Return to Transcripts main page

Showbiz Tonight

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for April 6, 2005, CNNHN

Aired April 06, 2005 - 19:00   ET

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

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


KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: Brad Pitt teams up with Bono.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And the queen of daytime gives it to me good. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Tonight, the passing of a prince. Monaco`s Prince Rainier is gone, but the celebrity connection lives on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The music is extremely sacred. Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Smashing success. The Smashing Pumpkins breaking new ground. We`ll tell you what they`re doing with their music collection.

HAMMER: A Dash of this, a Dash of that. He co-founded Roc-a-Fella with Jay-Z. Now he`s working on another empire. Damon Dash live.

BRYANT: Something`s in the air, and it`s satellite radio. Howard Stern is a convert, and so are millions of others. What`s going on here? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes in depth.

HAMMER: And 35 years of soap smacks. "All My Children`s" Susan Lucci takes SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on a behind-the-scenes tour of Pine Valley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN LUCCI, "ALL MY CHILDREN": Hi, I`m Susan Lucci. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

BRYANT: Tonight, a death and the final chapter to a fairy tale that began in Hollywood.

HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here with more -- David.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Hi, A.J. and Karyn. Monaco`s Prince Rainier died today in Monaco at the age of 81. He was Europe`s longest serving monarch, but he`s probably better known as that handsome prince in one of Hollywood`s most glamorous fairy tales.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Imagine if Prince William married Gwyneth Paltrow. That`s how huge it was back in 1956 when Prince Rainier married actress Grace Kelly.

NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": It`s the ultimate fairy tale, the prince, the handsome prince of this, you know, beautiful country that`s by the sea marrying an American movie star.

HAFFENREFFER: He was the dashing young heir to Monaco`s throne who reportedly once considered marrying Marilyn Monroe. Then he met another movie star, Grace Kelly, the beautiful "It" actress of the 1950s who starred in such classic films as "Rear Window."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE KELLY, "REAR WINDOW": Right off the Paris plane. Think it`ll sell?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: The Oscar-winning actress cut short her career at its peak to take her place as royalty.

GOSTIN: She wanted to continue acting, and Rainier said, No. He said, It`s not possible. And he`s right. It would have been impossible for her to be flying back and forth and doing press junkets.

HAFFENREFFER: Together, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace formed an instant fairy tale, having three children, Albert, Caroline and Stephanie. And with his glamorous wife, Prince Rainier was able to turn Monaco and its best known city, Monte Carlo, into a glamorous playground for the Hollywood jet set. It became the glitzy getaway for celebrities.

GOSTIN: Once he married her, it put her on the map. I mean, people that had never heard of Monaco -- it became -- every movie star had to come visit Grace. It just became a huge, famous country.

HAFFENREFFER: The fairy tale came to a sad end in 1982 when Princess Grace was killed in a car accident. Rainier never remarried. And now the focus turns to his children, members of a troubled royal family, regulars on the tabloid pages around the world. Prince Albert takes over the throne. A somewhat shy figure, he`s never married. Prince Albert appeared on LARRY KING LIVE last year while his father was sick. Larry asked Prince Albert if his father`s illness made him think more about assuming the throne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE ALBERT II, MONACO: You think about it. Obviously, you`re prepared in that -- to assume that kind of role and that kind of leadership pretty early on. And I`m enjoying, and I have enjoyed for many years now, working very closely with my father and helping him out as much as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: Princess Stephanie, who was with her mother when she was killed, is known almost as much for her stormy affairs as her royal pedigree. She had two children with a former bodyguard, married him and divorced him after he was photographed cavorting with a Belgian stripper. She even had a brief singing career. Princess Caroline has been married three times. She`s been the endless target of paparazzi. Her third husband, a German prince, was ordered to pay $440,000 for going after a newspaper editor.

GOSTIN: Prince Albert takes over. And they changed the laws in 2002 so that if he doesn`t have any children, it now goes to Caroline and her children, passes on the crown. Caroline will continue serving sort of as the first lady of Monaco. And Stephanie is -- I`m sure will continue being the black sheep of Monaco.

HAFFENREFFER: Prince Rainier is expected to be laid to rest next to his wife, while the future of his country rests with his children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Prince Rainier`s funeral will be held on April 15 at the 19th century Monaco cathedral where he and Princess Grace were married -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Well, thank you, David. We have learned why Sharon Osbourne and her daughter pulled out of a London production of "The Vagina Monologues" last week. Today Sharon Osbourne, wife of rocker Ozzy, said her oldest daughter, Amy, had a lump removed from her breast. She`s being treated in Los Angeles. She didn`t say whether or not it`s cancerous, but she did say she expects her to make a full recovery. Sharon Osbourne previously had colon cancer.

HAMMER: Well, this afternoon, some of the world`s biggest stars got together in Los Angeles to talk about an important cause. Bono, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and George Clooney are fighting AIDS and poverty through the ONE Campaign. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talked to Bono about his involvement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, U2: Yes, it`s unusual, isn`t it, when you see me I`m not asking for money. But it`s great because we`re asking for people`s voice here. We`re asking, you know, for them to sign up, get organized, become a nuisance, like me, to, you know, people who stand in the way of increased aid flows to Africa. We`re not talking about, you know, redecorating presidential palaces, you know, here. We`re talking about medicine, drugs. I think when we do that, we will redescribe ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: The ONE Campaign will release white wristbands that can be worn to show commitment to the cause. Also, the organization will debut a public service announcement this Sunday night on ABC.

BRYANT: Time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," a look at more stories making news tonight. Beatty`s blogging. Today, "New York Observer" reports that Warren Beatty is, quote, "probably" going to write for a star-studded Web site. It will be launched by columnist and former gubernatorial candidate in California. Her name is Arianna Huffington. Remember her? It`ll be launched next month. Now, Gwyneth Paltrow is also listed as a possible contributor.

A new addition to "The View" crew. Co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck gave birth to a baby girl this morning. It`s the first child for her and husband NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, whose birthday also happens to be today. Elizabeth is expected to call in during tomorrow`s "The View" and tell everyone the baby`s name.

More "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

HAMMER: Babies, back-stabbing and falling, all in a day`s work on a daytime set. And Susan Lucci, the queen of daytime, has been playing Erica Kane, the sexy leading lady of "All My Children," for the last 35 years. So I took a trip to see Susan, and we dished the dirt on her soap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Susan Lucci -- millions of Americans watch her play Erica Kane on "All My Children." Susan invited me to Pine Valley to see just how she plays the woman everyone loves to hate.

(on camera): Congratulations on 35 years.

SUSAN LUCCI, "ALL MY CHILDREN": Thank you very much. Thank you.

HAMMER: Can you -- I mean, when you hear the numbers, it`s still a little freaky to you?

LUCCI: It`s freaky. It`s frightening. It`s amazing.

