michaela and Alexi, for chiming in on the subject tonight.

And now, of course, we want to know what you have to say on the subject. It`s our "SHOWBIZ Showdown" question of the day. Hip Hop: Is it degrading to women? We`d like you to go to cnn.com/showbiztonight to vote. If you have a bit more to say, and I suspect some of you may, the e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com.

BRYANT: Jerry Orbach will forever be known to millions as Detective Lenny Briscoe. Today, friends and fans lined up outside the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York to bid farewell to the man many dubbed Mr. Broadway. Sam Waterston hosted the memorial. Angela Lansbury and Orbach`s wife, Elaine, spoke to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the man so many loved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA LANSBURY, ACTRESS: Well, he`s just Mr. Broadway. That`s all I can say. He was one of the greatest male Broadway performers in anybody`s time.

ELAINE ORBACH, JERRY ORBACH`S WIDOW: He was given some of the better shows of the past, in what they called the Golden Age. And those who are old enough to know him have the memories that the young folk don`t. But they can buy an album and turn on the television. And when they`re sitting at home, they can watch him on...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Orbach loved acting and worked up until the end, shooting his last scene on "Law and Order" just three weeks before his death. Orbach died of prostate cancer in December at the age of 69.

HAMMER: Well, one of the stars of "Crossing Jordan" is stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. One on one with Jerry O`Connell live. That`s coming up.

BRYANT: Plus, Heidi Klum coming soon to a candy counter near you. We`ll take that to the "Buzz Bench."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Who are the top 100 sexiest women? Well, it really isn`t an exact science, but one men`s magazine tried to figure it out. That`s coming up later on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: It is time for a "SHOWBIZ Short." The clock runs out on "Third Watch." Today "The Hollywood Reporter" says NBC is not renewing the series. "Third Watch" was on the air for six years.

BRYANT: Well, he first appeared on screen in the 1986 classic "Stand By Me." And many of you remember him as Cush from "Jerry Maguire." Well, nowadays, you can catch him every Sunday night on the hit NBC drama "Crossing Jordan" as Detective Woody Hoyt. Of course, he is Jerry O`Connell. Welcome to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Jerry.

JERRY O`CONNELL, "CROSSING JORDAN": What`s going on? It`s good to be here.

BRYANT: Yes. Not too much. Well, first, before we get to talking, we want to give everybody a look at you in action. So let`s roll this clip.

O`CONNELL: All right.

BRYANT: OK, so for those who don`t watch the show, Jerry, give us a back story on who Woody is.

O`CONNELL: I play a cop in Boston. I`m originally from Wisconsin. And I should say, you know, I`m from a small town called -- something like Winnetka (ph), Wisconsin. Sorry that I forget. No, it`s Kuwani (ph), Wisconsin.

BRYANT: OK.

O`CONNELL: Kuwani. Which is a little bit of a stretch for me because I`m originally from New York City, which is a little different from Kuwani...

BRYANT: Right.

O`CONNELL: ... Wisconsin. But the thing I`m plugging right now is my brother -- my real-life biological brother, Charlie, my younger brother, is in Sunday`s episode, and we -- he and I get into a little bit of an argument.

BRYANT: So now, how is that, acting with your brother? Because I would imagine, in a way, it must be kind of freeing, since you know the guy.

O`CONNELL: Yes. I got to tell you, a lot of times, if you have conflict with another actor or a stunt guy, you sort of pull back a little bit because you don`t want them, you know, hitting you or getting mad at you if do you something that might offend them. But with your brother, it`s like the gloves are off.

BRYANT: All bets are off!

O`CONNELL: And it`s, like, Listen, man, I`m going to -- I`m going to probably -- you know, we had one scene where I was mad at him, and I was poking him in the forehead, like this, over and over again. And I was thinking, like, Wow, there`s, like, no other place I could do it. It`s funny. My mom came to visit one day and saw us do a scene. And she was, like, Well, it looks like you guys are at home. So natural.

BRYANT: Your story of your youth there. Now, I know a lot of people are hoping this season that you and Jordan might get a little closer. What are the chances of some romance?

O`CONNELL: You know, I think I might get me a little bit of Jordan. We just finished the season finale, and it`s great. Jill is...

BRYANT: Yes.

O`CONNELL: Jill is wonderful. She`s gorgeous. It`s a lot of fun. So it`s not hard. As we say if the business, NAN, no acting necessary when...

BRYANT: Right.

O`CONNELL: ... you`re working with Jill.

BRYANT: But you know, now, I want to talk to you about this, though, because what about the flip of that? What if your girlfriend is doing a sex scene with somebody? Does that make you a little edgy?

O`CONNELL: I`m not a jealous guy. You can`t be like that. You know, come on. We`re confident. You should be confident, as well. I`m not worried about it at all.

BRYANT: All right. All right. Well, cool. So I know that, you know, you`re on vacation right now and everything, and I know that you`re from New York. I happen to be from Boston. I know you`re really upset about the fact that the Red Sox won this year.

O`CONNELL: Yes, it was upsetting because what was your best win -- congratulations...

BRYANT: Thank you.

O`CONNELL: ... I`m just coming to terms with it...

BRYANT: Sure.

O`CONNELL: ... was the Yankees` worst loss. And somebody -- I saw a hat the other day, where it was the Yankees symbol and it said "New York chokers," and it was not funny, man. It was just a sore spot.

BRYANT: Oh, but it is. Oh, it is. Now, I want to talk about your brother again, Charlie, for a second. What`s he...

O`CONNELL: Yes.

BRYANT: He`s going to be the bachelor?

O`CONNELL: He`s a bachelor girl. He`s doing it!

BRYANT: How do you feel about that? Are you looking for him to get...

O`CONNELL: It starts on Monday. I`m excited for him. I think it`s going to be great. I think he`s going to be hysterical. I think he`s going to be a lot better than that Jen Schefft girl, who didn`t make a decision at all. And you know, I got to tell you, my brother`s a little bit of a goofball.

BRYANT: OK.

O`CONNELL: He`s younger than I am. He`s 29. And he`s sort of -- you know, he doesn`t have a girlfriend. He`s sort of been vacillating between...

BRYANT: Sure.

O`CONNELL: ... you know, girls and...

BRYANT: All right, well...

O`CONNELL: I think -- I got to tell you, you know, these guys are supposed to be sequestered and you`re not supposed to talk to them...

BRYANT: But he`s going to be...

O`CONNELL: ... but he`s my brother...

BRYANT: ... on our show Monday, so we`re going to talk to him.

O`CONNELL: Yes!

BRYANT: All right, well, Jerry...

O`CONNELL: Have fun with him. You`re going to like him. It`s going to be crazy.

BRYANT: All right, well, excellent. Thanks for joining us. Jerry O`Connell...

O`CONNELL: Thank you.

BRYANT: ... joining us live from Hollywood. Of course, you can see him on "Crossing Jordan" Sunday nights on NBC.

HAMMER: Well, coming up, we`re going to show you what`s hot right now in fashion in "Thursday In Style." Also ahead, Sandra Bullock, "Miss Congeniality 2" out today. We caught up with her at the premier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Meet the parents. Bernie Mac is in for a big surprise when Ashton Kutcher shows up at his door. A SHOWBIZ sit down with the stars of "Guess Who?"

HAMMER: And easy on the eyes. It`s FHM`s 100 sexiest women. We`ll show you who`s hot and who`s hotter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA SILVERSTONE: I`m Alicia Silverstone and if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Thank you. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Karyn Bryant.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s hot headlines. "American Idol" dominating the news.

BRYANT: First, Paula pays up --- and the case is closed today. "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul was charged straight up with hitting and running from a traffic accident last year. Today in Los Angeles, she took full responsibility for hitting the other car and got 24 months of probation, $900 in fines and she agreed to pay the car`s owner $775 in damages.

HAMMER: But an "American Idol" mix-up didn`t damage the show today despite putting up the wrong caller numbers for three of the 11 idol contestants. Last night`s redo show won its time slot in the ratings and tonight of course the results will be announced and it`ll be down to 10.

