Return to Transcripts main page

Showbiz Tonight

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for March 30, 2005, CNNHN

Aired March 30, 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: Britney Spears, the tabloids and baby talk from the Donald. I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Britney strikes back. She is fed up with all the rumors and is taking on the tabloids like never before. What did she say? We`ll tell you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURENCE FISHBURNE, "THE MATRIX": And in this corner...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Laurence Fishburne live. He`s back in "The Matrix." Another sequel, you ask? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the answer. "SHOWBIZ In Depth," the business of "American Idol," how the ratings machine is turning into an unbelievable money machine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN LATIFAH, "BEAUTY SHOP": I want to be the best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All hail the queen. "Beauty Shop" star Queen Latifah cuts to the chase.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN LATIFAH, ACTRESS/SINGER: I think many women can relate to trying to do the juggling act we have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Tonight, Queen Latifah speaks out one on one with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Soul searching. Al Green is back with a new record and getting down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GREEN, "EVERYTHING`S OK": Hi. This is Reverend Al Green. And if it happened today, you can bet it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, and you`re at the top of the show. We are live from the Headline Prime studios in New York City for the next hour. Karyn Bryant has the night off.

Well, she`s mad as heck, and she`s not going to take it anymore. Britney Spears took on the tabloids today, hitting back hard at all the rumors and whispers about what`s really going on in her life. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" David Haffenreffer is here now with Britney`s Web page tirade -- David.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Boy, did she ever, A.J. The 23- year-old pop star is going after those glossy celebrity weeklies in a bold, dot-com way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): It popped up on her Web site early this morning. After weeks of tabloid coverage about her weight, her hair color, her marriage to dancer Kevin Federline, and most recently, whether she`s pregnant or not, Britney Spears came out swinging in a "Dear false tabloids" letter, writing, "Your employees are a reflection of your magazine. Do you, `US Weekly,` `In Touch,` `Star` and other desperate magazines, want employees who are honest or those who are liars? It seems to me you`d prefer the latter."

So what might have driven Britney to the dot-com boiling point?

SARAH LEWITINN, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER: I think the thing that pushed her over the edge to write the letter that she wrote on her Web site was the accusations that Kevin doesn`t want to have her baby.

HAFFENREFFER: The only magazine Britney had kind words for was "People" magazine, saying, quote, "`People` magazine is great, in my book." But she had a lot more to say about the workers at the other publications, saying, "I`m really concerned about the people you hire to work at your companies. I`d like them to ask themselves the question, What am I lying to myself about? Is it that you are 50 pounds overweight? Is it that your children aren`t making wise decisions? Or is it maybe that your husband or boyfriend is cheating on you? Until you face what is going on in your life, I guess you`ll remain a false tabloid."

LEWITINN: Britney is a classic example of someone who has sort of fallen from grace. She was coveted, loved, beautiful. Everyone wanted to be her. And suddenly, she`s acting like everyone else.

HAFFENREFFER: This week`s cover story of "Star" is about Britney`s rumored pregnancy. Today "Star" magazine told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it stands by its reporting. We also gave "US Weekly" a call. It says, "Unlike other magazines that pay for access to Britney, the writers at `US Weekly` have high journalistic standards and do their own researching and reporting for all stories. Our coverage of Britney has proven to be accurate, and we stand by our reporting."

Britney`s been staying out of the spotlight these days. Just last week, "FHM" magazine didn`t even list Britney on its annual "Sexiest Women of the World" issue. Just last year, she was No. 1.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

A late statement from "In Touch Weekly" on the Britney letter. The magazine says, "Employees of `In Touch Weekly` are the best in the industry, and we fully stand by all our stories on Britney Spears, including the ones in this week`s issue" -- A.J.

HAMMER: All right. Thanks very much, David.

Well, Britney isn`t the only one who`s battling baby gossip. Word of a baby Trump has people talking, too. The Donald filled in for co-host Kelly Ripa this morning on "Regis & Kelly." He set the record straight on whether or not he and his wife, Melania, have a baby Trump on the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGIS PHILBIN, "REGIS & KELLY": Absolutely. Well, Trump, let me ask you this. Are you expecting a baby in your house?

DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": No.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Melania, are you watching? No, there`s a rumor that we`re having a baby already.

PHILBIN: Yes.

TRUMP: And you know, it`s, like, this rumor`s been going around from even before I was married and -- no. The answer is no.

PHILBIN: The answer is no. Yes. It`s strange how the rumor starts. Right away, everybody can`t wait for the next little Trump.

TRUMP: That`s right.

PHILBIN: You know.

TRUMP: It`s a big rumor.

PHILBIN: Yes. Wouldn`t that be nice, though?

TRUMP: It`s a false rumor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Donald and Melania married just two months ago.

Well, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have also been dodging pregnancy rumors, but they may have other big plans up their sleeves. Today, "People" magazine is reporting that Demi and Ashton commissioned wedding rings from celebrity jeweler Neil Lane. Now, Lane isn`t commenting, but a source tells "People" this all went down last month. A source also tells "People" that Moore is, quote, "definitely pregnant," which, of course, the couple is not confirming. You can read more about Ashton and Demi in the new issue of "People," which is on newsstands Friday.

The star of "Beauty Shop" is talking about kids, as well. In an interview today in "USA Today," Queen Latifah says a family is in her future, that she wants to have and adopt children. Well, for right now, the Oscar-nominated actress is hoping good hair and big laughs make the cut at the box office.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sat down with Queen Latifah, and she`s live with us now from Hollywood. What`s going on with her royal highness, Brooke?

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Oh, her royal highness, A.J. It`s an extension of the "Barber Shop" movie franchise, and this time, it`s the ladies who are combing their ways to curls and comedy, led, of course, by Queen Latifah. She and I talked about what really goes on in the beauty shop, how she feels her career has shaped up so far and her hopes to head behind the camera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEEN LATIFAH: I`m trying to create an environment you can come and relax, all right? We are professionals. Professionals. You never know, Oprah might come strolling up the hill one day.

ANDERSON: Everybody can relate to "Beauty Shop," right?

QUEEN LATIFAH: Yes, indeed.

ANDERSON: What similarities do you think people will pick up from their own real-life experiences in the beauty shop?

QUEEN LATIFAH: Oh, man. I think there`s so many. The conversations, No. 1. The back-and-forth banter...

ANDERSON: Those conversations get pretty funny, don`t they?

QUEEN LATIFAH: Yes, they do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got some serious work done to your bosom area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For $8,000 a pop.

QUEEN LATIFAH: Could have bought yourself a Saturn with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Whose man is doing what, and all this kind of stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Oh, he is beautiful, ain`t he. A straight diamond in the rough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I think a lot of people will be able to relate to a woman trying to run a business and raise a child, you know? I think many women can relate to trying to do this juggling act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DJIMON HOUNSOU, "BEAUTY SHOP": You`re going to fall flat on your behind.

QUEEN LATIFAH: Well, I got a little cushion, so I`ll be just fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Talk to me about the scene with Djimon Hounsou, or several scenes. But you and he make a pretty cute couple.

QUEEN LATIFAH: I like us. I like us. Aren`t we cute?

ANDERSON: Very cute!

QUEEN LATIFAH: I`d like to see more of us kissing.

ANDERSON: And he`s got that washboard with (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

QUEEN LATIFAH: Yes, he does.

(LAUGHTER)

QUEEN LATIFAH: It was so hard to work with him, though. You know, he`s not that cute, and he`s not really a good kisser.

ANDERSON: Not distracting at all, right?

We know you can rap. We know you can sing from "Chicago" and your recent album, "The Dana Owens Album." We know you can act and produce. What else is there about Queen Latifah, about you, that we`re not yet privy to, we don`t yet know about?

QUEEN LATIFAH: You know what? I don`t even know what may be next for -- you know, what else I can show you, or maybe I`ll get to show you -- I`ll be able -- well, I`d like to direct, so that would be next, one goal.

ANDERSON: When you look back, when you first envisioned where you wanted to be, are you there? Is this what you thought was going to happen with your life?

QUEEN LATIFAH: I`m probably way past where I thought I would be at this point in my life. But I never really thought that far. I just -- you know, there`s too much today to get through for me to worry about what`s coming up the road now.

ANDERSON: Taking it day by day!

QUEEN LATIFAH: Day by day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: "Beauty Shop" is in theaters today. A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: Long live the queen. Thanks very much, Brooke.

Well, Will Smith woke up early today to promote his new CD. Smith performed live in New York for the "Today" show. His new CD is called "Lost and Found" and is in stores now. Smith is heading to South Africa next month to co-headline a concert with Ludacris. The show is to celebrate the launch of MTV`s 100th channel worldwide. Highlights will air on MTV in May.

Well, "American Idol" is much more than a TV show. We`re going to pull back the curtain for an in-depth look of the billion-dollar business of "American Idol." That`s coming up. Plus, Laurence Fishburne literally on top of his game. He`s back in "The Matrix." And Fishburne joins us live, coming up, as well.

Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz. Which 1980s hunk played Monica`s somewhat older boyfriend on "Friends"? Was it A, Tom Selleck, B, Don Johnson, C, Patrick Duffy or D, Ted Danson? I`m coming straight back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back. So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which 1980s hunk played Monica`s somewhat older boyfriend on "Friends"? Was it Tom Selleck, Don Johnson, Patrick Duffy or Ted Danson? So easy! The answer, A, Tom Selleck.

It`s 12 minutes past the hour now and time for "SHOWBIZ In Depth," the business of "American Idol." Well, tonight, nearly 30 million people will be watching the No. 1 show on TV to see who`s going to get kicked off next. But what you may not know is that "American Idol" is not just a TV show, it`s a huge money-making machine. Listen to this. Last year alone, "USA Today" estimates, it generated nearly $1 billion in revenue. That`s right, nearly a billion bucks.

And joining us live is David Lieberman of "USA Today." David wrote the paper`s cover story today that reveals just how big the business of "American Idol" has become. And also with us, Randee Dawn , senior features editor for "The Hollywood Reporter," who has written extensively on TV marketing and branding.