HAMMER: And you also got your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

LUCCI: Yes, in January.

HAMMER: Will you visit your star?

LUCCI: We actually went back two days later. We had to wait our turn. There were -- you know, there were tourists taking pictures. They were all looking down. And my husband and I were standing there just waiting.

HAMMER: Did the tourists they go berserk when they see...

LUCCI: Oh, when they realized...

HAMMER: ... Susan Lucci walking up to Susan Lucci`s star?

LUCCI: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

HAMMER: You were there for two hours, taking pictures with them, weren`t you.

LUCCI: We were there for a while.

HAMMER: Flash me back now 35 years. Do you remember the phone call or however you were alerted that you had gotten the job?

LUCCI: I do. I had about five auditions, and the executive producer at the time was leaving the building, and he saw me sitting there and he looked back and he just winked and nodded. Sure enough, they called back the next day and they said, You`ve got the part.

HAMMER: In your wildest dreams, you never, I`m sure, could have imagined that 35 years later, you`d be playing this role.

LUCCI: Never in a million years. I had trouble signing my first contract, which was for three years. I couldn`t have imagined making such a long commitment because I really was just out of school. The only thing I knew was four years of high school, four years of college. So three years was like a life experience, you know, a big commitment. But I`m really glad I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wears exclusively designer clothing?

HAMMER: Of course.

Let`s talk about the clothes for a moment. You`ve got, what, a couple dozen boxes of Jimmy Choos lying around...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Who has more expensive tastes, Erica Kane or Susan Lucci?

LUCCI: That is a definite toss-up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wore this wrap to go to the hospital.

HAMMER: Let`s talk about what else has happened in 35 years here. Oh, you`re working on your 10th husband.

LUCCI: Going into double digits.

HAMMER: How about that.

LUCCI: Yes.

HAMMER: A long time finally getting it together with Jackson (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCCI: ... proof that I intend to stand by you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: It`s really going to happen?

LUCCI: They tell us it`s really going to happen.

HAMMER: So in 35 years, how many faces have you slapped?

LUCCI: Oh, that`s a great question! The slaps, you know, are not -- I mean, we try not -- never to make contact.

HAMMER: I`ll sign a waiver. I mean, really, just...

LUCCI: Oh, no. Really, I don`t want to.

(CROSSTALK)

LUCCI: I`m going to go for it. You rotten -- oh! Oh!

HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) See? And I didn`t sign the waiver, so -- was I good? Was I good?

LUCCI: You were really good!

HAMMER: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, that noise you heard was me banging my head into the lamp. She didn`t hit me, but I smacked my head into the lamp. Susan and I also talked about the daytime Emmys. People are always making such a big deal about that. And I asked her why, and she said she doesn`t know. She, of course, won her first and only Emmy back in 1999, but she says she`s always been amazed that anybody even cared. She also added winning is a whole lot better -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Well, satellite radio is winning over a lot of new listeners, including Howard Stern and Little Steven Van Zandt from the E Street Band and, of course, "The Sopranos." He is joining us live. We are getting in depth.

HAMMER: An "American Idol" winner tells us who she`s rooting for this time around. Her pick is coming up.

BRYANT: Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which well-known film critic co-wrote the screenplay for the 1970 film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls?" Was it, A, Janet Maslin, B, Pauline Kael, C, Leonard Maltin, or D, Roger Ebert? We will be right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: And welcome back. So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which well-known film critic co-wrote the screenplay for the 1970 film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"? Was it Janet Maslin, Pauline Kael, Leonard Maltin or Roger Ebert? Well, he`s all thumbs down or thumbs up. The answer is D, Roger Ebert.

BRYANT: Well, it looks like a thumbs-up for satellite radio. Tonight`s "SHOWBIZ In Depth." The satellite sensation. From XM to Sirius, America is getting very serious about satellite radio. It has reportedly grown faster in less time than cell phones ever did. Howard Stern is leaving traditional radio for it, and even major league baseball is on board. What is behind the boom?

Well, joining us live right here in New York is Steven Van Zandt, also known as Little Steven. He is the creator of two channels on Sirius radio and also has a syndicated radio show on regular broadcast radio called "Little Steven`s Underground Garage." And out in San Francisco, we`ve got Brad Stone, "Newsweek`s" Silicon Valley correspondent.

Brad, I`m going to start with you. To what do you attribute this incredible boom?

BRAD STONE, "NEWSWEEK": Well, I think there are really two factors. No. 1, the service is simply compelling. People who get satellite radio love it. They recommend it. Everything that`s frustrating about your local radio station is less of a factor on satellite radio. There are no commercials on the music stations. There`s more of a selection. There`s a dozen rock stations, a half a dozen country stations. And it surprises you. The play lists are large. You never know what`s coming next. But the other thing we really can`t dismiss is that Wall Street is so bullish on these two companies, Sirius and XM, they`ve given the two companies a lot of money to go out and sign deals and buy subscribers.

BRYANT: Yes, Steven, how much did that influence you, the openness of the playlists?

STEVEN VAN ZANDT, RADIO HOST AND SATELLITE PRODUCER: Well, it helped in my case because I had created a new format for my regular show that is still on. And now -- we just hit 200 markets in fact, the regular "Little Steven`s underground Garage." But I felt it was -- you know, it could be also a 24-hours format.

BRYANT: Right.

VAN ZANDT: So it was a good place to try that out, you know. They`re into experimenting and trying new things, so...

BRYANT: And so are you.

VAN ZANDT: Yes.

BRYANT: Well, how much does the fact that Howard Stern now is a part of Sirius -- how much does that affect where you think this is going in the future?

VAN ZANDT: Well, everybody`s, of course, expecting a lot of his fans to come over, so it`ll just increase the subscribers, which helps, you know?

But in the I mean, end, I really do see this thing as complementary to regular radio. I really do. You know, I know some people are panicking, and I always feel that, you know, through history, the old sort of medium always panics about the new. This goes back to the `30s, when records started being played on radio.

BRYANT: Right. Right.

VAN ZANDT: You know? Everyone panicked because it used to be just big bands, you know, live.

BRYANT: Right. And then every -- right.

VAN ZANDT: So, like, This is the end of bands, you know?

BRYANT: But it wasn`t the end. Yes, Brad, I want to talk about that because, you know, obviously, Howard is bringing a lot of subscribers. People are going to have to pay $12 a month now. You know, is this going to mark the end of regular radio?

STONE: Well, let me put it in perspective. Regular radio has 250 million listeners. Satellite radio might break 8 million this year. I think what it does do, though, is it wakes up local radio. I mean, they were ready to be the last medium stuck in the analog age, and now we`re seeing, you know, the big companies, like Infinity Broadcasting, reinvest in digital technology, in technologies called HD radio, which allows them to do a lot of what satellite radio is doing. They`re lowering their commercial inventory and they`re -- and making their playlists larger. And they`re just waking up to some of the things that today`s digital consumer expects.