BRYANT: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who`s the sexiest woman of them all? Well, "FHM" is out with its annual survey and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here to give a glimpse. I`m sure you were crying about this assignment today, David?

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Going through magazines all day today Karyn. Sorry about that. Yes, this is the fifth year that "FHM" has polled its readers on who they think is the planet`s sexiest woman. Perhaps most surprising though is who is not on the list this year. The world`s sexiest woman 2005 is Angelina Jolie. At least that`s according to the 15 million "FHM" magazine readers who were asked to rank their top 100 favorites.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL DOLAN, DEPUTY EDITOR, FHM: She`s beautiful. She`s alluring. She`s smart. She`s mysterious. She`s a humanitarian.

HAFFENREFFER: The 29-year-old actress moved up from the number two spot last year, unseating Britney Spears, who`s nowhere to be found on this year`s list.

DOLAN: And she`s been very quiet. She hasn`t done a lot of projects. She`s living quietly at home and I think there`s a little bit of out of sight, out of mind.

HAFFENREFFER: In the number two spot, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner. Love her or hate her, hotel heiress Paris Hilton lands at number three, after another successful season of Fox`s "Simple Life." Rounding out the top five, Academy Award winner Charlize Theron and the "FHM" 2003 sexiest woman, actress Halle Berry. A big mover on this year`s list was singer Mariah Carey, who jumped from number 46 last year up to number 15.

DOLAN: She has a brand new album coming out, "The Emancipation of Mimi." I think it`s a very large release for Island Def Jam. I think Mariah is looking at this as a big change in her career, a more adult image.

HAFFENREFFER: Notable newcomers this year include "Lost in Translation" actress Scarlet Johansson and singer/actress Lindsay Lohan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: Angelina Jolie`s no stranger to topping magazine list these days. Last October "Esquire" magazine named her the sexiest woman alive. The new "FHM" issue hits newsstands on April 3rd. AJ.

HAMMER: Thanks a lot, David. And if you look at that list closely and I know you did, you know that Heidi Klum came in at number 25 on the "FHM" list. And today the eye-candy supermodel got into the U.S. candy business. In New York this morning, Klum launched her "my favorite candies." The gummies have already been in Europe for four years and in case you were wondering, they are of course fat-free.

Well, "Candy" is one of Mandy Moore`s most famous songs. Pay attention now. Coach --- the leather bag company -- has hired the singer Mandy Moore and actress to be the face of one its lines in Asia. In addition to appearing in ads, Moore will headline a concert Tokyo next month.

BRYANT: Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher hit the small screen together last year on "The Bernie Mac Show." Now, they`re laughing it up on the big screen. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sat down with the pair. Brooke, it was hard to keep them on topic, wasn`t it?

ANDERSON: Absolutely, Karyn. It was a challenge but a fun one at that. We talked about their new film together "Guess Who?" and we also talked about Ashton`s future plans to get married or maybe not to get married.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Any movement towards marriage in real life?

ASHTON KUTCHER: What -- no!

ANDERSON: Just point blank.

KUTCHER: No.

ANDERSON: Absolutely not.

KUTCHER: No.

BERNIE MAC: I think he`s happy where he is.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MAC: And I think that`s the most important thing I would tell anybody.

KUTCHER: I think that love is so much more important than marriage, that as soon as people start figuring that, the divorce rate will go way down.

ANDERSON: So Ashton clearly has the experience with the topics of love and marriage. His new film "Guess Who?" is a comic adaptation of the 1967 drama "Guess Who`s Coming to Dinner?," a film about a white woman who brings her black boyfriend to meet her parents.

KUTCHER: You don`t want to remake a great classic film. I`m never going to be Sidney Poitier. Like I`m really well aware of that and I wouldn`t even try to be that. So we had to figure out a way to change it around.

ANDERSON: Coincidentally, Ashton and Bernie were both working separately on projects with this same premise before their paths bumped into each other.

MAC: You know it was ironic, it was odd. He was on the same page that I was.

KUTCHER: My friendship with Sean Combs made me realize that people are uncomfortable with something like this is different. People couldn`t understand that we could just be friends. They thought something had to be up. Something had to be going on.

MAC: 2005. We`re still 175 years in the eye (ph).

ANDERSON: Something moving fast forward in Bernie`s career after hitting a speed bump in recent years.

MAC: I`ve caught double pneumonia and I was doing three movies, a commercial. I had a vacation in eight years. I ain`t played golf in three years. And I think your body will go up and tell you a little something, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Bernie went on to say everything was blown out of proportion recently about his health. So we are happy to hear he`s doing well. "Guess Who?" is in theaters this weekend, Karyn.

BRYANT: Thank you Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

HAMMER: Paula Abdul highway hiccup. The "American Idol" judge is caught in an alleged hit and run. What will it mean for the show? We`ve got that and Whitney`s return to rehab in our "buzz bench."

BRYANT: And tonight, people are working all over Sandra Bullock but we bet she`s OK with it. We`ll explain coming up.

Well now we`ve got tonight`s birthday shout out. "American Pie" actress Alyson Hannigan turns 31 years old today. The shout out comes from not one, but two of her co-stars, Shannon Elizabeth and Tara Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Alyson, happy birthday. I hope you had a great day and enjoy it. It`s all yours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alyson, you`re the cutest best person in the world. I love you Alyson. Happy birthday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s "Showbiz Showdown" question of the day: hip hop -- is it degrading to women? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight and send us your e-mail at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll share some of what you had to say at 55 past the hour.

HAMMER: It`s time now for the "Buzz Bench," where today`s hot topics take center stage. Tonight, Paula`s fine, Whitney`s rehab and Heidi`s candy shop.

BRYANT: Joining us on the "Buzz Bench" is "New York" magazine`s Sarah Bernard, the "New York Times" Lola Ogunnaike and radio host Frank DeCaro. So wheels of justice work quickly in LA today and "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul was charged in connection with a hit and run car accident and then the case was closed. She pleaded no contest. What`s up with Paula and the driving?

FRANK DECARO, RADIO HOST: Well, you can`t be too mad at her because she did go to the Halle Berry driving school and her teacher was Lizzie Grubman. So you can`t get too mad at her. She did the right thing. She paid up and stuff but you know she was probably on the cell phone. Did we hit a person? It wasn`t a person. Keep going.

BRYANT: Shut up, Simon. Shut up. You could see they were sort of funny. It was almost like, well, now that she got caught, she admitting it.

SARAH BERNARD, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: That was such a big mistake. At one point she said something like her car was in the shop that day and she wasn`t even on the road.

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: And then the car turned up in the shop the next day.

BRYANT: She hit a pothole.

HAMMER: Everybody has a camera now because of the camera phone and somebody`s cell phone.

BERNARD: That`s part of the story. No one can get away any anything any more, because the people who she hit, whipped out their phone, took a picture of her license plate and tracked her down.

OGUNNAIKE: She can`t hit a high note but she can hit a car.

DECARO: She did the right thing. Because when someone catches you just have to go yes, I did it. As opposed to saying no I didn`t, because that`s when you really get in trouble.

BRYANT: It was just $775 worth the damage. It`s not the end of the world. It`s a small fine for her.

HAMMER: Paula`s doing well for Paula right now.

BRYANT: She is.

HAMMER: The fact is that she`s doing so well with "American Idol," people are loving on her.

BERNARD: This wasn`t the week to have this happen.

HAMMER: Well, not a good week for Whitney Houston. Unfortunately she`s back in rehab. This is not the first time.

BERNARD: It`s sad.

HAMMER: Lola?

OGUNNAIKE: I thought that she was really going to make it this time. She spent five days in rehab last time and we all know it only takes five days to cure a habit that you`ve had for years. So it`s just shocking to me that she`s back there. I`m devastated.

BERNARD: I think this might not be so much a testament to her trying to change her life as it is to Clive Davis, her longtime executive producer who actually discovered her. People say that they were working together on this seventh album, that he might have been giving her the tough love speech, you have to do this or not. Or forget it.

OGUNNAIKE: We all Whitney, she`s admitted that she does cocaine and she did the marijuana and she did the pills, but she doesn`t do crack, because come on, say it with me people, crack is whack. That`s right, crack is whack. And marijuana`s for your momma.