David, let`s start with you. The show`s been on now into its fourth season, and it shows no signs of slowing down. What`s that all about?

DAVID LIEBERMAN, "USA TODAY": Well, that was a big surprise this year. In fact, even the executives at FOX were telling people, Don`t expect the show to do as well as it did last year. It`s in its fourth year. Shows typically start to die down. Instead, it`s 8 percent ahead. It`s a real phenomenon.

HAMMER: There is usually a decay, Randee, isn`t there? And this is just -- just booming on up.

RANDEE DAWN, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": Absolutely. I mean, you get shows that are, you know, shown more than one time a week. You get the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaires," and they burn them out so easily and they die. People lose interest because it`s the same old thing. And this year, they`ve really snapped things up. They`ve cut down a little bit on the hours, but we`re still getting saturated.

HAMMER: All right, well, let`s break it down. In terms of those numbers that you put in your article in "USA Today" today, $908 million in revenue for the show, $550 million in ad sales, $215 million in merchandising, 100 million bucks in recordings. This is just going to keep on churning out these big dollars, isn`t it.

LIEBERMAN: I think so. And those numbers are conservative, by the way. I mean, I didn`t put in there any numbers that we really couldn`t account for...

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: ... we really couldn`t trace back.

HAMMER: But who is making all this money?

LIEBERMAN: Well...

DAWN: Well, I mean, you know -- he`s got all the numbers.

LIEBERMAN: ... most of it is going to Fox...

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: ... because they`re the ones who are selling the ads in the show. Remember, no one really expected the show to be such a huge money maker, so Fox is the on that really gets the windfall.

HAMMER: And it`s not an expensive show to produce, as TV shows go, and Fox didn`t pay a lot of money to have the show to begin with, did they.

DAWN: Right. I think -- what -- your article said it was only about $40 million a year that they get. And then the -- you know, the talent doesn`t get very much. Simon Cowell`s doing all right, but everybody else doesn`t get paid huge bucks, so...

HAMMER: Well, one thing that you -- I believe you cited that people may not know. Simon Cowell, one of the three judges, actually gets a piece of the action of the recording deals.

LIEBERMAN: Right. Because the show, when it first started, really was a way to get talent for the record labels. Simon Cowell`s a record executive. He had a label that he sold. He`s got another record label now. It gets very complicated. But they wanted to get talent, and so that was part of the deal. He gets a piece of the action.

HAMMER: And the merchandising is just starting to become incredible. There`s now Fantasia Barrino and Ruben Studdard`s (ph) name being trademarked. There`s a Barbie doll that`s coming to the market, I guess. Is any of this going to cause a backlash, do you think, that will ultimately lead to the decay?

DAWN: I think it`s really smart, what they`ve done, actually, with the Barbies because what you`re doing is you`re grooming the next generation of "American Idol" fans. I mean, they want to attract this 18- to-24 demographic that everybody wants, but those 18 to 24-year-olds -- they get older. And if you want a show that`s going to run 10 or 20 years, you got to start getting them young. So these kids who are buying the Barbies now and playing "American Idol" are going to want to be on "American Idol" when they`re older.

LIEBERMAN: But the Barbies are actually pretty controversial inside the companies that produce the show because what they`re afraid of is if they appeal to too young an audience, they`ll lose credibility with their core audience...

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: ...the teenage audience.

DAWN: Sure.

LIEBERMAN: In fact, just this past year, they made a big change in decision and they started selling their clothing in petite sizes. They wouldn`t do that at first.

HAMMER: And Simon Cowell has actually come out and said, If done properly, if we manage this correctly, this show is something that can go on for decades.

DAWN: Like a new "American Bandstand." That went on and on and on, just has different people showing up. And if they play it right -- you know, if somebody decides, they have a big ego, I want $20 million for my appearance, blah, blah, blah, it could totally sink it. But I think it`ll be interesting to see what happens when contracts come up.

HAMMER: What`s realistic for how long this show could continue, do you think?

LIEBERMAN: Oh, I think we`re going into uncharted territory. You know, the big qualification in what Simon Cowell said was, If we stay together.

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: Well, if contract time comes up and he decides he wants more money than they`re willing to pay, then who knows? There are too many variables. But it`s fascinating because they`ve already done more than anyone thought they would.

HAMMER: Well, we`ll just have to keep watching and see what happens. Thank you very much, both David and Randee, for stopping by.

And of course, now we want to know what you think about all of this. Our "SHOWBIZ In Depth" topic, the business of "American Idol," leads us to our "SHOWBIZ Showdown" question of the day. "American Idol": Do you really care? Take our poll by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight, or you can e-mail us your thoughts on "American Idol," showbiztonight@cnn.com is the e-mail address. We`re going to share some of what you had to say a bit later in the show.

Well, there was other "American Idol" talk today. As we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we bring you the best from today`s top shows. And if anyone cares about "American Idol," of course, it`s the latest castoff from the show, Mikalah Gordon. She stopped by "The Tony Danza Show" today, and she talked about her biggest crush. Little did she know what was about to happen. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKALAH GORDON, "AMERICAN IDOL" CONTESTANT: So you know, I`ve made it completely aware. I`m impressed and...

TONY DANZA, HOST: Yes, you mentioned this, too, I think. Yes.

GORDON: Yes. John Gotti, Jr.

DANZA: Yes.

GORDON: I just think he`s really hot.

DANZA: Yes. Please welcome John Gotti, Jr. There he is.

GORDON: Hi!

DANZA: John was nice enough to get up this morning and do his hair and...

GORDON: Thank you!

DANZA: How`s it going, John?

JOHN GOTTI, JR.: Doing all right. You know, hanging in there. How you doing?

DANZA: What do you think of Mikalah?

GOTTI: Beautiful.

DANZA: Beautiful girl, yes.

GORDON: Thank you!

DANZA: And she`s a terrific entertainer, too. All right. Anyway...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Oh, Tony Danza, making dreams come true. Good guy.

Well, a "Matrix" sequel of sorts is now playing on a computer near you. Laurence Fishburne joins us live with the scoop. That`s ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Plus, Naveen Andrews tells us about finding his inspiration on the hit TV series "Lost." And that`s coming up, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It is time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," a look at more stories that are making news tonight. Well, it was a bad day for Suge Knight. Today we learned that a judge has ordered the rap mogul to pay $107 million to a woman who says she helped him start Death Row Records. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and the late Tupak Shakur used to be on the label.

Well, tonight, a fruit fine for Hilary Swank. Yes, it seems that the Oscar winner failed to declare an apple and an orange when she flew into New Zealand back in October. She did apologize, but she`s been fined $163. Today, Hilary`s spokesperson told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the next time, Hilary will finish up all that fruit on the plane.

Well, you may have thought after three movies and half a billion dollars at the box office, the "Matrix" saga was all over. Well, time to pop in your red pill and go back in. The "Matrix" trilogy continues in a new PC game called The Matrix Online. Emmy and Tony-Award-winning actor Laurence Fishburne, who, of course, plays Morpheus in the "Matrix" movies and is known to viewers all over the world, joins us now to talk about this brand-new game.

Nice to see you, Laurence.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE, "THE MATRIX": Nice to see you.

HAMMER: We want to -- we got a lot to cover, but first, we`re going to take a quick look at the game. Let`s roll this.

FISHBURNE: Great.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neo found a way to save them all. He saved us! He saved them! He saved the Matrix. Why won`t they give up his remains?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: So Lawrence, when you wrapped the "Matrix" movies, did you ever expect to be playing Morpheus again?

FISHBURNE: No. I actually thought I had put it to bed, but it seems that fate had different plans for me.

HAMMER: And it must have been a lot of fun doing this without having to do all of the martial arts. And it was really a whole different approach to something that you`ve gotten to know over the past several years of your life.

FISHBURNE: Yes, it was a lot of fun being able to execute all those "wire fu" moves without actually having to get in the harness, as they say.

HAMMER: Now, of course, you`re doing this game without Keanu Reeves, who plays Neo in the "Matrix" movies. And of course, in the last movie, he supposedly died. You got to -- I have to ask you, is he really dead?

FISHBURNE: Yes.

HAMMER: Definitely?

FISHBURNE: Definitely.

HAMMER: Not going to suddenly reappear magically on my PC?

FISHBURNE: Dead as yesterday`s news, my friend.

HAMMER: OK. Well, as we play the PC game, are we going to learn any new twists about "The Matrix"?

FISHBURNE: Well, what`s great about the game is that it actually is the Matrix. You log on -- you buy the game for, like, 50 bucks, then you pay about $14 a month to go on line, and you enter this mega-city. And it`s really the Matrix in every way, shape and form. There are buildings. There are clubs. There are highways. There are hard lines. There`s kung fu. There`s clothing. I mean, you get to create your own character. You get to learn how to fight. You get to pick your own clothing. You can be a red pill or a blue pill. You can fight with the machines. You can fight against the machines. You can be with the Merovingian. It`s fascinating It`s really like being in the Matrix.

HAMMER: And it actually does continue the storyline of the movies, doesn`t it.

FISHBURNE: Yes. The storyline has been written by a guy named Paul Chadwick, and he just has taken all the Wachowski brothers` basic story points and expounded on them. And you actually, as the player, are sort of very much involved in creating your own story.

HAMMER: OK. Well, now, instead of PC make-believe, let`s play real- life make-believe for just a moment. If the world really was the Matrix and you were the guy in charge, Laurence, what would you change about things?

FISHBURNE: Everything.

HAMMER: Give me an example.

FISHBURNE: I`d change everything. Well...

HAMMER: Anything on your mind.

FISHBURNE: ... ice cream would be free.

HAMMER: Ice cream would be free.

FISHBURNE: Ice cream would be free.

HAMMER: And what would your...

FISHBURNE: Ice cream would be free.

HAMMER: ... flavor be? What flavor would you be walking on line for to get a free sample of?