BRYANT: Well, what`s interesting -- I used to run a radio station. I was a program director. I remember the guys coming in every Tuesday asking me to add records. Is this changing the way the record company does business, Steven?

VAN ZANDT: Well, it may save some record companies, I`ll tell you that, because record companies are in big trouble. They`re in as big a trouble as -- you know, as any industry. There`s been a separation lately between what radio does and what record companies do. When we grew up, you know, radio sold records, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: Yes~! It did.

VAN ZANDT: That`s not...

BRYANT: It broke artists. It made careers.

VAN ZANDT: Yes. It hasn`t been so much the case anymore. So what I try to do with my show, both on Sirius and on the regular radio, is encourage people to buy the records they like when they hear them, you know? That`s new.

BRYANT: Right. Now, brad, quick question, last question. When will satellite radio make money? Because right now, they`re operating at a loss, aren`t they?

STONE: A huge loss. I mean, Sirius lost something like a billion dollars last year. I mean, we`re just in this almost bizarre moment where Wall Street is letting these two companies, you know, spend a ton of money and lose a lot of money. XM, which is a little bit ahead in subscriber growth, will get to break even in profitability quicker.

BRYANT: Right.

STONE: Sirius is probably a few years away. But for now, I mean, both -- the share prices are up, so they can pretty much do what they want.

BRYANT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) business. All right. Well, Brad Stone, thank you for joining us in San Francisco, and of course, Steven Van Zandt. Thanks for -- and I`m telling you, what you did to Adriana (ph) -- oh, my goodness!

VAN ZANDT: That wasn`t me.

BRYANT: Oh, my goodness!

VAN ZANDT: That wasn`t me!

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Well, as Karyn mentioned, Howard Stern is making his way to satellite radio as the debate over what to do over broadcast indecency heats on up. One idea, instead of a fine, make it a crime. That`s what a top congressman says he wants for broadcasters who violate indecency standards. Wisconsin congressman James Sensenbrenner told a cable TV convention that he would support a law that would make it a crime to violate indecency standards.

Now we want to know your thoughts on that. So here`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Broadcast indecency: Should people go to jail for it? You can vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say, e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. And we`ll share some of you what have to say later in the show.

BRYANT: Today, celebrities gathered to say good-bye to Johnnie Cochran. Michael Jackson, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and O.J. Simpson were among those who showed in Los Angeles for the funeral this up morning. The well-known attorney to the stars is probably best remembered for being part of O.J.`s so-called legal "dream team." The former football player was acquitted of double murder in 1995. Johnnie Cochran also worked for Michael Jackson and Sean P. Diddy Combs. He died in his Los Angeles home last week of a brain tumor at the age of 67.

HAMMER: Who does she believe in? "American Idol" 3 winner Fantasia`s going to tell us who she`s pulling for in "Idol" 4 coming up.

BRYANT: And Damon Dash live. You may not know the name, but his Roc- A-Wear is probably in your favorite department store. The man behind the multi-million-dollar empire coming up live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: If you`re a Smashing Pumpkins fan, you`re really going to like what they`re doing with their music. Lead singer Billy Corgan fills us in a little later.

HAMMER: Well, tonight, Fantasia returns to "American Idol." Last season`s winner is back for a live performance to show the hopefuls just what they`re singing for, the title of "American Idol." Last night, as usual, Fox`s "Idol" dominated the ratings in prime time. You can look for more of the same tonight as millions of fans let their voices be heard when they send one contestant home. Aw!

Tuesday, fans were treated to songs from the "Great White Way," as contestants did their best with Broadway show tunes. And with Fantasia`s return to the show tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wanted to find out exactly what she thinks coming back to the show, her thoughts on the "Idols" and exactly who she`s rooting for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANTASIA BARRINO, THIRD-SEASON "IDOL" WINNER: I`m excited. I`m not nervous now because I don`t have to be voted off tonight, so I`m kind of happy about that. And I don`t have to, you know, hear from Simon, Paula and Randy. So that`s kind of cool. It`s actually good to come back. It reminds you of where you come from.

They got it pretty easy this year. They`ve got a live band, a live band every night. So I know what they`re going through. So we`re going to have fun today, though. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

But I really love Carrie. I like her because she`s really toughing it out. You know, it`s a pop show, and she`s a country singer. She takes those songs every week, and she still has her country flavor, but she is -- I just -- I love her. She has, like, the voice of an angel. She looks so comfortable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: It`s going to be good to see her back on that stage. Fantasia`s about to become an author. She`s writing an autobiography entitled "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale," and that`s due out in October. And as much as they`ve been talking about -- the big buzz has been this is the best talent they`ve had so far, isn`t Fantasia just going to show everybody up?

BRYANT: Yes, she`s just going to blow them away. And there are a couple guys I would love to give the axe about four weeks ago. Yes, she`s going to teach them. She`s going to teach them.

HAMMER: Well, one will go tonight.

BRYANT: Yes. Thankfully!

Well, time for more "SHOWBIZ Shorts." L`Oreal`s Longoria. The beauty company has signed "Desperate Housewives" Mrs. Solis, Eva Longoria, as its spokesperson. She`ll appear in her first commercial for Vive Hair Care sometime this spring.

And Eva will be keeping her other job, too, ABC announcing renewals. The ABC network said today it is picking up its first-year hits, "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Boston Legal," for another season. "Alias," which airs after "Lost," got a green light for a fifth season.

More "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

HAMMER: It`s not unexpected that those shows are coming back.

BRYANT: Not really.

HAMMER: And "Desperate Housewives" -- who knew?

BRYANT: Who -- that`s a shocker! I didn`t see that coming.

HAMMER: Well, the women of Wisteria Lane did get together, but apparently, the "Housewives" got a little bit heated. Our cool "Buzz Bench" is going to talk about that later on.

BRYANT: OK. And why there might be more reality in Britney Spears`s future. That`s just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

HAMMER: Damon Dash live. Yes, he has a new movie coming out but Dash`s empire is dotted with a little bit of everything. We`ll mind his business coming up.

BRYANT: And today is the greatest if you`re a Smashing Pumpkins fan. Billy Corgan tells us what`s up with the Pumpkins online.

VINES: Hi, I`m Amanda Vines. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

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

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s hothead lines. Michael Jackson was among the mourners at famed attorney Johnnie Cochran`s funeral in Los Angeles today along with another high profile client of Cochran`s, O.J. Simpson. Cochran died last Tuesday of a brain tumor. He was 67 years old.

BRYANT: Bono and Brad Pitt buddied up today to announce a new star- studded public service announcement from what`s called the one campaign to fight poverty. The PSA debuts Sunday night on MTV and ABC.

HAMMER: And "American Idol" and the great American novel. We learned today "American Idol" winner Fantasia is writing her memoirs at the ripe old age of 20. It will be called "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale," and will cover her dropping out of high school and becoming a single mom as well as her IDOL win of course.