HAMMER: Did we just really do that?

BRYANT: What do you think? Do you think she`s going to kick it this time?

DECARO: I hope so. I worry for Bobby Christina`s sake. She missed her birthday party, OK? That`s like -- that kid is going to write a book now. You know it. You miss one birthday party when you`re a kid.

OGUNNAIKE: Little Bobby Christina is 12 years old already.

BRYANT: She`s got a best seller in her already.

DECARO: She is taking notes. You know she is.

OGUNNAIKE: She`s like my daddy Bobby ain`t come home.

BRYANT: I tell you what. We want to move on to our third topic which is Heidi Klum. She`s a supermodel. She`s now selling candy. She`s got her own line of candy. It`s kind of a gummy, no fat sort of chewy thing.

HAMMER: I got props.

BRYANT: Do you have props? Oh you have some here.

HAMMER: Lovely parting gifts for everybody on the "Buzz Bench" today.

BRYANT: Sarah, what is your take on this one? Do we really need supermodel candy?

BERNARD: I think it`s hilarious. I love the irony. The supermodels are trying to make all of us fat. I don`t care. There is sugar in this. That makes you fat. It`s strange because it`s not a photo. It`s a painting of Heidi.

BRYANT: Why couldn`t they come up with --

BERNARD: I would say this is the worst example of not understanding how to control your own image.

BRYANT: Is there a need for this?

BERNARD: No, she`s got a line of Birkenstock. She`s got perfume. She`s got jewelry.

(CROSSTALK)

DECARO: I trust a supermodel for shoes and perfume and stuff. I want a fat person to talk to me about (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I do.

OGUNNAIKE: I think it`s a cruel conspiracy. She wants to make us all fat and have bad teeth so she`ll look skinny and beautiful for the rest of her life. Like why not a Heidi Klum granola or a Heidi Klum salad or something?

DECARO: It should be Heidi Klum cigarettes and Heidi Klum champagne. That`s all super models really like.

BERNARD: Yeah, and Altoids.

HAMMER: These are wildly successful in Europe, though.

BRYANT: That`s right. She has been selling them for years already in Germany.

BERNARD: And she took a classy joint like Dwayne Reid (ph).

BRYANT: The chain of drug stores here in New York.

HAMMER: Frank just popped one, you`re doing all right. Maybe we will move on to Sarah.

BERNARD: He can`t talk. I just think at some point, you`ve got to stop saying yes to all the people who asked to put your face on their product and this was probably like a step too far. Stick with project runway, that`s doing really well. It picked up for another year. You don`t need to do the candy.

BRYANT: Although perhaps we could send some of these to Whitney because she might need a snack.

BERNARD: The munchies.

BRYANT: Like a care package.

HAMMER: Easy sell. All right, enjoy your lovely parting gift and "Buzz Bench." Sarah, Lola, Frank, thanks for stopping by, guys.

Well of course we know that ZZ Top once sang, "she`s got legs and she knows how to use them." Well, "In-Style" magazine agrees, an April shower of fashion. That`s coming up our Thursday "In-Style."

BRYANT: And there she is, "Miss Congeniality." We`re at the premiere of Sandra Bullock`s sequel, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Time now for Thursday "In-Style."

HAMMER: Tonight, fashion director Hal Rubenstein tells us what looks that he thinks we should keep in mind for April and we`re going to start off with the goddess gown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAL RUBENSTEIN: I think one of the elements of a goddess gown is this whole idea of gathering fabric, the diagonals that are formed by the fold do wonders for a woman`s body. They slim it. They make her breast`s look, nicely shaped. They give the hips a certain roundness. They give height. It`s flattering to almost all figure types.

The best thing a couple can do is look like they`re actually happy to be in each other`s company. Some of the other magazines are just, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) torn in half and just shredded and fighting and it`s like, come on, it just can`t always be this negative. This is gross.

As far as how they dress is concerned, when you dress compatibly, then it makes some kind of sense. And I think what you see in these photographs are people just, they have an awareness of what the other person is wearing. You want to look right with this person. You want to look like you belong with this person. If you got great legs, you should wear a miniskirt. Your legs look good in it, guys love to look at it. It just depends on where you`re going. A miniskirt on a summer day going to a party a Saturday night, that`s really cool. Going to a wedding, I don`t know. You have nothing else to wear.

The one thing I do like on Marley Shelton (ph) I like the idea if you`re going to expose you legs, that you cover everything else up. It brings more attention to the legs and I think it`s a lot sexier. I like a little bit more mystery there. Trench coats are fail-safe fashion. You can`t possibly miss. There`s a reason that in the most famous scene in the most famous movie of all time, "Casablanca," Ingrid Bergman is wearing a trench coat and we remember this woman and she will look sexy and alluring for eternity. There`s something about that turned-up collar and the cinched in waist and the shape of a trench coat that flatters every single woman. The other part of a trench coat is absolute practicality. There`s almost nothing it can`t cover. There`s almost nowhere it can`t go. It`s just a great piece of clothing. Everybody should own at least one, man and woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: And if you want to read more about this month`s looks, pick up a copy of April`s "In-Style" magazine, which hits newsstands tomorrow.

HAMMER: Are you sitting there getting some ideas?

BRYANT: I was. I`m in the market for a trench, definitely.

HAMMER: I`ll see you in the office on the Internet buying one tomorrow. That`s what you do, I walk by your office. I`ve seen that.

BRYANT: I do not.

HAMMER: She does. P-Diddy pays a visit to the White House and tells David Letterman all about it. That`s coming up in our "Laughter Dark."

BRYANT: And there`s still time for you to sound off in tonight`s "Showbiz Showdown" question of the day. Hip hop, is it degrading to women? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll share some of your thoughts live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It`s a big day for Sandra Bullock. Not only is her new movie "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" out today, she also has a brand- new star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Bullock was honored with the star today. It`s number 2,281, just in case you`re keeping count. And hers is right next to her "Speed" co-star, Keanu Reeves. Bullock and the rest of the "Miss Congeniality 2" cast, including William Shatner, were out for the film`s premiere in Hollywood last night. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with Sandra and asked her about her reputation for being so congenial herself -- kind of an anti-diva.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA BULLOCK: Never, never, never. Shut up. Don`t start with me. Don`t start with me.

WILLIAM SHATNER: Spank you on your little tiny rear.

BULLOCK: I`m going to tell you what. There ain`t nothing tiny or little about my rear.

SHATNER: I lied. What can I tell you?

BULLOCK: OK. He`s so fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" is in theaters today. Tomorrow of course being Good Friday, some of the movie releases pushed up to today for the weekend.

BRYANT: It`s time to get your laugh on in "Laughter Dark." As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you may have missed.

HAMMER: Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is president of his own Bad Boy entertainment empire, but on "The Late Show with David Letterman," Diddy makes it clear, there`s only one President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: What were you doing at the White House?

SEAN COMBS: Just checking it out. Got to meet Georgy and everything.

LETTERMAN: You met the president and his wife?

COMBS: Yeah.

LETTERMAN: How did that -- what was the impression you had of those people?

COMBS: I mean, it was the president. You know. Hey, it was the White House. I mean it felt like the White House. You know? He felt like the president.

LETTERMAN: Yeah.

COMBS: And we met.

LETTERMAN: Yeah. Did you get the sense that the guy could hang?

COMBS: No, no. I`m going to be perfectly honest. I got the sense that what you see on TV, I mean that`s what you get in person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: P. Diddy just calls it like he sees it.

BRYANT: You know.

HAMMER: Well, throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our "Showbiz Showdown" question of the day. Hip hop, is it degrading to women? Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far. It`s a landslide. Eighty four percent of you do say yes, hip-hop is degrading to women; 16 percent of you say no, it`s not degrading to women.

BRYANT: And you`ve also been sending us e-mails on this question. Lela from Hutsonville, Illinois, says, of course the images of women in hip hop are degrading. They are there because their bodies are being used as sex objects.

And Jason from Waterloo, Iowa, says, most of today`s hip hop is really mainstream pop and true hip hop is not degrading to women, but mainstream rap music is.