FISHBURNE: Coffee. Coffee flavor.

HAMMER: Is that with the crunchies, with the sprinkles?

FISHBURNE: No, no, just straight coffee.

HAMMER: OK. And no chance for another "Matrix" movie, and I assume Neo`s dead and you`re done.

FISHBURNE: Well, I think this game is really as close to a next movie as we`ll see for a long time.

HAMMER: OK. Well, we really appreciate you stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Laurence Fishburne, thank you so much.

FISHBURNE: You`re welcome.

HAMMER: And the Matrix Online is available for PCs only. And as Laurence mentioned, it will cost you about 50 bucks, plus a $15-a-month subscription fee for the online Matrix experience.

Well, when she isn`t hanging out in "The West Wing," she`s in a recording studio, on a movie set or on Broadway. Kristin Chenoweth joins us live next, coming up. Plus, Blockbuster pushes rewind on a promotion after customers go ballistic. We`re going to take that to the "Buzz Bench."

First we`re going to take a look at the hottest-selling CDs. And 50 Cent is topping the charts for the fourth week in a row now. His CD, "The Massacre," is No. 1 on the newest "Billboard" chart released today. The "Now 18" music compilation is second. Frankie J.`s "The One" makes its debut at No. 3, followed by Green Day`s "American Idiot" and "Lullabyes to Paralyze" from the Queens of the Stone Age

We`re coming right back with more SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

HAMMER: Green party. Al Green`s back with a brand new CD and he tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT everything`s OK. And lost is found by many viewers. A showbiz sit down with Saib (ph), Naveen Andrews.

KRISTIN DAVIS: Hi. I`m Kristin Davis. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer. Karyn Bryant`s got the night off. Britney, the Donald and Demi. It`s baby makes three tonight. Britney strikes back in a letter on her website today. Spears disses "Us Weekly" "In Touch" and "Star" about their constant reporting on her weight, marriage and rumored pregnancy. The magazines tell us they stand by their stories.

Also today, Donald Trump denied that there`s a little Donald on the way. Filling in for cohost Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis & Kelly, "The Apprentice" star says he and wife Malania (ph) are not expecting.

And rounding out the baby talk trifecta, a source tells "People" magazine today that Demi Moore is pregnant. Moore`s rep says that Demi quote, cannot at this time say she`s pregnant.

We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s showbiz showdown question of the day. "American Idol" do you care? Keep on voting by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say? Send us your e-mail to showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to share some of what you had to say at 55 past the hour.

Well, a lot of people care about ABC`s LOST. There`s a new episode tonight of the hit drama. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got a chance to hang out with series star Naveen Andrews.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over); Sixteen million people voluntarily get "lost" every week on ABC. LOST is ABC`s hit drama series about a group of plane wreck survivors stranded somewhere between Australia and mainland USA. Problem is, they`re not alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not the only people on this island and we all know it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Naveen Andrews plays Saib, a former Iraqi army officer making like all the other marooned passengers, surviving day by day and hoping for answers about what lies deep within the jungle. I caught up with Naveen recently, who told me how getting "lost" helps in getting into character.

NAVEEN ANDREWS: I like the fact of not knowing just because if there are some things that - if you`re aware of what`s going to happen in certain aspects of your character, you`re going to play them. And it`s not going to work later on. This thing is constantly evolving and mutating into unpredictable areas. The very fact that I was playing an Iraqi, from the Republican guard, is unheard of in Hollywood as a main character.

How does a woman like you learn how to tie a perfect bow and knot (ph)?

ANDREWS: And now they`ve got a loving (ph) relationship with somebody who is let`s face it, the ways she looks on the exterior is Miss America, good for middle America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any nuggets that you can tell us about this show on the whole, like what might happen to some of our favorite characters.

ANDREWS: I know that we`re building up towards a crescendo for our season finale. And I love the questions that people have been asking. Actors (ph) included are going to be answered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s it like with the scrip situation? Do you get them delivered in a non-Xeroxable form?

ANDREW: It`s ridiculous. I can remember, we used to just get the script like normally, just print on it and now it says like Naveen Andrews stamped all over it and it`s hush-hush. Don`t tell the actors. It can be frustrating. Trust us, will you?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: All right. One thing we were able to find out for you LOST fans. In the next couple weeks, Saib presents Shannon with a romantic surprise. That`s all we`re allowed to say, seriously. LOST airs tonight on ABC.

You shouldn`t find any problem finding the next Harry Potter book. It`s time now for showbiz shorts, a full blooded debut. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," the sixth book in the series, is going to have a first run printing of listen to this, 10.8 million copies. "Publisher`s Weekly" told us that this is the largest printing of any book ever. It`s coming out on July 16 of course. Beck has plans for the summer. "Billboard" says he`s playing Lollapalooza in July along with the Killers and Widespread Panic. The festival is back, but it`s being scaled down dramatically to one weekend in Chicago. Last year`s Lollapalooza was canceled because of poor ticket sales.

Well, the drama is certainly heating up tonight on NBCs "The West Wing." With just two episodes left to go for the season, Kristen Chenoweth plays the shrewd media advisor Anabeth Shut (ph) and she`s also starring alongside a couple of Hollywood A-listers in two big movies that are coming out and that`s not all. She`s got a new CD. Kristen, thanks for stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You act, you dance, you sing. Tell me about the CD.

KRISTEN CHENOWETH: I like to refer to the CD as it`s got a little something for everybody on it. It`s spiritually a faith-based record, but there`s a song that I covered that Faith Hill sings, Tricia Yearwood (ph) song on there that Hugh Prestwood (ph) wrote, a couple of -- those of you familiar with Amy Grant and Sandy Patti (ph). And then of course there`s a song on there that`s from my musical theater fan base. So it`s really an eclectic record, but I hope it`s one that people just feel blessed. I wanted to do it after 9/11. So I`m glad I just got to do it now.

HAMMER: And you have this big background in musical theater. Pardon me for saying so. You`re a little thing with a big voice! It`s really nice hear you. And of course, everybody is really getting to know you now on the "West Wing" where you steal every scene.

CHENOWETH: Thank you.

HAMMER: I want to talk about that, but let`s roll a clip from the "West Wing."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENOWETH: How do you get women?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me.

CHENOWETH: Briefing the press is a seduction. You`ve got a hot ex, how did you get her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of my office.

CHENOWETH: Do you know what she says?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God. You called Annie.

CHENOWETH: Smart and funny. That`s how guy who, no offense don`t look like Jude Law or Denzel Washington, get babes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you trying to get fired?

CHENOWETH: I`m trying to help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK, I`m a huge fan of the show. I`ve seen every single episode. You got to help me out, a little bit, Jimmy Smits, Alan Alda, running for president. The season`s winding down. Who is going to win?

CHENOWETH: I could tell you.

HAMMER: Do you even know?

CHENOWETH: You know what, I don`t know, and that`s the truth. I honestly do not know. But I`m very excited just to see Alan and Jimmy share the screen together because they`re both incredible.

HAMMER: And you got a great gig with the "West Wing," this great recurring role and you`re also coming up in "The Pink Panther" and you`re coming up in "Bewitched" these three major high profile roles after a career, a great career, but all of a sudden - I mean do you wake up in the morning, just pinch yourself.

CHENOWETH: I do, because, mainly because of my theater -- my training is in singing. And theater, I just keep thinking, how am I so lucky, but I keep getting to work with people like Steve Martin and Nicole Kidman and coming up, Annette Bening.

HAMMER: And Beyonce did you have any scenes with her?

CHENOWETH: I didn`t, but I did meet her at the press junket.

HAMMER: You did.

CHENOWETH: She is quite special and I hear great in the movie.

HAMMER: OK and Martin Sheen, of course.

CHENOWETH: Well, I mean, I`ve become very close to him. He`s a special man.

HAMMER: You`re working with all these big people. I really want to know your first impression, so give me really quickly, first impression of Martin Sheen.

CHENOWETH: He really thinks he`s the president. Actually, he should be. He`s wonderful.

HAMMER: I think you may be on to something there. First impression of Steve Martin.

CHENOWETH: Serious, very serious and very professional about his work. I fell in love with him on the first day and we really had some special chemistry together, I felt on screen, but I was a little intimidated.

HAMMER: OK and in "Bewitched" you`re with Nicole Kidman. What did you think of her the first time you met her?

CHENOWETH: She`s a total gal`s gal. I wish people could really see her just -- they`re going to see her be funny, like she was in the movie I think "To Die For" was the name of it.

HAMMER: But she can hang with the ladies.

CHENOWETH: She can hang and she can - she is funny and professional and just a sweetheart.

HAMMER: Well, Kristin Chenoweth, I appreciate you stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT giving me a little bit of insight on the "West Wing," not all that much. Best of luck with the CD. It`s called "As I Am" and it will be in stores on April 5.

Will Smith dropped a new CD yesterday. So will our buzz bench get jiggy with it? I had to ask. Find out coming up next.

Also, Al Green`s got a new album of his own. It`s called "Stay Together." If you stay together with us, you`ll find out what it sounds like. It`s all coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Just hang around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAL SPARKS: I have a couple of CDs I`m listen listening to right now. One is Thornlee (ph) (INAUDIBLE) Canadian singer songwriter (INAUDIBLE). This is his solo offshoot. Amazing record. Also, the Josh Todd album. It`s good stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back It is time now for the buzz bench, where today`s buzziest stories take center stage. I believe I just made up a word. Tonight, the Presley girls talk about Michael Jackson, Will Smith`s "lost and found" and Blockbuster`s sort-of no late fees. Joining us on the buzz bench "Newsweek`s" Devin Gordon, making his premiere appearance with us, we appreciate you stopping by, comedian and TV personality Chuck Nice, yes he is and "The New York Times" Lola Ogunnaike. So Oprah did this never- before-seen two-show interview with mom and daughter -- Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley. In part two, mom chats about possible motives behind Michael Jackson marrying her daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRISCILLA PRESLEY: There`s something very calculating and manipulative about how he does things. And I couldn`t help, there`s Graceland, there`s Neverland. There`s a whole you know, thread that goes into what he does. You know, even in his business.