We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Broadcast indecency, should people go to jail for it? You can keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Also send us your e-mails to showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to share some of what you had to say at 55 past the hour.

BRYANT: Last night a record number of you voted in the question of the day when we asked Britney Spears` reality show, will you watch it? Well, 13 percent of you said yes, you would watch it while 87 percent of you said no, you wouldn`t. Because we got such an overwhelming response, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT took to the streets of New York City and went straight to the young music fans out front of MTV studios. Of course that`s Britney`s target audience and we wanted to ask if they would watch and here`s what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I probably would watch it, yes. I think it`s kind of stupid but I`d still watch it anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe just to see some of the things that happen and went on between them. After the whole thing that happened with her and Justin, just to see the chemistry and what happens with them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would watch it, because I personally like Britney Spears, but I don`t think she belongs with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s not the same little girl anymore. She`s definitely hotter now. I`d still watch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a mock of Nick and Jessica because they`ve been out there for like two years already and now Britney wants to do it. That`s copycat kind of.

QUESTION: But you would still watch it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`d watch it just to make fun of her the whole time basically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Just hours ago, our friends at people.com reported that Kevin Federline is looking to shop a reality show of his own. Now, this comes just a day after UPN announced that he and his wife Britney Spears would co-executive produce a joint reality show.

HAMMER: It is time now for the show`s biz. The Damon Dash empire -- Damon Dash is only 33-years-old, but he runs a $350 million a year empire that includes everything from his own record label to the hit fashion line Roc-A-Wear, a magazine, even a vodka and he has a new movie coming out as well. So how does Damon do it? We figured we`d just have him here and ask him himself. Thanks for dropping the show. Hi, Damon.

DAMON DASH, ROC-A-WEAR: How you doing?

HAMMER: So of all of these ventures, of all these things you`re involved with, which is the big money maker?

DASH: Right now, I would say it`s the clothing line.

HAMMER: The Fashion line.

DASH: Yeah. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) just in the clothing.

HAMMER: Oh really. So what`s the number overall then?

DASH: I don`t know.

HAMMER: Approximately or you let people handle that?

DASH: I can`t really tell because I planted a lot of seeds and they`re all eventually going to grow. I think in my mind they`re worth billions, you know what I mean? So eventually they`re all do just as good as Roc-A- Wear if not better.

HAMMER: And Roc-A-Wear is spreading out and spreading its wings even wider everyday.

DASH: Underneath the Roc-A-Wear umbrella, we have state property which is a clothing line. We have Teen Rock. We just acquired pro Keds and the Rachel Roy line. So there`s a lot of different lines for a lot of different dynamics underneath that umbrella.

HAMMER: And you`ve also hooked up with your newest partner, Patricia Fields. Patricia Fields of course worked on the wardrobe for "Sex in the City" and you`re going to be doing something with her.

DASH: She did an injection (ph) called the house of fields, the house of rock being done for us. She`s been a pretty good friend of mine. She`s a supporter. I think she`s super cool. So I think great minds kind of see similarities in each other. So I thought it would be great to work with her.

HAMMER: You`re kind of different though. You`re sort of, can be an understated low key kind of guy and she`s kind of wacky, isn`t she?

DASH: Today.

HAMMER: Today, exactly. I saw you at a J. Lo fashion show and you were having a good time.

DASH: All the things (ph) that was going on around me. She`s an individual and she`s like I said, she`s pretty cool. I like her style.

HAMMER: A lot of people just because it`s what they hear the most might have thought that the music would have been the biggest money maker. Of Rock-A-Fella, what you were work on with Jay-Z and you launched with Jay-Z, that was sold and you guys split. Now you`re doing your own record label. Among the artists you`re representing, ODB. Now the late ODB and you`re going to release a posthumous album for him, he did a little jail time. Beanie Siegel, the rapper who has an album out for you also doing a little jail time. Do you ever worry that working with or having artists that have a criminal past on your label could negatively impact your business?

DASH: I don`t really look at it like that. I kind of judge the individual by the individual. Beanie`s a great guy. Actually his album just came out. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) number three, did 131 units without him there. So he has a pretty secure following. And like I said, I think he`s a good dude. And I definitely loved The Old Dirty Bastard so I loved his music. And I don`t really think about the jail time too much. I would advice them not to go to jail. I don`t think that`s good for anybody, but no, that doesn`t come into the equation when I sign an artist.

HAMMER: And now you`re in the movie business. You have "State Property Two," that`s coming out next week. You did the "Woodsmen" with Kevin Bacon and the movie business, just a natural extension of everything else for you?

DASH: When I fist got into the business of music, I wanted to capitalize and do every other thing that presented itself to me. In getting the movie business, I kind of decided that it would be probably in my best interests to direct, to produce, to executive produce, to kind of establish financing and distribution. So this particular movie, I directed it and produced it and helped write it and I got to incorporate all my different artists. So I can use the movie business as a way and a vehicle to promote the artists and their lifestyles and give them a visual.

HAMMER: It seems to make sense.

DASH: Also, I want to, stay (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and do movies like "The Woodsman," just things that are socially conscious and showing that a person from the urban community can do anything.

HAMMER: Coming at it from (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

DASH: I believe we can do anything if you try hard enough.

HAMMER: I appreciate the inside.

DASH: ...Damon dash collection, so I can get you suited up one day too.

HAMMER: Hey, you know, I`m sitting here and I got to wear clothes too.

DASH: You didn`t talk about the rock box either.

HAMMER: I didn`t know about the rock box. It matches my shirt.

DASH: That`s why I made it. I knew you had a pink shirt today, so put that next to you. A Rock Digital.

HAMMER: This is Rock Digital, "State Property" is the movie, "State Property 2" and it opens a week from today. Thanks for coming by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, man.

BRYANT: Time for more "SHOWBIZ shorts." Denzel and Spike together again. Denzel Washington has signed on to work with director Spike Lee again in a cop movie called "Inside Man." Of course, the two worked together on "Malcolm X," "Mo Better Blues" and "He Got Game."

And the X-men movies are staying true to the comics. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) character, Jean Gray was killed at the end of the last movie but today we learned she will return as the Phoenix in "X-Men 3" just like in the comic book.

HAMMER: Well, "Desperate Housewives" is never short on drama. But recently there was a little bit of drama off the set, as well. We`re going to take that to our buzz bench coming up in a few.

BRYANT: Plus smashing expectations. Billy Corgan tells us what`s up with the Smashing Pumpkins catalog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: I love a bunch of dance music. I like J. Lo`s new song and actually Will Smith`s new song is really good. But I`m a little weird. I take a particular CD for a movie that I work on and randomly for this it was a combination of three day`s great (ph) and Muse, which is a lot harder, more like hey, rock and that whole thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It is time now for the buzz bench. Here`s what we`re buzzing about tonight. Some "Desperate Housewives" drama that wasn`t on Wisteria Lane. Jane Fonda`s memories and the latest in the Michael Jackson trial.