And remember you can continue to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Well, again, because it`s a holiday I suppose, we gave the marquee the guy the night off.

HAMMER: Is that why?

BRYANT: I think so.

HAMMER: All right. Well, I guess we`re going to have to tell everybody what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. So here goes. Karyn, you`re first. Make it good.

BRYANT: Look at me, we`ve got more of Sandra B, Sandra Bullock. We just told you she got a star in the walk of fame today. Well, she`s got a whole lot more to say about her "Miss Congeniality" sequel, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Well, thanks, Karyn. Hip-hop superstar Kanye West has found himself a legend -- John Legend. West produced this hot newcomer`s album and Alicia Keys took notice -- she asked him to tour with her. John Legend stops by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow. Is that all right?

BRYANT: Nicely done.

HAMMER: I`m embarrassed for myself.

BRYANT: Wow. That was fun.

HAMMER: OK. I guess it`s a night. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll see you back here tomorrow.

BRYANT: Nancy Grace is up next right after the very latest from headline news.

END


Aired March 24, 2005 - 19:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: An "American Idol" judge judged.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And secrets of the new "Star Wars" movie. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant, and this is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Facing the music. Paula Abdul charged. We`ll tell you what happened.

BRYANT: Eye candy alert! We have a list of the 100 sexiest women. We`ll take you behind the scenes.

HAMMER: Jerry O`Connell live. He was only 11 when he hit the big screen in "Stand by Me." Just look at him now. We`re one on one live with the "Crossing Jordan" star.

BRYANT: Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac teaming up to give a new twist to a classic film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This movie needed to be made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Ashton and Bernie. It`s a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."

HAMMER: Spoiler alert. Plot twists in the new "Star Wars" movie revealed. We have your first look at "Secrets of the Sith."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN, "STAR WARS": I`m Hayden Christensen. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

BRYANT: What a week for "American Idol," and as they say, the hits just keep on coming.

HAMMER: Well, today, it was all about a hit-and-run, Paula Abdul admitting that she hit a car and then hit the road. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" Brooke Anderson is live in Hollywood with the story. Brooke, bring us up to speed.

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Karyn, A.J., the shocks just keep on coming for "Idol" fans. Today the LA city attorney filed a misdemeanor charge against Abdul for a hit-and-run.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): When Paula Abdul first sang about a hit-and-run in her 1989 hit strong "Straight Up," little did she know she`d be standing straight up in court, facing her own hit-and-run charges. Abdul wasn`t there at the arraignment in a courthouse just outside of Los Angeles. She was charged with a misdemeanor. Her attorneys entered a "no contest" plea, and she was sentenced to two years probation and fined $900. The alleged hit-and-run happened on the Los Angeles Freeway back on December 20. Cops say Abdul changed lanes and hit another car, causing minor damages. At first, Abdul denied it, but late today, her attorney she now admits being involved.

NEIL MEYER, PAULA ABDUL`S LAWYER: After learning that it had been determined that her car was actually involved, Paula immediately took full responsibility and paid $775 to repair the minor property damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That`s a lot different from her first claim that her car was damaged after hitting a bump in the road, a pothole.

"American Idol" had its own big bump in the road Tuesday night when they put the wrong phone numbers on the screen for 3 of the 11 "Idol" contestants. Last night, a re-vote took place in an hour-long special where the contestants` performances were replayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there it is, I hope with the correct numbers. We`re sorry, America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: But will America forgive "American Idol"?

NICHOLAS FONSECA, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": "American Idol" fans are very quick to forgive. I mean, look, they forgive contestants who do an awful job one week if they come out the next week and, you know, completely blow us away. So there`s no -- there`s no reason to believe "American Idol" fans won`t be there next week for the show. And there`s no reason to believe that they won`t be tuning in tonight to see the results, even if they did have to wait one more night.

ANDERSON: Forgiveness, indeed. Last night`s show dominated in the ratings. More than 20 million viewers tuned in to watch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And tonight, "American Idol`s" emergency episode, where they`ll announce the results of last night`s recount. A.J., it`s going to be a head-to-head showdown tonight between "Idol" and "Apprentice," which will air at same time.

HAMMER: It will be interesting to see who wins. Thanks a lot, Brooke, live in Hollywood.

And in a different California courtroom just a short time ago, testimony in Michael Jackson`s trial wrapped up for the day. But as he was leaving the courthouse, Jackson did something that he normally doesn`t do. He stopped briefly and talked to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) your back.

MICHAEL JACKSON, ON TRIAL FOR CHILD MOLESTATION: Very much still in pain.

QUESTION: Are you?

JACKSON: Yes.

QUESTION: Your back?

JACKSON: Yes, and my side. I`d like to say hello to the people in Santa Maria, my friends and neighbors.

question: Do you feel a little bit better, Michael?

JACKSON: Oh, still recovering. There`s a lot of pain, yes.

QUESTION: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to talk with your brothers. What`s it like for you to have a family here?

JACKSON: Oh, it`s great love, great bonding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Jackson has been late to the court twice since the trial began, complaining of back pain.

BRYANT: Hey, "Star Wars" fans, spoiler alert tonight! We`ve got some of what you can expect to see in the new "Star Wars" movie. The new issue of "Entertainment Weekly" spills some of the secrets of "Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith." Here`s "Entertainment Weekly`s" Scott Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BROWN, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY" (voice-over): Spoiler alert No. 1. Count Dooku, played by Christopher Lee. In the last movie, he cut off Anakin Skywalker`s hand. In this movie, he gets his hand cut off. Spoiler alert No. 2, Chewbacca. In the last movie, you saw Wookies. You did not see Chewbacca himself. In this movie, you not only see Chewbacca, he plays a key role.

Spoiler alert No. 3. Mace Windu, a Jedi night played by Samuel L. Jackson. We saw him in the first two movies. In this movie, he meets a very dramatic end. Spoiler alert No. 4. In the old movies, you may remember dead Jedis don`t generally stay dead. They show up, they talk to each other. They appear in shimmery little holograms. We see this happen for the first time in this movie, when Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson, appears to Yoda.

Spoiler alert No. 5. If you are wondering if Anakin is really going to go bad, you know it when he leads a death squad to the Jedi temple. That`s pretty bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Well, "Entertainment Weekly" is releasing not one but six different special editions of the magazine with some of your favorite characters on the covers. They hit newsstands tomorrow, and the movie, of course, comes out May 19.

HAMMER: OK, I can uncover my ears now.

Time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts" a look at more stories that are making news tonight. M. Knight`s new one. We learned tonight that M. Knight Shyamalan has a new one thriller in the works called "Lady in the Water." Now, this movie is about an apartment manager who finds a sea creature in the complex`s swimming pool. It`s set to come out in July, 2006.

Usher waxing poetic. The Usher wax figure was unveiled at Madam Tussaud`s in New York City today. It`s part of a virtual music experience. When visitors walk through lightbeams, clips of Usher`s most famous songs start playing.

BRYANT: It`s play time right now. The Sony Playstation Portable, or PSP, officially hit stores today. People lined up to buy them as early as midnight last night, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was up late, too. We found the PSP is not just about gaming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Gadget freaks are freaking out over the new Sony PSP. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was at the festive PSP launch party at the Sony store in New York City. Carson Daly was there, too, and he told us why he`s excited about the new device.

CARSON DALY, "LAST CALL": I go through cell phones constantly. Thanks, Paris! And you know, I have a lot of different devices, but it`s nice that the PSP`s come out to house music and movies and pictures and games. And now I just have one.

BRYANT: Like Carson said, the big deal behind the PSP is the tiny, ultra-portable device also plays music and movies.

ERIC BRATCHER, "PSM" MAGAZINE: The appeal is the machine can literally give you almost anything you want on the go.

BRYANT: It does this by using a new Post-it-sized disc called Universal Media Disc or UMD. The first million people to buy a PSP are getting a free UMD copy of the movie "Spider-Man II." "Hellboy" and "XXX" are coming out on UMD next month. And soon you`ll see "Kill Bill: Volume I" on UMD, as well as "National Treasure" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Keep an eye out for music, as well.