OPRAH WINFREY: He`s the rock `n` roll, king of pop.

PRESLEY: Exactly. I do think that was -- not that he didn`t care but I just feel that there`s a whole other agenda going on. I do feel like there was agenda there too, because he wanted children and he wanted her children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Well, because she`s Oprah, she had to ask Lisa Marie if they consummated their marriage Lola.

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: And isn`t that the question we`ve all wanted the answer to for years? Everybody wants to know if they consummated their relationship. Apparently, they did consummate their relationship. I can`t imagine what that night of lovemaking was like though. I mean, he was like hey, Lisa, some Jesus juice and she came to the bed in underoos after they played Xbox. I cannot wrap my head around that. HAMMER: Chuck, any ideas?

CHUCK NICE, COMEDIAN/TV PERSONALITY: I for one can sleep now because this question is finally answered. The burning question did they consummate, has been answered, and I`m a little creeped out. I got to admit. I`m a little freaked out by the whole thing. But In a way, Mike, you did good. That`s all I can say.

DEVIN GORDON, NEWSWEEK": I just got to say, can we stand back and appreciate the irony for one second of a white family claiming that black musicians have been stealing their style for all these years. Is that exactly what Lisa Marie Presley is saying, is that Elvis is being ripped off by Michael Jackson? Wow, that`s role reversal.

OGUNNAIKE: She`s saying that she was fearful that Michael Jackson wanted to have a baby with her daughter, and that kind of freaked her out, having little jungle fever, a little black blood in the family kind of weirded her out.

NICE: I don`t think that was it. I don`t think it was a racial issue at all. I think she was fearful of the fact that Michael Jackson was playing like this kind of musical Dr. Frankenstein. You know. I`m the king of pop. She`s the daughter of the king of rock `n` roll. Our children will rule the world.

HAMMER: Engineered the perfect musical baby.

NICE: With my perfect pop musicians I shall rule the world.

HAMMER: I think Lola is getting a little skipped (ph) out so maybe we`ll just move on to the next thing. Will Smith, brand new CD. Did you have a chance to give a listen to it Chuck?

NICE: Yeah, I actually listened to a couple tracks on it. You know, Will Smith, 18 years in the hip-hop game, comes out with an album and excoriates the rest of hip-hop for being negative, for being what he calls a bunch of clowns in a circus. And I think it`s great, honestly. I think what`s wrong with being positive? Here`s a guy that`s positive, that makes money, that is successful and never takes the low road. I think we need more of that in hip-hop. Quite frankly, I wanted to be a hip-hop artist, but my doctor told me that I was allergic to bullets. So I think we need more of Will Smith.

OGUNNAIKE: I just wish that we could see him as a gangsta for once. I want to see Will Smith with a bandana tied around his head and him like spitting like really gangsta lyrics and throwing bees and bows and stuff like that.

HAMMER: (INAUDIBLE) stays close to his roots.

OGUNNAIKE: I feel like he`s always chastising all these bad rappers for using curse words.

GORDON: If he`s going to be that way, just don`t complain about it. I find it interesting at least that he took on this album saying he`s so annoyed that people are giving him this problem for having a vanilla image and he`s so flippin` angry about it. He doesn`t understand why the heck everyone is so annoyed with Will Smith. Will, that`s your image. Just go with it man.

OGUNNAIKE: Have you seen the new video? He`s got some girls in that video and there`s a lot of booty in that video. I mean there`s a lot of shaking on in that video.

HAMMER?: He`s always enjoyed having the booty along.

OGUNNAIKE: It was usually covered up booty but there`s a lot of open booty in this video.

NICE: By golly, I think it`s great.

HAMMER: I want to get to our last buzz subject guys and Devin, I want to ask your opinion on this. $630 million fine goes to Blockbuster, because they ran these fines -- $630,000 I`m sorry that was allegedly they were misleading ads saying no late fees.

GORDON: I`m kind of torn about this. I mean, on the one hand, I love seeing a giant company like Blockbuster get strapped down for its death knell strategy to keep itself out of bankruptcy. On the other hand, what did people think. Did they think they were giving away the DVD for free?

NICE: Thank you! Thank you!

GORDON: They said no late fees. That doesn`t mean you get to keep the thing. You got to bring it back at some point.

OGUNNAIKE: ... something like $1.2 million in late fees. I have like "Beverly Hills Cop" CDs. I`ve got everything at home. I don`t return movies at all. So I was happy to hear about the no late fee policy.

NICE: Here`s the thing that kills me. The people who are complaining about the no late fee or that it was misleading are the same people, if you go to their library right now, they have library books from elementary school.

HAMMER: You properly excoriated them? Is that the word you used? What the heck was that? Thanks for coming by Devin, Chuck and Lola Ogunnaike from the "New York Times." We love having you guys here.

Well, Al Green`s going to get you up off the bench and grooving on the dance floor. Find out how in his new album. It`s got some old school sounds and we`re going to tell you about it coming up.

Plus David Letterman gets "Sin City" star Britney Murphy all hot and bothered. That`s coming up in laughter dark.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Al Green, in the `70s gave us "Let`s Stay Together" and "Tired of Being Alone," arguably some of the best known love songs of our time. Now, he`s back with a brand new album. My lovely co-host Karyn Bryant caught up with him as he performed for sessions at AOL.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARYN BRYANT, CNN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT (voice-over): The Reverend Al Green, back spreading love and happiness with the new R&B album "Everything`s OK." It`s a return to Green`s old school sound from the `70s. It feels good to listen to this record again and hear you singing about love. I mean it just feels good.

AL GREEN: That`s what life is about.

BRYANT: I was right there with Al Green while he performed for sessions at AOL. It`s got to feel good knowing that you`ve written these songs and it`s made such an impact on people`s lives. You must get that story all the time.

GREEN: The other night, we were doing a concert and I missed a note, and the lady says, oh come on, Al. They know the songs better than me.

BRYANT: Green was at the peak of his popularity when he suddenly decided to join the ministry in the mid 1970s. At first he continued to record R&B. But by the `80s, he was concentrating solely on gospel and the church.

GREEN: I`m a power book and a power winner. I`m a powerhouse because of him, and not because of me.

BRYANT: His gospel music won him eight Grammys over the years and helped usher him into the rock `n` roll hall of fame in 1995. "Everything`s OK" has 12 new songs, half of which Green wrote himself.

GREEN: I`m putting out the positive message, because, you see, the war over here and the conflict over there and all of these things, we can work it out. Everything will be OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Al Green`s hitting the road in May. His first stop, the House of Blues in Chicago. Well, Alicia Silverstone dishes on her favorite dishes. That`s coming up in laughter dark.

And "American Idol" do you care? Still time to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us your thoughts, showbiztonight@cnn.com. Your thoughts next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Time now for another "showbiz short." Nothing compares to Jamaica. Sinead O`Connor who is probably best known for her 1991 hit "Nothing Compares to You" is in Jamaica tonight recording a reggae album. Her co-producer says Sinead will cover Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, among others.

Well, it`s time now to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you might have missed and it seems like we have some awkward celebrity moments in laughter dark tonight. First we`ll start off with "Sin City" star Britney Murphy. She gets all flustered on THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITNEY: MURPHY: Exactly, that was the problem.

DAVID LETTERMAN: Do you mind if I just do one thing?

MURPHY: What is it, please?

LETTERMAN: So for 10 years, you get to go to the big-time Easter egg hunt. Do you do stuff like that in your adult life? Do you do things that --

MURPHY: I`m sorry, I`m looking at you not listening to one word you`re saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: No need to adjust your set. That was her skin turning red.

Now if that wasn`t bad enough, "Beauty Shop" star Alicia Silverstone, who was live with me last night, had a lot of trouble describing her favorite vegan dish on LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O`BRIEN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O`BRIEN: What kind of --

ALICIA SILVERSTON: Yum.

O`BRIEN: What are your favorite sort of vegan meals to have then?

SILVERSTONE: These are a treat, but they`re killed raw balls. You know, they`re really good.

O`BRIEN: What is in the raw ball?

Ooh, they`re just like these little balls of yumminess and love. They`re, like.

O`BRIEN: Anyone just tuning in right now is very upset. So what is in it?

SILVERSTONE: It`s, like, sweet and salty and yummy. Well, OK. It`s got like -- it`s nuts and it`s just delicious.

O`BRIEN: We`re getting out. We`re getting out. We`re being told by the FCC to end this segment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Nothing to say there.

Well, throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our showbiz showdown question of the day. "American Idol" -- do you care? Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far. 25 percent you`ve said yes, you do care about "American Idol." I mean 30 million people are watching the show every night, but 75 percent of you say no you don`t care about "American Idol."

We`ve also been getting some e-mails on the question. The show has gone downhill is what Jeff in Colfax, Washington says. When someone like William Hung is more popular than the winner, the show is really not talent based. And remember, you can continue to vote, cnn.com/showbiztonight is where you go on the worldwide web. If you have more to say, we encourage you to send us your thoughts, showbiztonight@cnn.com.

Time now to take a look at what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Let`s take a look now at the showbiz marquee. Take it away, Mr. Marquee guy!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you had a long 9:00 to 5:00 day at the office? Well, guess what? Dolly Parton is bringing a whole lot of fun, fun, fun to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll say hello Dolly, tomorrow.

He`s not a doctor in real life, but he played one on TV. And Patrick Dempsy, he`s gone from Sweet Home Alabama to many sleepless nights in Seattle. Paging Dr. Patrick Dempsy to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Live tomorrow. This is the marquee guy, off to make my rounds. La de da, la de da.

HAMMER: That`s a rap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Did he just say la de da? I believe he did. Karyn Bryant`s going to be back with me tomorrow. Nancy Grace is coming up next, right after the very latest from headline news.