BRYANT: Joining us on the bench this evening, Sirius satellite radio host Frank Decaro, Fuse V.J. Marianela and CNN`s pop culture correspondent Toure. Good to see you again Toure. I just saw you this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" on CNN. But I want to start with you. We are talking about the "Desperate Housewives." They`re doing the May cover of "Vanity Fair". They`re all five in bathing suits and the story is that there`s all this things going on behind the scenes. They don`t want Terri Hatcher to get to wardrobe first. They couldn`t have Terri Hatcher in the center of the picture. All the housewives starting to get a little catty.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: It`s weird, because usually being on a winning team brings harmony. Everyone wants to play together and all these women except for Eva Longoria have been in the business for many many years. So you would think they would be humbled and appreciative of success, but it seems like the Lakers, like the ego is just dragging them down.

BRYANT: Which one`s Shaq in the group?

TOURE: Maybe Terri Hatcher is Shaq because she`s the one everybody wants to watch. She`s drawing people to the show.

HAMMER: She has been humbled. And she is obviously humbled by the whole experience.

MARIANELA, FUSE V.J.: It`s like high school all over again. This is the cooler club. Why do you get the cuter boys? It`s silly.

HAMMER: Having worked with her in the past, she is sweet and really...

TOURE: It seems that Marcia Cross, that`s what the rumors are saying, she`s the one doing most of the complaining, doesn`t want Terri to be in the middle. But if you look, Terri`s in the middle of the cover and Marcia Cross is not on the cover.

FRANK DECARO, SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO HOST: She`s in the fold. She and Felicity Hoffman are behind the fold. You have to admit, yes, it`s an ensemble show but even in the most equitably distributed ensemble, there`s always the anchor character. There`s always that one person who really pushes things forward and that`s Terri Hatcher and they are going to have to admit that.

TOURE: Some people are watching for Terri. Some people are watching for Eva.

DECARO: I`m a Bree Van De Kamp person myself. Even I will admit as much as I only want to watch about her, I think it`s really all about Susan.

MARIANELA: I spent all day dodging wardrobe. What`s the big deal? They say it`s not even on this shoot only that they say do not let Terri go first because she will pick all the best pieces.

DECARO: I don`t know. Catty, catty.

HAMMER: Let`s talk about a woman with class. Some Fonda memories, Jane Fonda. Yeah, she is baring it all and we mean it all. Jane Fonda of course is publishing her memoirs talking about all of her wild experiences. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Marianela.

MARIANELA: Yeah, this is probably a bad case of TMI. I mean, do people really want to know all of these details? I think it`s more of a textbook case study for psych students. Like spice up the case studies. It`s like OK, mother committed suicide. The father. He was basically an overly demanding father who said she was fat and now bulimia and obviously wants to please men. It`s like kids, read, discuss and diagnose. It`s more of like a case book study than a memoir to be honest.

DECARO: I`m with you. I thought the exercise tapes were too revealing. I`m knocked for a loop with this one. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like celebrities had three ways and stuff. Doesn`t that just sound kind like, oh, that`s kind of cute?

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: Too much information.

TOURE: Last year, Vietnam was back as big as it had ever been in the last two decades and now she comes out. She`s got to immediately disavow the whole Hanoi Jane thing, which in the modern context doesn`t really fit so well, like siding with the enemy in that sort of a way, showing sympathy for them. She`s got to immediately come out on 60 MINUTES and say that was wrong. It`s totally behind me. Don`t attack me.

BRYANT: We have to move onto the third topic, Michael Jackson. Speaking of being attacked, his former maid`s son was on the stand and the maid herself also testified that Michael Jackson was in the shower with young boys. Her son had been paid money before once. He`s talking about past indiscretions.

DECARO: Uh-huh. The word is tickling. The important word here is a lot of tickling, inappropriate tickling. And supposedly, Michael, they said, would give you $100 after he tickled you in the shower. I`ve been tickled in the shower for a lot less money than that. I`m telling you. You know, 100 bucks is not -- no I think the whole theme tonight is too much information. It really, really is.

HAMMER: In that case, we`re going to end it right there. We`re out of time on the buzz bench, Toure, Marianela and Frank Decaro, thanks for stopping by.

BRYANT: Well, lots of people are talking about the new Beck record. It has been out a week now. We`ll take a look how it`s faring on the "Billboard" charts. That`s coming up.

HAMMER: It is so good. Plus Billy Corgan is still smashing after all these years. He`s going to give us some Pumpkin news, coming up as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: You got to love New York, people. It`s a beautiful city. Well, it was the biggest sales week of Beck`s career. His new album (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sold 162,000 copies in its debut week according to "Billboard" numbers out today. But it still wasn`t enough to knock 50 Cent from the top spot. "The Massacre" is number one for a fifth straight week. Beck is number two. Beanie Sigel, the B coming, debuts in third place, 112 opens up at number four with "Pleasure and Pain" and the now 18 compilation drops to number five.

HAMMER: Well, more than 200 songs from one of the hottest all rock bands of the `90s are on Internet tonight. Yes, the Smashing Pumpkins yesterday released their entire musical catalog online. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sat down with front man Billy Corgan to chat about this long awaited digit debut and to find out if the Pumpkins will ever reunite.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILLY CORGAN: We really resisted for a long time putting our songs online because we`ve had so much of our stuff illegally downloaded.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So many people want to take your songs and use them for commercial reasons, for advertisements. Some call it selling out. Elaborate on why you choose not to do this.

CORGAN: That music means so much to people. And I never want them to think that the dreams or the emotions that they invest in that somehow doesn`t mean something, that ultimately it`s more about making money.

ANDERSON: To you, the music is sacred.

CORGAN: The music is extremely sacred. The Smashing Pumpkins saved my life. There were those times in my life where I looked out the window and I thought there`s just no reason to go on. But the band was like the core thing that took me through divorce and the death of my mother and all sorts of things.

ANDERSON: What caused the break up?

CORGAN: Ever see any of us (ph) behind the music, it`s like first they got famous. Then they got into drugs. Then they went crazy. You know? It`s the same story over and over again. We just had all those kind of basic problems.

ANDERSON: Is this effort that you`re releasing the more than 200 songs, all of the work, is it closure for you? Is it the end?

CORGAN: No, my heart is in the Smashing Pumpkins. I always say if I`ll ever have another band, it will be the Smashing Pumpkins because there`s no way. It`s like the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

ANDERSON: Will there ever be a reunion?

CORGAN: I think you`ll see a Smashing Pumpkins reunion when the Cubs win the World Series. Nothing with me is ever as it seems and nothing will ever turn out the way you think it would turn out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: And Corgan is getting ready to do it and go it alone for the very first time. His debut solo album "The Future Embrace," is going to hit stores in June.