BRATCHER: UMD has the ability for you to buy not only albums but an album that also has videos and concert footage.

BRYANT: Top-selling acts like Jennifer Lopez and Omarion all happened to be signed to Sony, meaning you could very well see new material from them on the UMD format.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

For now, no one has officially announced plans to release UMD records for the Sony PSP, but a Sony executive tells "CNN MONEY" that you`ll probably see some music videos in that format within three months.

HAMMER: Hip hop lyrics and videos under the microscope. Tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showdown": Is hip-hop degrading to women? That debate`s coming up next.

BRYANT: Plus, life in the fast lane with Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. They talk about love, marriage and go-carts coming up in the "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."

Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Warren Beatty`s sister is also an actor. Who is she? Is it, A, Candice Bergen, B, Diane Lane, C. Meryl Streep, or D, Shirley MacLaine? We`ll be right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Warren Beatty`s sister is also an actor. Who is she? is it Candice Bergen, Diane Lane, Meryl Streep or Shirley MacLaine? he answer is D, Shirley MacLaine.

HAMMER: It`s 12 minutes past the hour and time for the "SHOWBIZ Showdown." Hip hop and women. In New York last night, there was a heated debate over images of women in hip hop. With explicit lyrics and videos, some hip hop artists are being accused of crossing the line from edgy to degrading. And that`s tonight`s hot topic. Hip hop: Is it degrading to women?

Joining us live in New York, model, actress and singer Alexi Panos, who has been featured in hip hop videos. She says, no, hip hop is not degrading to women. Also in New York, Michaela Angela Davis, the executive fashion and beauty director at "Essence" magazine, who says, yes, hip hop is degrading to women.

Michaela, I want to begin with you. There`s been controversy swirling around this issue for a while now. Why is hip hop degrading to women?

MICHAELA ANGELA DAVIS, "ESSENCE" MAGAZINE: I don`t say that hip hop is degrading to women. To take hip hop as a big culture and say that it`s degrading to women is not our position at all. Hip hop includes the Roots, Common and MC Lyte and Missy Elliott. It`s a huge thing. What we`re saying -- which we love. We love hip hop. What we`re saying is that we`ve got out of balance in terms of the kinds of images that we get to see. We`re out of balance with the amount of different kinds of images, particularly young women of color, particularly black women, we have seen one kind of thing.

So it`s not -- we`re not demonizing hip hop at all. We love it. It`s full, it`s rich. It`s got all kinds of legs to it. We`re just saying right now, it has been marginalized in the popular media that we only see one kind of image. That`s what we`re saying. We love hip hop.

HAMMER: OK, well, Alexi, you`ve been a part of these images in the music videos. What`s your take on it?

ALEXI PANOS, ACTRESS AND SINGER: My take is basically hip hop in general includes everything, just as you said. However, you have to realize that women are here as a choice. We come to these videos. We get paid, just as actresses come to the set and get paid it do certain things. And the fact that people are calling -- telling us that we`re degrading ourselves and doing things that are against, you know, being a woman and being a strong woman -- I am a strong woman. I do have a full-time job. I am smart. And I do go on these videos and know what it consists of, and I just get paid for that.

DAVIS: Sure, you get paid, but what I`m saying is that the disproportionate amount of women of color that are shown in these videos, what is the cost to us as a culture? Because black Americans, know that our music is the soundtrack of our culture. It is the commercial to the rest of the world who we are. It says in history who we are.

PANOS: Absolutely.

DAVIS: So what we`re saying is era, if you look back at this in 20 years, it`s going to look like all black women are on the stripper pole, and that is so not so.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: To be clear, Michaela, you`re talking about perpetuating a stereotype.

DAVIS: Absolutely, in mainstream popular media.

PANOS: OK, so let`s talk about...

(CROSSTALK)

PANOS: ... mainstream popular media is video games. Let`s talk about movies. What about the violence and sex...

DAVIS: But we`re here to talk about hip hop videos...

PANOS: ... in video games?

DAVIS: ... and women...

HAMMER: Let`s talk about hip hop right now...

DAVIS: ... sweetheart not...

HAMMER: ... because -- because that`s our subject.

DAVIS: ... not video games. We`re here to talk about women.

PANOS: I understand. But I`m just saying if you`re saying that black women or women of color are being...

DAVIS: Disproportionately shown.

PANOS: OK. All right. But these women are also getting other avenues. They`re going into magazines. They`re going into movies.

DAVIS: But what magazines? They`re going into "Smooth" and "King"...

PANOS: But then...

DAVIS: ... where they`re still wearing -- they don`t -- they`re not like Paris Hilton, sweetheart. They don`t get a reality show. To think that their options are the same as white women is crazy. They don`t go on like Monica Lewinsky and become a star.

(CROSSTALK)

PANOS: You can`t say that. There are girls that have gone out and done that.

DAVIS: Melissa Ford (ph).

PANOS: Yes. Absolutely.

DAVIS: And?

PANOS: Kee Toy (ph). She`s done -- she`s done movies. She`s done videos. She`s done magazines. She`s got...

DAVIS: Yes, but...

PANOS: ... a successful calendar line, a successful video line.

DAVIS: To think that...

PANOS: And she is a businesswoman making money for herself.

DAVIS: This is one girl out of 400.

PANOS: It`s not just one girl!

DAVIS: But what I`m saying is...

PANOS: There are many girls out there.

DAVIS: ... who she represents is a large culture. It`s a large culture of women that young girls that are 10 years old -- this is the only image that they see on TV.

PANOS: Well, then, don`t allow your kids to watch the videos.

DAVIS: The thing is -- the thing is, is that`s not fair to say that they`re wrong. It`s not about not being a video girl. That is so cool. But there was also M.C. Light and Salt N`Pepa and...

PANOS: Unbelievable.

(CROSSTALK)

DAVIS: So that`s what our issue is. It`s not about you. Make your money. Make your choices. But if I`m a single mother and I`m in college or I`m on Welfare, I can`t control my kids. We`re here to care about the women that aren`t privileged, that maybe need some help, that maybe need some controls with their children, that don`t have the privilege to have nannies.

HAMMER: Alexi, I want you to jump in real quick.

PANOS: I understand that, but being a parent means being at home. And whether that means...

DAVIS: I`m a parent!

PANOS: ... you have somebody watching...

DAVIS: I`m a parent, and I have...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Michaela, please let Alexi finish.

PANOS: I have friends who are single parents who regulate what their children watch, who regulate what music they listen to, what video games they play. And their children are amazing kids.

HAMMER: All right...

DAVIS: So I`m just saying if you -- if the problem comes down to kids and what they see is correct in our -- you know, in our entertainment world...

DAVIS: But those are...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: OK, ladies...

DAVIS: We`re talking about young girls, 20-year-old single moms...

HAMMER: And ladies, we`re going to have to...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: We`re going to have to -- we`re out of time. We`re going to have to -- we`re going to have to end it there. This is a dialogue that will certainly continue. Now, I do appreciate you both, Michaela and Alexi, for chiming in on the subject tonight.

And now, of course, we want to know what you have to say on the subject. It`s our "SHOWBIZ Showdown" question of the day. Hip Hop: Is it degrading to women? We`d like you to go to cnn.com/showbiztonight to vote. If you have a bit more to say, and I suspect some of you may, the e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com.

BRYANT: Jerry Orbach will forever be known to millions as Detective Lenny Briscoe. Today, friends and fans lined up outside the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York to bid farewell to the man many dubbed Mr. Broadway. Sam Waterston hosted the memorial. Angela Lansbury and Orbach`s wife, Elaine, spoke to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the man so many loved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA LANSBURY, ACTRESS: Well, he`s just Mr. Broadway. That`s all I can say. He was one of the greatest male Broadway performers in anybody`s time.

ELAINE ORBACH, JERRY ORBACH`S WIDOW: He was given some of the better shows of the past, in what they called the Golden Age. And those who are old enough to know him have the memories that the young folk don`t. But they can buy an album and turn on the television. And when they`re sitting at home, they can watch him on...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Orbach loved acting and worked up until the end, shooting his last scene on "Law and Order" just three weeks before his death. Orbach died of prostate cancer in December at the age of 69.