(NEWS BREAK)

END


Aired March 30, 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: Britney Spears, the tabloids and baby talk from the Donald. I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Britney strikes back. She is fed up with all the rumors and is taking on the tabloids like never before. What did she say? We`ll tell you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURENCE FISHBURNE, "THE MATRIX": And in this corner...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Laurence Fishburne live. He`s back in "The Matrix." Another sequel, you ask? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the answer. "SHOWBIZ In Depth," the business of "American Idol," how the ratings machine is turning into an unbelievable money machine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN LATIFAH, "BEAUTY SHOP": I want to be the best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All hail the queen. "Beauty Shop" star Queen Latifah cuts to the chase.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN LATIFAH, ACTRESS/SINGER: I think many women can relate to trying to do the juggling act we have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Tonight, Queen Latifah speaks out one on one with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Soul searching. Al Green is back with a new record and getting down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GREEN, "EVERYTHING`S OK": Hi. This is Reverend Al Green. And if it happened today, you can bet it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, and you`re at the top of the show. We are live from the Headline Prime studios in New York City for the next hour. Karyn Bryant has the night off.

Well, she`s mad as heck, and she`s not going to take it anymore. Britney Spears took on the tabloids today, hitting back hard at all the rumors and whispers about what`s really going on in her life. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" David Haffenreffer is here now with Britney`s Web page tirade -- David.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Boy, did she ever, A.J. The 23- year-old pop star is going after those glossy celebrity weeklies in a bold, dot-com way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): It popped up on her Web site early this morning. After weeks of tabloid coverage about her weight, her hair color, her marriage to dancer Kevin Federline, and most recently, whether she`s pregnant or not, Britney Spears came out swinging in a "Dear false tabloids" letter, writing, "Your employees are a reflection of your magazine. Do you, `US Weekly,` `In Touch,` `Star` and other desperate magazines, want employees who are honest or those who are liars? It seems to me you`d prefer the latter."

So what might have driven Britney to the dot-com boiling point?

SARAH LEWITINN, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER: I think the thing that pushed her over the edge to write the letter that she wrote on her Web site was the accusations that Kevin doesn`t want to have her baby.

HAFFENREFFER: The only magazine Britney had kind words for was "People" magazine, saying, quote, "`People` magazine is great, in my book." But she had a lot more to say about the workers at the other publications, saying, "I`m really concerned about the people you hire to work at your companies. I`d like them to ask themselves the question, What am I lying to myself about? Is it that you are 50 pounds overweight? Is it that your children aren`t making wise decisions? Or is it maybe that your husband or boyfriend is cheating on you? Until you face what is going on in your life, I guess you`ll remain a false tabloid."

LEWITINN: Britney is a classic example of someone who has sort of fallen from grace. She was coveted, loved, beautiful. Everyone wanted to be her. And suddenly, she`s acting like everyone else.

HAFFENREFFER: This week`s cover story of "Star" is about Britney`s rumored pregnancy. Today "Star" magazine told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it stands by its reporting. We also gave "US Weekly" a call. It says, "Unlike other magazines that pay for access to Britney, the writers at `US Weekly` have high journalistic standards and do their own researching and reporting for all stories. Our coverage of Britney has proven to be accurate, and we stand by our reporting."

Britney`s been staying out of the spotlight these days. Just last week, "FHM" magazine didn`t even list Britney on its annual "Sexiest Women of the World" issue. Just last year, she was No. 1.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

A late statement from "In Touch Weekly" on the Britney letter. The magazine says, "Employees of `In Touch Weekly` are the best in the industry, and we fully stand by all our stories on Britney Spears, including the ones in this week`s issue" -- A.J.

HAMMER: All right. Thanks very much, David.

Well, Britney isn`t the only one who`s battling baby gossip. Word of a baby Trump has people talking, too. The Donald filled in for co-host Kelly Ripa this morning on "Regis & Kelly." He set the record straight on whether or not he and his wife, Melania, have a baby Trump on the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGIS PHILBIN, "REGIS & KELLY": Absolutely. Well, Trump, let me ask you this. Are you expecting a baby in your house?

DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": No.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Melania, are you watching? No, there`s a rumor that we`re having a baby already.

PHILBIN: Yes.

TRUMP: And you know, it`s, like, this rumor`s been going around from even before I was married and -- no. The answer is no.

PHILBIN: The answer is no. Yes. It`s strange how the rumor starts. Right away, everybody can`t wait for the next little Trump.

TRUMP: That`s right.

PHILBIN: You know.

TRUMP: It`s a big rumor.

PHILBIN: Yes. Wouldn`t that be nice, though?

TRUMP: It`s a false rumor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Donald and Melania married just two months ago.

Well, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have also been dodging pregnancy rumors, but they may have other big plans up their sleeves. Today, "People" magazine is reporting that Demi and Ashton commissioned wedding rings from celebrity jeweler Neil Lane. Now, Lane isn`t commenting, but a source tells "People" this all went down last month. A source also tells "People" that Moore is, quote, "definitely pregnant," which, of course, the couple is not confirming. You can read more about Ashton and Demi in the new issue of "People," which is on newsstands Friday.

The star of "Beauty Shop" is talking about kids, as well. In an interview today in "USA Today," Queen Latifah says a family is in her future, that she wants to have and adopt children. Well, for right now, the Oscar-nominated actress is hoping good hair and big laughs make the cut at the box office.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sat down with Queen Latifah, and she`s live with us now from Hollywood. What`s going on with her royal highness, Brooke?

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Oh, her royal highness, A.J. It`s an extension of the "Barber Shop" movie franchise, and this time, it`s the ladies who are combing their ways to curls and comedy, led, of course, by Queen Latifah. She and I talked about what really goes on in the beauty shop, how she feels her career has shaped up so far and her hopes to head behind the camera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEEN LATIFAH: I`m trying to create an environment you can come and relax, all right? We are professionals. Professionals. You never know, Oprah might come strolling up the hill one day.

ANDERSON: Everybody can relate to "Beauty Shop," right?

QUEEN LATIFAH: Yes, indeed.

ANDERSON: What similarities do you think people will pick up from their own real-life experiences in the beauty shop?

QUEEN LATIFAH: Oh, man. I think there`s so many. The conversations, No. 1. The back-and-forth banter...

ANDERSON: Those conversations get pretty funny, don`t they?

QUEEN LATIFAH: Yes, they do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got some serious work done to your bosom area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For $8,000 a pop.

QUEEN LATIFAH: Could have bought yourself a Saturn with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Whose man is doing what, and all this kind of stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Oh, he is beautiful, ain`t he. A straight diamond in the rough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I think a lot of people will be able to relate to a woman trying to run a business and raise a child, you know? I think many women can relate to trying to do this juggling act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DJIMON HOUNSOU, "BEAUTY SHOP": You`re going to fall flat on your behind.

QUEEN LATIFAH: Well, I got a little cushion, so I`ll be just fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Talk to me about the scene with Djimon Hounsou, or several scenes. But you and he make a pretty cute couple.

QUEEN LATIFAH: I like us. I like us. Aren`t we cute?

ANDERSON: Very cute!

QUEEN LATIFAH: I`d like to see more of us kissing.

ANDERSON: And he`s got that washboard with (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

QUEEN LATIFAH: Yes, he does.

(LAUGHTER)

QUEEN LATIFAH: It was so hard to work with him, though. You know, he`s not that cute, and he`s not really a good kisser.

ANDERSON: Not distracting at all, right?

We know you can rap. We know you can sing from "Chicago" and your recent album, "The Dana Owens Album." We know you can act and produce. What else is there about Queen Latifah, about you, that we`re not yet privy to, we don`t yet know about?

QUEEN LATIFAH: You know what? I don`t even know what may be next for -- you know, what else I can show you, or maybe I`ll get to show you -- I`ll be able -- well, I`d like to direct, so that would be next, one goal.

ANDERSON: When you look back, when you first envisioned where you wanted to be, are you there? Is this what you thought was going to happen with your life?

QUEEN LATIFAH: I`m probably way past where I thought I would be at this point in my life. But I never really thought that far. I just -- you know, there`s too much today to get through for me to worry about what`s coming up the road now.

ANDERSON: Taking it day by day!

QUEEN LATIFAH: Day by day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: "Beauty Shop" is in theaters today. A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: Long live the queen. Thanks very much, Brooke.

Well, Will Smith woke up early today to promote his new CD. Smith performed live in New York for the "Today" show. His new CD is called "Lost and Found" and is in stores now. Smith is heading to South Africa next month to co-headline a concert with Ludacris. The show is to celebrate the launch of MTV`s 100th channel worldwide. Highlights will air on MTV in May.

Well, "American Idol" is much more than a TV show. We`re going to pull back the curtain for an in-depth look of the billion-dollar business of "American Idol." That`s coming up. Plus, Laurence Fishburne literally on top of his game. He`s back in "The Matrix." And Fishburne joins us live, coming up, as well.

Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz. Which 1980s hunk played Monica`s somewhat older boyfriend on "Friends"? Was it A, Tom Selleck, B, Don Johnson, C, Patrick Duffy or D, Ted Danson? I`m coming straight back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back. So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which 1980s hunk played Monica`s somewhat older boyfriend on "Friends"? Was it Tom Selleck, Don Johnson, Patrick Duffy or Ted Danson? So easy! The answer, A, Tom Selleck.

It`s 12 minutes past the hour now and time for "SHOWBIZ In Depth," the business of "American Idol." Well, tonight, nearly 30 million people will be watching the No. 1 show on TV to see who`s going to get kicked off next. But what you may not know is that "American Idol" is not just a TV show, it`s a huge money-making machine. Listen to this. Last year alone, "USA Today" estimates, it generated nearly $1 billion in revenue. That`s right, nearly a billion bucks.

And joining us live is David Lieberman of "USA Today." David wrote the paper`s cover story today that reveals just how big the business of "American Idol" has become. And also with us, Randee Dawn , senior features editor for "The Hollywood Reporter," who has written extensively on TV marketing and branding.