BRYANT: Time for more "SHOWBIZ Shorts." Bruce Springsteen alone on the road. The Boss starts touring the U.S. and Europe this month for his upcoming album "Devils and Dust." He`s performing solo in theaters and arenas. The first show is in Detroit April 25th. The CD comes out the next day.

MTV online. Today the network announced MTV overdrive, a free web- based channel with music videos on demand, and extended versions of MTV shows. The service features clips from performances and shows like TRL. It`s in limited testing now and the channel is set for full release April 25th.

HAMMER: Get out your number two pencils and tense up everybody. It`s SAT time on Conan and that`s coming up in "laughter dark."

BRYANT: There is still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "question of the day". Broadcast indecency, should people go to jail for it? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: It is time to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you may have missed.

HAMMER: Only late night with Conan O`Brien can make the analogy section of the SATs seem like fun. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Willie Mays is to the Say Hey kid as Barry Bonds is to -- that`s right. The say kid, you know where I can get some good roids?

Sammy Sosa is to played with Cubs as Michael Jackson is to -- that`s right, played with cub scouts.

And Britney Spears is to can`t decide between national or international tour as her husband Kevin Federline is to, that`s right, can`t decide between getting high on the couch or in the tub.

And finally, Goldilocks is to wakes up in a bed surrounded by bears, do you want it or not, folks? Yeah. All right. Goldlilocks is to wakes up in a bed surrounded by bears as Paris Hilton is to wakes up in a bed surrounded by Bears, Steelers and Patriots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: I didn`t do very well on the SATs. On the late show with David Letterman, Dave gave us some insight into the major league baseball`s new steroid policy.

BRYANT: This is after Tampa Bay Devil Ray`s outfielder Alex Sanchez became the first player to be publicly identified breaking the new rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: Oh, boy, the baseball season only a couple of days old and already one of these thugs has been caught using steroids.

PAUL SCHAFFER: No.

LETTERMAN: Yes. Yes and plays for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

SCHAFFER: Who is it?

LETTERMAN: We`re going to find out here in a second. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays when they realized this was going on, they released this announcement. Take a look. Alex Sanchez. Watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baseball is disappointed that Tampa Bay Devil Ray Alex Sanchez tested positive for steroids. Bud Selig would like to announce that instead of a 10-game suspension, Sanchez` punishment will be to continue playing for the Devil Rays. Baseball fever. Catch it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All right. Throughout the show tonight, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "question of the day," broadcast indecency, should people go to jail for it or play for the Devil Rays? Let`s take a look at how the vote`s going so far. 20 percent of you said yes, people should go to jail for broadcast indecency. So the overwhelming majority, 80 percent of you said no, they should not.

We`ve gotten some e-mails on the question as well, like one from Ralph in New York who says imprisonment is quite harsh for broadcast indecency. Warnings, community service or probation may be more suitable. And Jennzah from Milwaukee writes, television wouldn`t be as fresh or entertaining if there wasn`t the occasional taboo here and there. Remember, you can continue to vote@cnn.com/showbiztonight.

BRYANT: It`s time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.

HAMMER: I`m excited about this. The marquee guy, hit it.

ANNOUNCER: Say hey, it`s Michael Buble (ph). He`s oh so young, yet can swing like Sinatra. That`s money. Hey, Buble, how`s about coming on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT? Yeah, you will? Cool. Tomorrow`s Buble day on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Also tomorrow, guess where we`re invited? To a party at (UNINTELLIGIBLE) one of the hottest clubs in Hollywood and maybe that`s why the dancers there barely wear any clothes. Tomorrow it`s deuces wild on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is the marquee guy, party on dudes.

HAMMER: I just want to hear the marquee guy say Michael Buble one more time.

BRYANT: One more time.

ANNOUNCER: Michael Buble.

BRYANT: Maybe the marquee guy should do the interview, Mr. Buble.

HAMMER: How are you today? Maybe not. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`re going to see you back here with Michael Buble tomorrow.

BRYANT: That`s right. "NANCY GRACE" is up next right after the very latest from the headline news.

(NEWS BREAK)

END


Aired April 6, 2005 - 19:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: Brad Pitt teams up with Bono.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And the queen of daytime gives it to me good. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Tonight, the passing of a prince. Monaco`s Prince Rainier is gone, but the celebrity connection lives on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The music is extremely sacred. Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Smashing success. The Smashing Pumpkins breaking new ground. We`ll tell you what they`re doing with their music collection.

HAMMER: A Dash of this, a Dash of that. He co-founded Roc-a-Fella with Jay-Z. Now he`s working on another empire. Damon Dash live.

BRYANT: Something`s in the air, and it`s satellite radio. Howard Stern is a convert, and so are millions of others. What`s going on here? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes in depth.

HAMMER: And 35 years of soap smacks. "All My Children`s" Susan Lucci takes SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on a behind-the-scenes tour of Pine Valley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN LUCCI, "ALL MY CHILDREN": Hi, I`m Susan Lucci. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

BRYANT: Tonight, a death and the final chapter to a fairy tale that began in Hollywood.

HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here with more -- David.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Hi, A.J. and Karyn. Monaco`s Prince Rainier died today in Monaco at the age of 81. He was Europe`s longest serving monarch, but he`s probably better known as that handsome prince in one of Hollywood`s most glamorous fairy tales.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Imagine if Prince William married Gwyneth Paltrow. That`s how huge it was back in 1956 when Prince Rainier married actress Grace Kelly.

NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": It`s the ultimate fairy tale, the prince, the handsome prince of this, you know, beautiful country that`s by the sea marrying an American movie star.

HAFFENREFFER: He was the dashing young heir to Monaco`s throne who reportedly once considered marrying Marilyn Monroe. Then he met another movie star, Grace Kelly, the beautiful "It" actress of the 1950s who starred in such classic films as "Rear Window."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE KELLY, "REAR WINDOW": Right off the Paris plane. Think it`ll sell?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: The Oscar-winning actress cut short her career at its peak to take her place as royalty.

GOSTIN: She wanted to continue acting, and Rainier said, No. He said, It`s not possible. And he`s right. It would have been impossible for her to be flying back and forth and doing press junkets.

HAFFENREFFER: Together, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace formed an instant fairy tale, having three children, Albert, Caroline and Stephanie. And with his glamorous wife, Prince Rainier was able to turn Monaco and its best known city, Monte Carlo, into a glamorous playground for the Hollywood jet set. It became the glitzy getaway for celebrities.

GOSTIN: Once he married her, it put her on the map. I mean, people that had never heard of Monaco -- it became -- every movie star had to come visit Grace. It just became a huge, famous country.