HAMMER: Well, one of the stars of "Crossing Jordan" is stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. One on one with Jerry O`Connell live. That`s coming up.

BRYANT: Plus, Heidi Klum coming soon to a candy counter near you. We`ll take that to the "Buzz Bench."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Who are the top 100 sexiest women? Well, it really isn`t an exact science, but one men`s magazine tried to figure it out. That`s coming up later on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: It is time for a "SHOWBIZ Short." The clock runs out on "Third Watch." Today "The Hollywood Reporter" says NBC is not renewing the series. "Third Watch" was on the air for six years.

BRYANT: Well, he first appeared on screen in the 1986 classic "Stand By Me." And many of you remember him as Cush from "Jerry Maguire." Well, nowadays, you can catch him every Sunday night on the hit NBC drama "Crossing Jordan" as Detective Woody Hoyt. Of course, he is Jerry O`Connell. Welcome to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Jerry.

JERRY O`CONNELL, "CROSSING JORDAN": What`s going on? It`s good to be here.

BRYANT: Yes. Not too much. Well, first, before we get to talking, we want to give everybody a look at you in action. So let`s roll this clip.

O`CONNELL: All right.

BRYANT: OK, so for those who don`t watch the show, Jerry, give us a back story on who Woody is.

O`CONNELL: I play a cop in Boston. I`m originally from Wisconsin. And I should say, you know, I`m from a small town called -- something like Winnetka (ph), Wisconsin. Sorry that I forget. No, it`s Kuwani (ph), Wisconsin.

BRYANT: OK.

O`CONNELL: Kuwani. Which is a little bit of a stretch for me because I`m originally from New York City, which is a little different from Kuwani...

BRYANT: Right.

O`CONNELL: ... Wisconsin. But the thing I`m plugging right now is my brother -- my real-life biological brother, Charlie, my younger brother, is in Sunday`s episode, and we -- he and I get into a little bit of an argument.

BRYANT: So now, how is that, acting with your brother? Because I would imagine, in a way, it must be kind of freeing, since you know the guy.

O`CONNELL: Yes. I got to tell you, a lot of times, if you have conflict with another actor or a stunt guy, you sort of pull back a little bit because you don`t want them, you know, hitting you or getting mad at you if do you something that might offend them. But with your brother, it`s like the gloves are off.

BRYANT: All bets are off!

O`CONNELL: And it`s, like, Listen, man, I`m going to -- I`m going to probably -- you know, we had one scene where I was mad at him, and I was poking him in the forehead, like this, over and over again. And I was thinking, like, Wow, there`s, like, no other place I could do it. It`s funny. My mom came to visit one day and saw us do a scene. And she was, like, Well, it looks like you guys are at home. So natural.

BRYANT: Your story of your youth there. Now, I know a lot of people are hoping this season that you and Jordan might get a little closer. What are the chances of some romance?

O`CONNELL: You know, I think I might get me a little bit of Jordan. We just finished the season finale, and it`s great. Jill is...

BRYANT: Yes.

O`CONNELL: Jill is wonderful. She`s gorgeous. It`s a lot of fun. So it`s not hard. As we say if the business, NAN, no acting necessary when...

BRYANT: Right.

O`CONNELL: ... you`re working with Jill.

BRYANT: But you know, now, I want to talk to you about this, though, because what about the flip of that? What if your girlfriend is doing a sex scene with somebody? Does that make you a little edgy?

O`CONNELL: I`m not a jealous guy. You can`t be like that. You know, come on. We`re confident. You should be confident, as well. I`m not worried about it at all.

BRYANT: All right. All right. Well, cool. So I know that, you know, you`re on vacation right now and everything, and I know that you`re from New York. I happen to be from Boston. I know you`re really upset about the fact that the Red Sox won this year.

O`CONNELL: Yes, it was upsetting because what was your best win -- congratulations...

BRYANT: Thank you.

O`CONNELL: ... I`m just coming to terms with it...

BRYANT: Sure.

O`CONNELL: ... was the Yankees` worst loss. And somebody -- I saw a hat the other day, where it was the Yankees symbol and it said "New York chokers," and it was not funny, man. It was just a sore spot.

BRYANT: Oh, but it is. Oh, it is. Now, I want to talk about your brother again, Charlie, for a second. What`s he...

O`CONNELL: Yes.

BRYANT: He`s going to be the bachelor?

O`CONNELL: He`s a bachelor girl. He`s doing it!

BRYANT: How do you feel about that? Are you looking for him to get...

O`CONNELL: It starts on Monday. I`m excited for him. I think it`s going to be great. I think he`s going to be hysterical. I think he`s going to be a lot better than that Jen Schefft girl, who didn`t make a decision at all. And you know, I got to tell you, my brother`s a little bit of a goofball.

BRYANT: OK.

O`CONNELL: He`s younger than I am. He`s 29. And he`s sort of -- you know, he doesn`t have a girlfriend. He`s sort of been vacillating between...

BRYANT: Sure.

O`CONNELL: ... you know, girls and...

BRYANT: All right, well...

O`CONNELL: I think -- I got to tell you, you know, these guys are supposed to be sequestered and you`re not supposed to talk to them...

BRYANT: But he`s going to be...

O`CONNELL: ... but he`s my brother...

BRYANT: ... on our show Monday, so we`re going to talk to him.

O`CONNELL: Yes!

BRYANT: All right, well, Jerry...

O`CONNELL: Have fun with him. You`re going to like him. It`s going to be crazy.

BRYANT: All right, well, excellent. Thanks for joining us. Jerry O`Connell...

O`CONNELL: Thank you.

BRYANT: ... joining us live from Hollywood. Of course, you can see him on "Crossing Jordan" Sunday nights on NBC.

HAMMER: Well, coming up, we`re going to show you what`s hot right now in fashion in "Thursday In Style." Also ahead, Sandra Bullock, "Miss Congeniality 2" out today. We caught up with her at the premier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Meet the parents. Bernie Mac is in for a big surprise when Ashton Kutcher shows up at his door. A SHOWBIZ sit down with the stars of "Guess Who?"

HAMMER: And easy on the eyes. It`s FHM`s 100 sexiest women. We`ll show you who`s hot and who`s hotter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA SILVERSTONE: I`m Alicia Silverstone and if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Thank you. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Karyn Bryant.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s hot headlines. "American Idol" dominating the news.

BRYANT: First, Paula pays up --- and the case is closed today. "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul was charged straight up with hitting and running from a traffic accident last year. Today in Los Angeles, she took full responsibility for hitting the other car and got 24 months of probation, $900 in fines and she agreed to pay the car`s owner $775 in damages.

HAMMER: But an "American Idol" mix-up didn`t damage the show today despite putting up the wrong caller numbers for three of the 11 idol contestants. Last night`s redo show won its time slot in the ratings and tonight of course the results will be announced and it`ll be down to 10.

BRYANT: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who`s the sexiest woman of them all? Well, "FHM" is out with its annual survey and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here to give a glimpse. I`m sure you were crying about this assignment today, David?

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Going through magazines all day today Karyn. Sorry about that. Yes, this is the fifth year that "FHM" has polled its readers on who they think is the planet`s sexiest woman. Perhaps most surprising though is who is not on the list this year. The world`s sexiest woman 2005 is Angelina Jolie. At least that`s according to the 15 million "FHM" magazine readers who were asked to rank their top 100 favorites.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL DOLAN, DEPUTY EDITOR, FHM: She`s beautiful. She`s alluring. She`s smart. She`s mysterious. She`s a humanitarian.

HAFFENREFFER: The 29-year-old actress moved up from the number two spot last year, unseating Britney Spears, who`s nowhere to be found on this year`s list.

DOLAN: And she`s been very quiet. She hasn`t done a lot of projects. She`s living quietly at home and I think there`s a little bit of out of sight, out of mind.