David, let`s start with you. The show`s been on now into its fourth season, and it shows no signs of slowing down. What`s that all about?

DAVID LIEBERMAN, "USA TODAY": Well, that was a big surprise this year. In fact, even the executives at FOX were telling people, Don`t expect the show to do as well as it did last year. It`s in its fourth year. Shows typically start to die down. Instead, it`s 8 percent ahead. It`s a real phenomenon.

HAMMER: There is usually a decay, Randee, isn`t there? And this is just -- just booming on up.

RANDEE DAWN, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": Absolutely. I mean, you get shows that are, you know, shown more than one time a week. You get the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaires," and they burn them out so easily and they die. People lose interest because it`s the same old thing. And this year, they`ve really snapped things up. They`ve cut down a little bit on the hours, but we`re still getting saturated.

HAMMER: All right, well, let`s break it down. In terms of those numbers that you put in your article in "USA Today" today, $908 million in revenue for the show, $550 million in ad sales, $215 million in merchandising, 100 million bucks in recordings. This is just going to keep on churning out these big dollars, isn`t it.

LIEBERMAN: I think so. And those numbers are conservative, by the way. I mean, I didn`t put in there any numbers that we really couldn`t account for...

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: ... we really couldn`t trace back.

HAMMER: But who is making all this money?

LIEBERMAN: Well...

DAWN: Well, I mean, you know -- he`s got all the numbers.

LIEBERMAN: ... most of it is going to Fox...

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: ... because they`re the ones who are selling the ads in the show. Remember, no one really expected the show to be such a huge money maker, so Fox is the on that really gets the windfall.

HAMMER: And it`s not an expensive show to produce, as TV shows go, and Fox didn`t pay a lot of money to have the show to begin with, did they.

DAWN: Right. I think -- what -- your article said it was only about $40 million a year that they get. And then the -- you know, the talent doesn`t get very much. Simon Cowell`s doing all right, but everybody else doesn`t get paid huge bucks, so...

HAMMER: Well, one thing that you -- I believe you cited that people may not know. Simon Cowell, one of the three judges, actually gets a piece of the action of the recording deals.

LIEBERMAN: Right. Because the show, when it first started, really was a way to get talent for the record labels. Simon Cowell`s a record executive. He had a label that he sold. He`s got another record label now. It gets very complicated. But they wanted to get talent, and so that was part of the deal. He gets a piece of the action.

HAMMER: And the merchandising is just starting to become incredible. There`s now Fantasia Barrino and Ruben Studdard`s (ph) name being trademarked. There`s a Barbie doll that`s coming to the market, I guess. Is any of this going to cause a backlash, do you think, that will ultimately lead to the decay?

DAWN: I think it`s really smart, what they`ve done, actually, with the Barbies because what you`re doing is you`re grooming the next generation of "American Idol" fans. I mean, they want to attract this 18- to-24 demographic that everybody wants, but those 18 to 24-year-olds -- they get older. And if you want a show that`s going to run 10 or 20 years, you got to start getting them young. So these kids who are buying the Barbies now and playing "American Idol" are going to want to be on "American Idol" when they`re older.

LIEBERMAN: But the Barbies are actually pretty controversial inside the companies that produce the show because what they`re afraid of is if they appeal to too young an audience, they`ll lose credibility with their core audience...

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: ...the teenage audience.

DAWN: Sure.

LIEBERMAN: In fact, just this past year, they made a big change in decision and they started selling their clothing in petite sizes. They wouldn`t do that at first.

HAMMER: And Simon Cowell has actually come out and said, If done properly, if we manage this correctly, this show is something that can go on for decades.

DAWN: Like a new "American Bandstand." That went on and on and on, just has different people showing up. And if they play it right -- you know, if somebody decides, they have a big ego, I want $20 million for my appearance, blah, blah, blah, it could totally sink it. But I think it`ll be interesting to see what happens when contracts come up.

HAMMER: What`s realistic for how long this show could continue, do you think?

LIEBERMAN: Oh, I think we`re going into uncharted territory. You know, the big qualification in what Simon Cowell said was, If we stay together.

HAMMER: Right.

LIEBERMAN: Well, if contract time comes up and he decides he wants more money than they`re willing to pay, then who knows? There are too many variables. But it`s fascinating because they`ve already done more than anyone thought they would.

HAMMER: Well, we`ll just have to keep watching and see what happens. Thank you very much, both David and Randee, for stopping by.

And of course, now we want to know what you think about all of this. Our "SHOWBIZ In Depth" topic, the business of "American Idol," leads us to our "SHOWBIZ Showdown" question of the day. "American Idol": Do you really care? Take our poll by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight, or you can e-mail us your thoughts on "American Idol," showbiztonight@cnn.com is the e-mail address. We`re going to share some of what you had to say a bit later in the show.

Well, there was other "American Idol" talk today. As we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we bring you the best from today`s top shows. And if anyone cares about "American Idol," of course, it`s the latest castoff from the show, Mikalah Gordon. She stopped by "The Tony Danza Show" today, and she talked about her biggest crush. Little did she know what was about to happen. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKALAH GORDON, "AMERICAN IDOL" CONTESTANT: So you know, I`ve made it completely aware. I`m impressed and...

TONY DANZA, HOST: Yes, you mentioned this, too, I think. Yes.

GORDON: Yes. John Gotti, Jr.

DANZA: Yes.

GORDON: I just think he`s really hot.

DANZA: Yes. Please welcome John Gotti, Jr. There he is.

GORDON: Hi!

DANZA: John was nice enough to get up this morning and do his hair and...

GORDON: Thank you!

DANZA: How`s it going, John?

JOHN GOTTI, JR.: Doing all right. You know, hanging in there. How you doing?

DANZA: What do you think of Mikalah?

GOTTI: Beautiful.

DANZA: Beautiful girl, yes.

GORDON: Thank you!

DANZA: And she`s a terrific entertainer, too. All right. Anyway...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Oh, Tony Danza, making dreams come true. Good guy.

Well, a "Matrix" sequel of sorts is now playing on a computer near you. Laurence Fishburne joins us live with the scoop. That`s ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Plus, Naveen Andrews tells us about finding his inspiration on the hit TV series "Lost." And that`s coming up, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It is time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," a look at more stories that are making news tonight. Well, it was a bad day for Suge Knight. Today we learned that a judge has ordered the rap mogul to pay $107 million to a woman who says she helped him start Death Row Records. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and the late Tupak Shakur used to be on the label.

Well, tonight, a fruit fine for Hilary Swank. Yes, it seems that the Oscar winner failed to declare an apple and an orange when she flew into New Zealand back in October. She did apologize, but she`s been fined $163. Today, Hilary`s spokesperson told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the next time, Hilary will finish up all that fruit on the plane.

Well, you may have thought after three movies and half a billion dollars at the box office, the "Matrix" saga was all over. Well, time to pop in your red pill and go back in. The "Matrix" trilogy continues in a new PC game called The Matrix Online. Emmy and Tony-Award-winning actor Laurence Fishburne, who, of course, plays Morpheus in the "Matrix" movies and is known to viewers all over the world, joins us now to talk about this brand-new game.

Nice to see you, Laurence.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE, "THE MATRIX": Nice to see you.

HAMMER: We want to -- we got a lot to cover, but first, we`re going to take a quick look at the game. Let`s roll this.

FISHBURNE: Great.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neo found a way to save them all. He saved us! He saved them! He saved the Matrix. Why won`t they give up his remains?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: So Lawrence, when you wrapped the "Matrix" movies, did you ever expect to be playing Morpheus again?

FISHBURNE: No. I actually thought I had put it to bed, but it seems that fate had different plans for me.

HAMMER: And it must have been a lot of fun doing this without having to do all of the martial arts. And it was really a whole different approach to something that you`ve gotten to know over the past several years of your life.

FISHBURNE: Yes, it was a lot of fun being able to execute all those "wire fu" moves without actually having to get in the harness, as they say.

HAMMER: Now, of course, you`re doing this game without Keanu Reeves, who plays Neo in the "Matrix" movies. And of course, in the last movie, he supposedly died. You got to -- I have to ask you, is he really dead?

FISHBURNE: Yes.

HAMMER: Definitely?

FISHBURNE: Definitely.

HAMMER: Not going to suddenly reappear magically on my PC?

FISHBURNE: Dead as yesterday`s news, my friend.

HAMMER: OK. Well, as we play the PC game, are we going to learn any new twists about "The Matrix"?

FISHBURNE: Well, what`s great about the game is that it actually is the Matrix. You log on -- you buy the game for, like, 50 bucks, then you pay about $14 a month to go on line, and you enter this mega-city. And it`s really the Matrix in every way, shape and form. There are buildings. There are clubs. There are highways. There are hard lines. There`s kung fu. There`s clothing. I mean, you get to create your own character. You get to learn how to fight. You get to pick your own clothing. You can be a red pill or a blue pill. You can fight with the machines. You can fight against the machines. You can be with the Merovingian. It`s fascinating It`s really like being in the Matrix.

HAMMER: And it actually does continue the storyline of the movies, doesn`t it.

FISHBURNE: Yes. The storyline has been written by a guy named Paul Chadwick, and he just has taken all the Wachowski brothers` basic story points and expounded on them. And you actually, as the player, are sort of very much involved in creating your own story.

HAMMER: OK. Well, now, instead of PC make-believe, let`s play real- life make-believe for just a moment. If the world really was the Matrix and you were the guy in charge, Laurence, what would you change about things?

FISHBURNE: Everything.

HAMMER: Give me an example.

FISHBURNE: I`d change everything. Well...

HAMMER: Anything on your mind.

FISHBURNE: ... ice cream would be free.

HAMMER: Ice cream would be free.

FISHBURNE: Ice cream would be free.

HAMMER: And what would your...

FISHBURNE: Ice cream would be free.

HAMMER: ... flavor be? What flavor would you be walking on line for to get a free sample of?