HAFFENREFFER: The fairy tale came to a sad end in 1982 when Princess Grace was killed in a car accident. Rainier never remarried. And now the focus turns to his children, members of a troubled royal family, regulars on the tabloid pages around the world. Prince Albert takes over the throne. A somewhat shy figure, he`s never married. Prince Albert appeared on LARRY KING LIVE last year while his father was sick. Larry asked Prince Albert if his father`s illness made him think more about assuming the throne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE ALBERT II, MONACO: You think about it. Obviously, you`re prepared in that -- to assume that kind of role and that kind of leadership pretty early on. And I`m enjoying, and I have enjoyed for many years now, working very closely with my father and helping him out as much as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: Princess Stephanie, who was with her mother when she was killed, is known almost as much for her stormy affairs as her royal pedigree. She had two children with a former bodyguard, married him and divorced him after he was photographed cavorting with a Belgian stripper. She even had a brief singing career. Princess Caroline has been married three times. She`s been the endless target of paparazzi. Her third husband, a German prince, was ordered to pay $440,000 for going after a newspaper editor.

GOSTIN: Prince Albert takes over. And they changed the laws in 2002 so that if he doesn`t have any children, it now goes to Caroline and her children, passes on the crown. Caroline will continue serving sort of as the first lady of Monaco. And Stephanie is -- I`m sure will continue being the black sheep of Monaco.

HAFFENREFFER: Prince Rainier is expected to be laid to rest next to his wife, while the future of his country rests with his children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Prince Rainier`s funeral will be held on April 15 at the 19th century Monaco cathedral where he and Princess Grace were married -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Well, thank you, David. We have learned why Sharon Osbourne and her daughter pulled out of a London production of "The Vagina Monologues" last week. Today Sharon Osbourne, wife of rocker Ozzy, said her oldest daughter, Amy, had a lump removed from her breast. She`s being treated in Los Angeles. She didn`t say whether or not it`s cancerous, but she did say she expects her to make a full recovery. Sharon Osbourne previously had colon cancer.

HAMMER: Well, this afternoon, some of the world`s biggest stars got together in Los Angeles to talk about an important cause. Bono, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and George Clooney are fighting AIDS and poverty through the ONE Campaign. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talked to Bono about his involvement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, U2: Yes, it`s unusual, isn`t it, when you see me I`m not asking for money. But it`s great because we`re asking for people`s voice here. We`re asking, you know, for them to sign up, get organized, become a nuisance, like me, to, you know, people who stand in the way of increased aid flows to Africa. We`re not talking about, you know, redecorating presidential palaces, you know, here. We`re talking about medicine, drugs. I think when we do that, we will redescribe ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: The ONE Campaign will release white wristbands that can be worn to show commitment to the cause. Also, the organization will debut a public service announcement this Sunday night on ABC.

BRYANT: Time for "SHOWBIZ Shorts," a look at more stories making news tonight. Beatty`s blogging. Today, "New York Observer" reports that Warren Beatty is, quote, "probably" going to write for a star-studded Web site. It will be launched by columnist and former gubernatorial candidate in California. Her name is Arianna Huffington. Remember her? It`ll be launched next month. Now, Gwyneth Paltrow is also listed as a possible contributor.

A new addition to "The View" crew. Co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck gave birth to a baby girl this morning. It`s the first child for her and husband NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, whose birthday also happens to be today. Elizabeth is expected to call in during tomorrow`s "The View" and tell everyone the baby`s name.

More "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

HAMMER: Babies, back-stabbing and falling, all in a day`s work on a daytime set. And Susan Lucci, the queen of daytime, has been playing Erica Kane, the sexy leading lady of "All My Children," for the last 35 years. So I took a trip to see Susan, and we dished the dirt on her soap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Susan Lucci -- millions of Americans watch her play Erica Kane on "All My Children." Susan invited me to Pine Valley to see just how she plays the woman everyone loves to hate.

(on camera): Congratulations on 35 years.

SUSAN LUCCI, "ALL MY CHILDREN": Thank you very much. Thank you.

HAMMER: Can you -- I mean, when you hear the numbers, it`s still a little freaky to you?

LUCCI: It`s freaky. It`s frightening. It`s amazing.

HAMMER: And you also got your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

LUCCI: Yes, in January.

HAMMER: Will you visit your star?

LUCCI: We actually went back two days later. We had to wait our turn. There were -- you know, there were tourists taking pictures. They were all looking down. And my husband and I were standing there just waiting.

HAMMER: Did the tourists they go berserk when they see...

LUCCI: Oh, when they realized...

HAMMER: ... Susan Lucci walking up to Susan Lucci`s star?

LUCCI: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

HAMMER: You were there for two hours, taking pictures with them, weren`t you.

LUCCI: We were there for a while.

HAMMER: Flash me back now 35 years. Do you remember the phone call or however you were alerted that you had gotten the job?

LUCCI: I do. I had about five auditions, and the executive producer at the time was leaving the building, and he saw me sitting there and he looked back and he just winked and nodded. Sure enough, they called back the next day and they said, You`ve got the part.

HAMMER: In your wildest dreams, you never, I`m sure, could have imagined that 35 years later, you`d be playing this role.

LUCCI: Never in a million years. I had trouble signing my first contract, which was for three years. I couldn`t have imagined making such a long commitment because I really was just out of school. The only thing I knew was four years of high school, four years of college. So three years was like a life experience, you know, a big commitment. But I`m really glad I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wears exclusively designer clothing?

HAMMER: Of course.

Let`s talk about the clothes for a moment. You`ve got, what, a couple dozen boxes of Jimmy Choos lying around...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Who has more expensive tastes, Erica Kane or Susan Lucci?

LUCCI: That is a definite toss-up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wore this wrap to go to the hospital.

HAMMER: Let`s talk about what else has happened in 35 years here. Oh, you`re working on your 10th husband.

LUCCI: Going into double digits.

HAMMER: How about that.

LUCCI: Yes.

HAMMER: A long time finally getting it together with Jackson (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCCI: ... proof that I intend to stand by you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: It`s really going to happen?

LUCCI: They tell us it`s really going to happen.

HAMMER: So in 35 years, how many faces have you slapped?

LUCCI: Oh, that`s a great question! The slaps, you know, are not -- I mean, we try not -- never to make contact.

HAMMER: I`ll sign a waiver. I mean, really, just...

LUCCI: Oh, no. Really, I don`t want to.

(CROSSTALK)

LUCCI: I`m going to go for it. You rotten -- oh! Oh!

HAMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) See? And I didn`t sign the waiver, so -- was I good? Was I good?

LUCCI: You were really good!

HAMMER: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, that noise you heard was me banging my head into the lamp. She didn`t hit me, but I smacked my head into the lamp. Susan and I also talked about the daytime Emmys. People are always making such a big deal about that. And I asked her why, and she said she doesn`t know. She, of course, won her first and only Emmy back in 1999, but she says she`s always been amazed that anybody even cared. She also added winning is a whole lot better -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Well, satellite radio is winning over a lot of new listeners, including Howard Stern and Little Steven Van Zandt from the E Street Band and, of course, "The Sopranos." He is joining us live. We are getting in depth.