HAFFENREFFER: In the number two spot, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner. Love her or hate her, hotel heiress Paris Hilton lands at number three, after another successful season of Fox`s "Simple Life." Rounding out the top five, Academy Award winner Charlize Theron and the "FHM" 2003 sexiest woman, actress Halle Berry. A big mover on this year`s list was singer Mariah Carey, who jumped from number 46 last year up to number 15.

DOLAN: She has a brand new album coming out, "The Emancipation of Mimi." I think it`s a very large release for Island Def Jam. I think Mariah is looking at this as a big change in her career, a more adult image.

HAFFENREFFER: Notable newcomers this year include "Lost in Translation" actress Scarlet Johansson and singer/actress Lindsay Lohan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: Angelina Jolie`s no stranger to topping magazine list these days. Last October "Esquire" magazine named her the sexiest woman alive. The new "FHM" issue hits newsstands on April 3rd. AJ.

HAMMER: Thanks a lot, David. And if you look at that list closely and I know you did, you know that Heidi Klum came in at number 25 on the "FHM" list. And today the eye-candy supermodel got into the U.S. candy business. In New York this morning, Klum launched her "my favorite candies." The gummies have already been in Europe for four years and in case you were wondering, they are of course fat-free.

Well, "Candy" is one of Mandy Moore`s most famous songs. Pay attention now. Coach --- the leather bag company -- has hired the singer Mandy Moore and actress to be the face of one its lines in Asia. In addition to appearing in ads, Moore will headline a concert Tokyo next month.

BRYANT: Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher hit the small screen together last year on "The Bernie Mac Show." Now, they`re laughing it up on the big screen. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sat down with the pair. Brooke, it was hard to keep them on topic, wasn`t it?

ANDERSON: Absolutely, Karyn. It was a challenge but a fun one at that. We talked about their new film together "Guess Who?" and we also talked about Ashton`s future plans to get married or maybe not to get married.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Any movement towards marriage in real life?

ASHTON KUTCHER: What -- no!

ANDERSON: Just point blank.

KUTCHER: No.

ANDERSON: Absolutely not.

KUTCHER: No.

BERNIE MAC: I think he`s happy where he is.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MAC: And I think that`s the most important thing I would tell anybody.

KUTCHER: I think that love is so much more important than marriage, that as soon as people start figuring that, the divorce rate will go way down.

ANDERSON: So Ashton clearly has the experience with the topics of love and marriage. His new film "Guess Who?" is a comic adaptation of the 1967 drama "Guess Who`s Coming to Dinner?," a film about a white woman who brings her black boyfriend to meet her parents.

KUTCHER: You don`t want to remake a great classic film. I`m never going to be Sidney Poitier. Like I`m really well aware of that and I wouldn`t even try to be that. So we had to figure out a way to change it around.

ANDERSON: Coincidentally, Ashton and Bernie were both working separately on projects with this same premise before their paths bumped into each other.

MAC: You know it was ironic, it was odd. He was on the same page that I was.

KUTCHER: My friendship with Sean Combs made me realize that people are uncomfortable with something like this is different. People couldn`t understand that we could just be friends. They thought something had to be up. Something had to be going on.

MAC: 2005. We`re still 175 years in the eye (ph).

ANDERSON: Something moving fast forward in Bernie`s career after hitting a speed bump in recent years.

MAC: I`ve caught double pneumonia and I was doing three movies, a commercial. I had a vacation in eight years. I ain`t played golf in three years. And I think your body will go up and tell you a little something, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Bernie went on to say everything was blown out of proportion recently about his health. So we are happy to hear he`s doing well. "Guess Who?" is in theaters this weekend, Karyn.

BRYANT: Thank you Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

HAMMER: Paula Abdul highway hiccup. The "American Idol" judge is caught in an alleged hit and run. What will it mean for the show? We`ve got that and Whitney`s return to rehab in our "buzz bench."

BRYANT: And tonight, people are working all over Sandra Bullock but we bet she`s OK with it. We`ll explain coming up.

Well now we`ve got tonight`s birthday shout out. "American Pie" actress Alyson Hannigan turns 31 years old today. The shout out comes from not one, but two of her co-stars, Shannon Elizabeth and Tara Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Alyson, happy birthday. I hope you had a great day and enjoy it. It`s all yours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alyson, you`re the cutest best person in the world. I love you Alyson. Happy birthday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s "Showbiz Showdown" question of the day: hip hop -- is it degrading to women? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight and send us your e-mail at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll share some of what you had to say at 55 past the hour.

HAMMER: It`s time now for the "Buzz Bench," where today`s hot topics take center stage. Tonight, Paula`s fine, Whitney`s rehab and Heidi`s candy shop.

BRYANT: Joining us on the "Buzz Bench" is "New York" magazine`s Sarah Bernard, the "New York Times" Lola Ogunnaike and radio host Frank DeCaro. So wheels of justice work quickly in LA today and "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul was charged in connection with a hit and run car accident and then the case was closed. She pleaded no contest. What`s up with Paula and the driving?

FRANK DECARO, RADIO HOST: Well, you can`t be too mad at her because she did go to the Halle Berry driving school and her teacher was Lizzie Grubman. So you can`t get too mad at her. She did the right thing. She paid up and stuff but you know she was probably on the cell phone. Did we hit a person? It wasn`t a person. Keep going.

BRYANT: Shut up, Simon. Shut up. You could see they were sort of funny. It was almost like, well, now that she got caught, she admitting it.

SARAH BERNARD, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: That was such a big mistake. At one point she said something like her car was in the shop that day and she wasn`t even on the road.

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: And then the car turned up in the shop the next day.

BRYANT: She hit a pothole.

HAMMER: Everybody has a camera now because of the camera phone and somebody`s cell phone.

BERNARD: That`s part of the story. No one can get away any anything any more, because the people who she hit, whipped out their phone, took a picture of her license plate and tracked her down.

OGUNNAIKE: She can`t hit a high note but she can hit a car.

DECARO: She did the right thing. Because when someone catches you just have to go yes, I did it. As opposed to saying no I didn`t, because that`s when you really get in trouble.

BRYANT: It was just $775 worth the damage. It`s not the end of the world. It`s a small fine for her.

HAMMER: Paula`s doing well for Paula right now.

BRYANT: She is.

HAMMER: The fact is that she`s doing so well with "American Idol," people are loving on her.

BERNARD: This wasn`t the week to have this happen.

HAMMER: Well, not a good week for Whitney Houston. Unfortunately she`s back in rehab. This is not the first time.

BERNARD: It`s sad.

HAMMER: Lola?

OGUNNAIKE: I thought that she was really going to make it this time. She spent five days in rehab last time and we all know it only takes five days to cure a habit that you`ve had for years. So it`s just shocking to me that she`s back there. I`m devastated.

BERNARD: I think this might not be so much a testament to her trying to change her life as it is to Clive Davis, her longtime executive producer who actually discovered her. People say that they were working together on this seventh album, that he might have been giving her the tough love speech, you have to do this or not. Or forget it.

OGUNNAIKE: We all Whitney, she`s admitted that she does cocaine and she did the marijuana and she did the pills, but she doesn`t do crack, because come on, say it with me people, crack is whack. That`s right, crack is whack. And marijuana`s for your momma.

HAMMER: Did we just really do that?

BRYANT: What do you think? Do you think she`s going to kick it this time?

DECARO: I hope so. I worry for Bobby Christina`s sake. She missed her birthday party, OK? That`s like -- that kid is going to write a book now. You know it. You miss one birthday party when you`re a kid.

OGUNNAIKE: Little Bobby Christina is 12 years old already.

BRYANT: She`s got a best seller in her already.

DECARO: She is taking notes. You know she is.

OGUNNAIKE: She`s like my daddy Bobby ain`t come home.

BRYANT: I tell you what. We want to move on to our third topic which is Heidi Klum. She`s a supermodel. She`s now selling candy. She`s got her own line of candy. It`s kind of a gummy, no fat sort of chewy thing.

HAMMER: I got props.

BRYANT: Do you have props? Oh you have some here.

HAMMER: Lovely parting gifts for everybody on the "Buzz Bench" today.

BRYANT: Sarah, what is your take on this one? Do we really need supermodel candy?