FISHBURNE: Coffee. Coffee flavor.

HAMMER: Is that with the crunchies, with the sprinkles?

FISHBURNE: No, no, just straight coffee.

HAMMER: OK. And no chance for another "Matrix" movie, and I assume Neo`s dead and you`re done.

FISHBURNE: Well, I think this game is really as close to a next movie as we`ll see for a long time.

HAMMER: OK. Well, we really appreciate you stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Laurence Fishburne, thank you so much.

FISHBURNE: You`re welcome.

HAMMER: And the Matrix Online is available for PCs only. And as Laurence mentioned, it will cost you about 50 bucks, plus a $15-a-month subscription fee for the online Matrix experience.

Well, when she isn`t hanging out in "The West Wing," she`s in a recording studio, on a movie set or on Broadway. Kristin Chenoweth joins us live next, coming up. Plus, Blockbuster pushes rewind on a promotion after customers go ballistic. We`re going to take that to the "Buzz Bench."

First we`re going to take a look at the hottest-selling CDs. And 50 Cent is topping the charts for the fourth week in a row now. His CD, "The Massacre," is No. 1 on the newest "Billboard" chart released today. The "Now 18" music compilation is second. Frankie J.`s "The One" makes its debut at No. 3, followed by Green Day`s "American Idiot" and "Lullabyes to Paralyze" from the Queens of the Stone Age

We`re coming right back with more SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

HAMMER: Green party. Al Green`s back with a brand new CD and he tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT everything`s OK. And lost is found by many viewers. A showbiz sit down with Saib (ph), Naveen Andrews.

KRISTIN DAVIS: Hi. I`m Kristin Davis. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer. Karyn Bryant`s got the night off. Britney, the Donald and Demi. It`s baby makes three tonight. Britney strikes back in a letter on her website today. Spears disses "Us Weekly" "In Touch" and "Star" about their constant reporting on her weight, marriage and rumored pregnancy. The magazines tell us they stand by their stories.

Also today, Donald Trump denied that there`s a little Donald on the way. Filling in for cohost Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis & Kelly, "The Apprentice" star says he and wife Malania (ph) are not expecting.

And rounding out the baby talk trifecta, a source tells "People" magazine today that Demi Moore is pregnant. Moore`s rep says that Demi quote, cannot at this time say she`s pregnant.

We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s showbiz showdown question of the day. "American Idol" do you care? Keep on voting by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say? Send us your e-mail to showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to share some of what you had to say at 55 past the hour.

Well, a lot of people care about ABC`s LOST. There`s a new episode tonight of the hit drama. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got a chance to hang out with series star Naveen Andrews.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over); Sixteen million people voluntarily get "lost" every week on ABC. LOST is ABC`s hit drama series about a group of plane wreck survivors stranded somewhere between Australia and mainland USA. Problem is, they`re not alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not the only people on this island and we all know it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Naveen Andrews plays Saib, a former Iraqi army officer making like all the other marooned passengers, surviving day by day and hoping for answers about what lies deep within the jungle. I caught up with Naveen recently, who told me how getting "lost" helps in getting into character.

NAVEEN ANDREWS: I like the fact of not knowing just because if there are some things that - if you`re aware of what`s going to happen in certain aspects of your character, you`re going to play them. And it`s not going to work later on. This thing is constantly evolving and mutating into unpredictable areas. The very fact that I was playing an Iraqi, from the Republican guard, is unheard of in Hollywood as a main character.

How does a woman like you learn how to tie a perfect bow and knot (ph)?

ANDREWS: And now they`ve got a loving (ph) relationship with somebody who is let`s face it, the ways she looks on the exterior is Miss America, good for middle America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any nuggets that you can tell us about this show on the whole, like what might happen to some of our favorite characters.

ANDREWS: I know that we`re building up towards a crescendo for our season finale. And I love the questions that people have been asking. Actors (ph) included are going to be answered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s it like with the scrip situation? Do you get them delivered in a non-Xeroxable form?

ANDREW: It`s ridiculous. I can remember, we used to just get the script like normally, just print on it and now it says like Naveen Andrews stamped all over it and it`s hush-hush. Don`t tell the actors. It can be frustrating. Trust us, will you?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: All right. One thing we were able to find out for you LOST fans. In the next couple weeks, Saib presents Shannon with a romantic surprise. That`s all we`re allowed to say, seriously. LOST airs tonight on ABC.

You shouldn`t find any problem finding the next Harry Potter book. It`s time now for showbiz shorts, a full blooded debut. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," the sixth book in the series, is going to have a first run printing of listen to this, 10.8 million copies. "Publisher`s Weekly" told us that this is the largest printing of any book ever. It`s coming out on July 16 of course. Beck has plans for the summer. "Billboard" says he`s playing Lollapalooza in July along with the Killers and Widespread Panic. The festival is back, but it`s being scaled down dramatically to one weekend in Chicago. Last year`s Lollapalooza was canceled because of poor ticket sales.

Well, the drama is certainly heating up tonight on NBCs "The West Wing." With just two episodes left to go for the season, Kristen Chenoweth plays the shrewd media advisor Anabeth Shut (ph) and she`s also starring alongside a couple of Hollywood A-listers in two big movies that are coming out and that`s not all. She`s got a new CD. Kristen, thanks for stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You act, you dance, you sing. Tell me about the CD.

KRISTEN CHENOWETH: I like to refer to the CD as it`s got a little something for everybody on it. It`s spiritually a faith-based record, but there`s a song that I covered that Faith Hill sings, Tricia Yearwood (ph) song on there that Hugh Prestwood (ph) wrote, a couple of -- those of you familiar with Amy Grant and Sandy Patti (ph). And then of course there`s a song on there that`s from my musical theater fan base. So it`s really an eclectic record, but I hope it`s one that people just feel blessed. I wanted to do it after 9/11. So I`m glad I just got to do it now.

HAMMER: And you have this big background in musical theater. Pardon me for saying so. You`re a little thing with a big voice! It`s really nice hear you. And of course, everybody is really getting to know you now on the "West Wing" where you steal every scene.

CHENOWETH: Thank you.

HAMMER: I want to talk about that, but let`s roll a clip from the "West Wing."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENOWETH: How do you get women?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me.

CHENOWETH: Briefing the press is a seduction. You`ve got a hot ex, how did you get her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of my office.

CHENOWETH: Do you know what she says?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God. You called Annie.

CHENOWETH: Smart and funny. That`s how guy who, no offense don`t look like Jude Law or Denzel Washington, get babes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you trying to get fired?

CHENOWETH: I`m trying to help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK, I`m a huge fan of the show. I`ve seen every single episode. You got to help me out, a little bit, Jimmy Smits, Alan Alda, running for president. The season`s winding down. Who is going to win?

CHENOWETH: I could tell you.

HAMMER: Do you even know?

CHENOWETH: You know what, I don`t know, and that`s the truth. I honestly do not know. But I`m very excited just to see Alan and Jimmy share the screen together because they`re both incredible.

HAMMER: And you got a great gig with the "West Wing," this great recurring role and you`re also coming up in "The Pink Panther" and you`re coming up in "Bewitched" these three major high profile roles after a career, a great career, but all of a sudden - I mean do you wake up in the morning, just pinch yourself.

CHENOWETH: I do, because, mainly because of my theater -- my training is in singing. And theater, I just keep thinking, how am I so lucky, but I keep getting to work with people like Steve Martin and Nicole Kidman and coming up, Annette Bening.

HAMMER: And Beyonce did you have any scenes with her?

CHENOWETH: I didn`t, but I did meet her at the press junket.

HAMMER: You did.

CHENOWETH: She is quite special and I hear great in the movie.

HAMMER: OK and Martin Sheen, of course.

CHENOWETH: Well, I mean, I`ve become very close to him. He`s a special man.

HAMMER: You`re working with all these big people. I really want to know your first impression, so give me really quickly, first impression of Martin Sheen.

CHENOWETH: He really thinks he`s the president. Actually, he should be. He`s wonderful.

HAMMER: I think you may be on to something there. First impression of Steve Martin.

CHENOWETH: Serious, very serious and very professional about his work. I fell in love with him on the first day and we really had some special chemistry together, I felt on screen, but I was a little intimidated.

HAMMER: OK and in "Bewitched" you`re with Nicole Kidman. What did you think of her the first time you met her?

CHENOWETH: She`s a total gal`s gal. I wish people could really see her just -- they`re going to see her be funny, like she was in the movie I think "To Die For" was the name of it.

HAMMER: But she can hang with the ladies.

CHENOWETH: She can hang and she can - she is funny and professional and just a sweetheart.

HAMMER: Well, Kristin Chenoweth, I appreciate you stopping by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT giving me a little bit of insight on the "West Wing," not all that much. Best of luck with the CD. It`s called "As I Am" and it will be in stores on April 5.

Will Smith dropped a new CD yesterday. So will our buzz bench get jiggy with it? I had to ask. Find out coming up next.

Also, Al Green`s got a new album of his own. It`s called "Stay Together." If you stay together with us, you`ll find out what it sounds like. It`s all coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Just hang around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAL SPARKS: I have a couple of CDs I`m listen listening to right now. One is Thornlee (ph) (INAUDIBLE) Canadian singer songwriter (INAUDIBLE). This is his solo offshoot. Amazing record. Also, the Josh Todd album. It`s good stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back It is time now for the buzz bench, where today`s buzziest stories take center stage. I believe I just made up a word. Tonight, the Presley girls talk about Michael Jackson, Will Smith`s "lost and found" and Blockbuster`s sort-of no late fees. Joining us on the buzz bench "Newsweek`s" Devin Gordon, making his premiere appearance with us, we appreciate you stopping by, comedian and TV personality Chuck Nice, yes he is and "The New York Times" Lola Ogunnaike. So Oprah did this never- before-seen two-show interview with mom and daughter -- Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley. In part two, mom chats about possible motives behind Michael Jackson marrying her daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRISCILLA PRESLEY: There`s something very calculating and manipulative about how he does things. And I couldn`t help, there`s Graceland, there`s Neverland. There`s a whole you know, thread that goes into what he does. You know, even in his business.