BERNARD: I think it`s hilarious. I love the irony. The supermodels are trying to make all of us fat. I don`t care. There is sugar in this. That makes you fat. It`s strange because it`s not a photo. It`s a painting of Heidi.

BRYANT: Why couldn`t they come up with --

BERNARD: I would say this is the worst example of not understanding how to control your own image.

BRYANT: Is there a need for this?

BERNARD: No, she`s got a line of Birkenstock. She`s got perfume. She`s got jewelry.

(CROSSTALK)

DECARO: I trust a supermodel for shoes and perfume and stuff. I want a fat person to talk to me about (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I do.

OGUNNAIKE: I think it`s a cruel conspiracy. She wants to make us all fat and have bad teeth so she`ll look skinny and beautiful for the rest of her life. Like why not a Heidi Klum granola or a Heidi Klum salad or something?

DECARO: It should be Heidi Klum cigarettes and Heidi Klum champagne. That`s all super models really like.

BERNARD: Yeah, and Altoids.

HAMMER: These are wildly successful in Europe, though.

BRYANT: That`s right. She has been selling them for years already in Germany.

BERNARD: And she took a classy joint like Dwayne Reid (ph).

BRYANT: The chain of drug stores here in New York.

HAMMER: Frank just popped one, you`re doing all right. Maybe we will move on to Sarah.

BERNARD: He can`t talk. I just think at some point, you`ve got to stop saying yes to all the people who asked to put your face on their product and this was probably like a step too far. Stick with project runway, that`s doing really well. It picked up for another year. You don`t need to do the candy.

BRYANT: Although perhaps we could send some of these to Whitney because she might need a snack.

BERNARD: The munchies.

BRYANT: Like a care package.

HAMMER: Easy sell. All right, enjoy your lovely parting gift and "Buzz Bench." Sarah, Lola, Frank, thanks for stopping by, guys.

Well of course we know that ZZ Top once sang, "she`s got legs and she knows how to use them." Well, "In-Style" magazine agrees, an April shower of fashion. That`s coming up our Thursday "In-Style."

BRYANT: And there she is, "Miss Congeniality." We`re at the premiere of Sandra Bullock`s sequel, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Time now for Thursday "In-Style."

HAMMER: Tonight, fashion director Hal Rubenstein tells us what looks that he thinks we should keep in mind for April and we`re going to start off with the goddess gown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAL RUBENSTEIN: I think one of the elements of a goddess gown is this whole idea of gathering fabric, the diagonals that are formed by the fold do wonders for a woman`s body. They slim it. They make her breast`s look, nicely shaped. They give the hips a certain roundness. They give height. It`s flattering to almost all figure types.

The best thing a couple can do is look like they`re actually happy to be in each other`s company. Some of the other magazines are just, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) torn in half and just shredded and fighting and it`s like, come on, it just can`t always be this negative. This is gross.

As far as how they dress is concerned, when you dress compatibly, then it makes some kind of sense. And I think what you see in these photographs are people just, they have an awareness of what the other person is wearing. You want to look right with this person. You want to look like you belong with this person. If you got great legs, you should wear a miniskirt. Your legs look good in it, guys love to look at it. It just depends on where you`re going. A miniskirt on a summer day going to a party a Saturday night, that`s really cool. Going to a wedding, I don`t know. You have nothing else to wear.

The one thing I do like on Marley Shelton (ph) I like the idea if you`re going to expose you legs, that you cover everything else up. It brings more attention to the legs and I think it`s a lot sexier. I like a little bit more mystery there. Trench coats are fail-safe fashion. You can`t possibly miss. There`s a reason that in the most famous scene in the most famous movie of all time, "Casablanca," Ingrid Bergman is wearing a trench coat and we remember this woman and she will look sexy and alluring for eternity. There`s something about that turned-up collar and the cinched in waist and the shape of a trench coat that flatters every single woman. The other part of a trench coat is absolute practicality. There`s almost nothing it can`t cover. There`s almost nowhere it can`t go. It`s just a great piece of clothing. Everybody should own at least one, man and woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: And if you want to read more about this month`s looks, pick up a copy of April`s "In-Style" magazine, which hits newsstands tomorrow.

HAMMER: Are you sitting there getting some ideas?

BRYANT: I was. I`m in the market for a trench, definitely.

HAMMER: I`ll see you in the office on the Internet buying one tomorrow. That`s what you do, I walk by your office. I`ve seen that.

BRYANT: I do not.

HAMMER: She does. P-Diddy pays a visit to the White House and tells David Letterman all about it. That`s coming up in our "Laughter Dark."

BRYANT: And there`s still time for you to sound off in tonight`s "Showbiz Showdown" question of the day. Hip hop, is it degrading to women? Vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll share some of your thoughts live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It`s a big day for Sandra Bullock. Not only is her new movie "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" out today, she also has a brand- new star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Bullock was honored with the star today. It`s number 2,281, just in case you`re keeping count. And hers is right next to her "Speed" co-star, Keanu Reeves. Bullock and the rest of the "Miss Congeniality 2" cast, including William Shatner, were out for the film`s premiere in Hollywood last night. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with Sandra and asked her about her reputation for being so congenial herself -- kind of an anti-diva.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA BULLOCK: Never, never, never. Shut up. Don`t start with me. Don`t start with me.

WILLIAM SHATNER: Spank you on your little tiny rear.

BULLOCK: I`m going to tell you what. There ain`t nothing tiny or little about my rear.

SHATNER: I lied. What can I tell you?

BULLOCK: OK. He`s so fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" is in theaters today. Tomorrow of course being Good Friday, some of the movie releases pushed up to today for the weekend.

BRYANT: It`s time to get your laugh on in "Laughter Dark." As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you may have missed.

HAMMER: Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is president of his own Bad Boy entertainment empire, but on "The Late Show with David Letterman," Diddy makes it clear, there`s only one President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: What were you doing at the White House?

SEAN COMBS: Just checking it out. Got to meet Georgy and everything.

LETTERMAN: You met the president and his wife?

COMBS: Yeah.

LETTERMAN: How did that -- what was the impression you had of those people?

COMBS: I mean, it was the president. You know. Hey, it was the White House. I mean it felt like the White House. You know? He felt like the president.

LETTERMAN: Yeah.

COMBS: And we met.

LETTERMAN: Yeah. Did you get the sense that the guy could hang?

COMBS: No, no. I`m going to be perfectly honest. I got the sense that what you see on TV, I mean that`s what you get in person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: P. Diddy just calls it like he sees it.

BRYANT: You know.

HAMMER: Well, throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our "Showbiz Showdown" question of the day. Hip hop, is it degrading to women? Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far. It`s a landslide. Eighty four percent of you do say yes, hip-hop is degrading to women; 16 percent of you say no, it`s not degrading to women.

BRYANT: And you`ve also been sending us e-mails on this question. Lela from Hutsonville, Illinois, says, of course the images of women in hip hop are degrading. They are there because their bodies are being used as sex objects.

And Jason from Waterloo, Iowa, says, most of today`s hip hop is really mainstream pop and true hip hop is not degrading to women, but mainstream rap music is.

And remember you can continue to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Well, again, because it`s a holiday I suppose, we gave the marquee the guy the night off.

HAMMER: Is that why?

BRYANT: I think so.

HAMMER: All right. Well, I guess we`re going to have to tell everybody what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. So here goes. Karyn, you`re first. Make it good.

BRYANT: Look at me, we`ve got more of Sandra B, Sandra Bullock. We just told you she got a star in the walk of fame today. Well, she`s got a whole lot more to say about her "Miss Congeniality" sequel, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Well, thanks, Karyn. Hip-hop superstar Kanye West has found himself a legend -- John Legend. West produced this hot newcomer`s album and Alicia Keys took notice -- she asked him to tour with her. John Legend stops by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow. Is that all right?

BRYANT: Nicely done.

HAMMER: I`m embarrassed for myself.

BRYANT: Wow. That was fun.

HAMMER: OK. I guess it`s a night. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll see you back here tomorrow.

BRYANT: Nancy Grace is up next right after the very latest from headline news.

END