OPRAH WINFREY: He`s the rock `n` roll, king of pop.

PRESLEY: Exactly. I do think that was -- not that he didn`t care but I just feel that there`s a whole other agenda going on. I do feel like there was agenda there too, because he wanted children and he wanted her children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Well, because she`s Oprah, she had to ask Lisa Marie if they consummated their marriage Lola.

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: And isn`t that the question we`ve all wanted the answer to for years? Everybody wants to know if they consummated their relationship. Apparently, they did consummate their relationship. I can`t imagine what that night of lovemaking was like though. I mean, he was like hey, Lisa, some Jesus juice and she came to the bed in underoos after they played Xbox. I cannot wrap my head around that. HAMMER: Chuck, any ideas?

CHUCK NICE, COMEDIAN/TV PERSONALITY: I for one can sleep now because this question is finally answered. The burning question did they consummate, has been answered, and I`m a little creeped out. I got to admit. I`m a little freaked out by the whole thing. But In a way, Mike, you did good. That`s all I can say.

DEVIN GORDON, NEWSWEEK": I just got to say, can we stand back and appreciate the irony for one second of a white family claiming that black musicians have been stealing their style for all these years. Is that exactly what Lisa Marie Presley is saying, is that Elvis is being ripped off by Michael Jackson? Wow, that`s role reversal.

OGUNNAIKE: She`s saying that she was fearful that Michael Jackson wanted to have a baby with her daughter, and that kind of freaked her out, having little jungle fever, a little black blood in the family kind of weirded her out.

NICE: I don`t think that was it. I don`t think it was a racial issue at all. I think she was fearful of the fact that Michael Jackson was playing like this kind of musical Dr. Frankenstein. You know. I`m the king of pop. She`s the daughter of the king of rock `n` roll. Our children will rule the world.

HAMMER: Engineered the perfect musical baby.

NICE: With my perfect pop musicians I shall rule the world.

HAMMER: I think Lola is getting a little skipped (ph) out so maybe we`ll just move on to the next thing. Will Smith, brand new CD. Did you have a chance to give a listen to it Chuck?

NICE: Yeah, I actually listened to a couple tracks on it. You know, Will Smith, 18 years in the hip-hop game, comes out with an album and excoriates the rest of hip-hop for being negative, for being what he calls a bunch of clowns in a circus. And I think it`s great, honestly. I think what`s wrong with being positive? Here`s a guy that`s positive, that makes money, that is successful and never takes the low road. I think we need more of that in hip-hop. Quite frankly, I wanted to be a hip-hop artist, but my doctor told me that I was allergic to bullets. So I think we need more of Will Smith.

OGUNNAIKE: I just wish that we could see him as a gangsta for once. I want to see Will Smith with a bandana tied around his head and him like spitting like really gangsta lyrics and throwing bees and bows and stuff like that.

HAMMER: (INAUDIBLE) stays close to his roots.

OGUNNAIKE: I feel like he`s always chastising all these bad rappers for using curse words.

GORDON: If he`s going to be that way, just don`t complain about it. I find it interesting at least that he took on this album saying he`s so annoyed that people are giving him this problem for having a vanilla image and he`s so flippin` angry about it. He doesn`t understand why the heck everyone is so annoyed with Will Smith. Will, that`s your image. Just go with it man.

OGUNNAIKE: Have you seen the new video? He`s got some girls in that video and there`s a lot of booty in that video. I mean there`s a lot of shaking on in that video.

HAMMER?: He`s always enjoyed having the booty along.

OGUNNAIKE: It was usually covered up booty but there`s a lot of open booty in this video.

NICE: By golly, I think it`s great.

HAMMER: I want to get to our last buzz subject guys and Devin, I want to ask your opinion on this. $630 million fine goes to Blockbuster, because they ran these fines -- $630,000 I`m sorry that was allegedly they were misleading ads saying no late fees.

GORDON: I`m kind of torn about this. I mean, on the one hand, I love seeing a giant company like Blockbuster get strapped down for its death knell strategy to keep itself out of bankruptcy. On the other hand, what did people think. Did they think they were giving away the DVD for free?

NICE: Thank you! Thank you!

GORDON: They said no late fees. That doesn`t mean you get to keep the thing. You got to bring it back at some point.

OGUNNAIKE: ... something like $1.2 million in late fees. I have like "Beverly Hills Cop" CDs. I`ve got everything at home. I don`t return movies at all. So I was happy to hear about the no late fee policy.

NICE: Here`s the thing that kills me. The people who are complaining about the no late fee or that it was misleading are the same people, if you go to their library right now, they have library books from elementary school.

HAMMER: You properly excoriated them? Is that the word you used? What the heck was that? Thanks for coming by Devin, Chuck and Lola Ogunnaike from the "New York Times." We love having you guys here.

Well, Al Green`s going to get you up off the bench and grooving on the dance floor. Find out how in his new album. It`s got some old school sounds and we`re going to tell you about it coming up.

Plus David Letterman gets "Sin City" star Britney Murphy all hot and bothered. That`s coming up in laughter dark.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Al Green, in the `70s gave us "Let`s Stay Together" and "Tired of Being Alone," arguably some of the best known love songs of our time. Now, he`s back with a brand new album. My lovely co-host Karyn Bryant caught up with him as he performed for sessions at AOL.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARYN BRYANT, CNN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT (voice-over): The Reverend Al Green, back spreading love and happiness with the new R&B album "Everything`s OK." It`s a return to Green`s old school sound from the `70s. It feels good to listen to this record again and hear you singing about love. I mean it just feels good.

AL GREEN: That`s what life is about.

BRYANT: I was right there with Al Green while he performed for sessions at AOL. It`s got to feel good knowing that you`ve written these songs and it`s made such an impact on people`s lives. You must get that story all the time.

GREEN: The other night, we were doing a concert and I missed a note, and the lady says, oh come on, Al. They know the songs better than me.

BRYANT: Green was at the peak of his popularity when he suddenly decided to join the ministry in the mid 1970s. At first he continued to record R&B. But by the `80s, he was concentrating solely on gospel and the church.

GREEN: I`m a power book and a power winner. I`m a powerhouse because of him, and not because of me.

BRYANT: His gospel music won him eight Grammys over the years and helped usher him into the rock `n` roll hall of fame in 1995. "Everything`s OK" has 12 new songs, half of which Green wrote himself.

GREEN: I`m putting out the positive message, because, you see, the war over here and the conflict over there and all of these things, we can work it out. Everything will be OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Al Green`s hitting the road in May. His first stop, the House of Blues in Chicago. Well, Alicia Silverstone dishes on her favorite dishes. That`s coming up in laughter dark.

And "American Idol" do you care? Still time to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us your thoughts, showbiztonight@cnn.com. Your thoughts next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Time now for another "showbiz short." Nothing compares to Jamaica. Sinead O`Connor who is probably best known for her 1991 hit "Nothing Compares to You" is in Jamaica tonight recording a reggae album. Her co-producer says Sinead will cover Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, among others.

Well, it`s time now to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you might have missed and it seems like we have some awkward celebrity moments in laughter dark tonight. First we`ll start off with "Sin City" star Britney Murphy. She gets all flustered on THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITNEY: MURPHY: Exactly, that was the problem.

DAVID LETTERMAN: Do you mind if I just do one thing?

MURPHY: What is it, please?

LETTERMAN: So for 10 years, you get to go to the big-time Easter egg hunt. Do you do stuff like that in your adult life? Do you do things that --

MURPHY: I`m sorry, I`m looking at you not listening to one word you`re saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: No need to adjust your set. That was her skin turning red.

Now if that wasn`t bad enough, "Beauty Shop" star Alicia Silverstone, who was live with me last night, had a lot of trouble describing her favorite vegan dish on LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O`BRIEN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O`BRIEN: What kind of --

ALICIA SILVERSTON: Yum.

O`BRIEN: What are your favorite sort of vegan meals to have then?

SILVERSTONE: These are a treat, but they`re killed raw balls. You know, they`re really good.

O`BRIEN: What is in the raw ball?

Ooh, they`re just like these little balls of yumminess and love. They`re, like.

O`BRIEN: Anyone just tuning in right now is very upset. So what is in it?

SILVERSTONE: It`s, like, sweet and salty and yummy. Well, OK. It`s got like -- it`s nuts and it`s just delicious.

O`BRIEN: We`re getting out. We`re getting out. We`re being told by the FCC to end this segment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Nothing to say there.

Well, throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our showbiz showdown question of the day. "American Idol" -- do you care? Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far. 25 percent you`ve said yes, you do care about "American Idol." I mean 30 million people are watching the show every night, but 75 percent of you say no you don`t care about "American Idol."

We`ve also been getting some e-mails on the question. The show has gone downhill is what Jeff in Colfax, Washington says. When someone like William Hung is more popular than the winner, the show is really not talent based. And remember, you can continue to vote, cnn.com/showbiztonight is where you go on the worldwide web. If you have more to say, we encourage you to send us your thoughts, showbiztonight@cnn.com.

Time now to take a look at what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Let`s take a look now at the showbiz marquee. Take it away, Mr. Marquee guy!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you had a long 9:00 to 5:00 day at the office? Well, guess what? Dolly Parton is bringing a whole lot of fun, fun, fun to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll say hello Dolly, tomorrow.

He`s not a doctor in real life, but he played one on TV. And Patrick Dempsy, he`s gone from Sweet Home Alabama to many sleepless nights in Seattle. Paging Dr. Patrick Dempsy to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Live tomorrow. This is the marquee guy, off to make my rounds. La de da, la de da.

HAMMER: That`s a rap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Did he just say la de da? I believe he did. Karyn Bryant`s going to be back with me tomorrow. Nancy Grace is coming up next, right after the very latest from headline news.

(NEWS BREAK)

END