HAMMER: An "American Idol" winner tells us who she`s rooting for this time around. Her pick is coming up.

BRYANT: Now tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which well-known film critic co-wrote the screenplay for the 1970 film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls?" Was it, A, Janet Maslin, B, Pauline Kael, C, Leonard Maltin, or D, Roger Ebert? We will be right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: And welcome back. So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which well-known film critic co-wrote the screenplay for the 1970 film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"? Was it Janet Maslin, Pauline Kael, Leonard Maltin or Roger Ebert? Well, he`s all thumbs down or thumbs up. The answer is D, Roger Ebert.

BRYANT: Well, it looks like a thumbs-up for satellite radio. Tonight`s "SHOWBIZ In Depth." The satellite sensation. From XM to Sirius, America is getting very serious about satellite radio. It has reportedly grown faster in less time than cell phones ever did. Howard Stern is leaving traditional radio for it, and even major league baseball is on board. What is behind the boom?

Well, joining us live right here in New York is Steven Van Zandt, also known as Little Steven. He is the creator of two channels on Sirius radio and also has a syndicated radio show on regular broadcast radio called "Little Steven`s Underground Garage." And out in San Francisco, we`ve got Brad Stone, "Newsweek`s" Silicon Valley correspondent.

Brad, I`m going to start with you. To what do you attribute this incredible boom?

BRAD STONE, "NEWSWEEK": Well, I think there are really two factors. No. 1, the service is simply compelling. People who get satellite radio love it. They recommend it. Everything that`s frustrating about your local radio station is less of a factor on satellite radio. There are no commercials on the music stations. There`s more of a selection. There`s a dozen rock stations, a half a dozen country stations. And it surprises you. The play lists are large. You never know what`s coming next. But the other thing we really can`t dismiss is that Wall Street is so bullish on these two companies, Sirius and XM, they`ve given the two companies a lot of money to go out and sign deals and buy subscribers.

BRYANT: Yes, Steven, how much did that influence you, the openness of the playlists?

STEVEN VAN ZANDT, RADIO HOST AND SATELLITE PRODUCER: Well, it helped in my case because I had created a new format for my regular show that is still on. And now -- we just hit 200 markets in fact, the regular "Little Steven`s underground Garage." But I felt it was -- you know, it could be also a 24-hours format.

BRYANT: Right.

VAN ZANDT: So it was a good place to try that out, you know. They`re into experimenting and trying new things, so...

BRYANT: And so are you.

VAN ZANDT: Yes.

BRYANT: Well, how much does the fact that Howard Stern now is a part of Sirius -- how much does that affect where you think this is going in the future?

VAN ZANDT: Well, everybody`s, of course, expecting a lot of his fans to come over, so it`ll just increase the subscribers, which helps, you know?

But in the I mean, end, I really do see this thing as complementary to regular radio. I really do. You know, I know some people are panicking, and I always feel that, you know, through history, the old sort of medium always panics about the new. This goes back to the `30s, when records started being played on radio.

BRYANT: Right. Right.

VAN ZANDT: You know? Everyone panicked because it used to be just big bands, you know, live.

BRYANT: Right. And then every -- right.

VAN ZANDT: So, like, This is the end of bands, you know?

BRYANT: But it wasn`t the end. Yes, Brad, I want to talk about that because, you know, obviously, Howard is bringing a lot of subscribers. People are going to have to pay $12 a month now. You know, is this going to mark the end of regular radio?

STONE: Well, let me put it in perspective. Regular radio has 250 million listeners. Satellite radio might break 8 million this year. I think what it does do, though, is it wakes up local radio. I mean, they were ready to be the last medium stuck in the analog age, and now we`re seeing, you know, the big companies, like Infinity Broadcasting, reinvest in digital technology, in technologies called HD radio, which allows them to do a lot of what satellite radio is doing. They`re lowering their commercial inventory and they`re -- and making their playlists larger. And they`re just waking up to some of the things that today`s digital consumer expects.

BRYANT: Well, what`s interesting -- I used to run a radio station. I was a program director. I remember the guys coming in every Tuesday asking me to add records. Is this changing the way the record company does business, Steven?

VAN ZANDT: Well, it may save some record companies, I`ll tell you that, because record companies are in big trouble. They`re in as big a trouble as -- you know, as any industry. There`s been a separation lately between what radio does and what record companies do. When we grew up, you know, radio sold records, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: Yes~! It did.

VAN ZANDT: That`s not...

BRYANT: It broke artists. It made careers.

VAN ZANDT: Yes. It hasn`t been so much the case anymore. So what I try to do with my show, both on Sirius and on the regular radio, is encourage people to buy the records they like when they hear them, you know? That`s new.

BRYANT: Right. Now, brad, quick question, last question. When will satellite radio make money? Because right now, they`re operating at a loss, aren`t they?

STONE: A huge loss. I mean, Sirius lost something like a billion dollars last year. I mean, we`re just in this almost bizarre moment where Wall Street is letting these two companies, you know, spend a ton of money and lose a lot of money. XM, which is a little bit ahead in subscriber growth, will get to break even in profitability quicker.

BRYANT: Right.

STONE: Sirius is probably a few years away. But for now, I mean, both -- the share prices are up, so they can pretty much do what they want.

BRYANT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) business. All right. Well, Brad Stone, thank you for joining us in San Francisco, and of course, Steven Van Zandt. Thanks for -- and I`m telling you, what you did to Adriana (ph) -- oh, my goodness!

VAN ZANDT: That wasn`t me.

BRYANT: Oh, my goodness!

VAN ZANDT: That wasn`t me!

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Well, as Karyn mentioned, Howard Stern is making his way to satellite radio as the debate over what to do over broadcast indecency heats on up. One idea, instead of a fine, make it a crime. That`s what a top congressman says he wants for broadcasters who violate indecency standards. Wisconsin congressman James Sensenbrenner told a cable TV convention that he would support a law that would make it a crime to violate indecency standards.

Now we want to know your thoughts on that. So here`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Broadcast indecency: Should people go to jail for it? You can vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say, e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. And we`ll share some of you what have to say later in the show.

BRYANT: Today, celebrities gathered to say good-bye to Johnnie Cochran. Michael Jackson, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and O.J. Simpson were among those who showed in Los Angeles for the funeral this up morning. The well-known attorney to the stars is probably best remembered for being part of O.J.`s so-called legal "dream team." The former football player was acquitted of double murder in 1995. Johnnie Cochran also worked for Michael Jackson and Sean P. Diddy Combs. He died in his Los Angeles home last week of a brain tumor at the age of 67.

HAMMER: Who does she believe in? "American Idol" 3 winner Fantasia`s going to tell us who she`s pulling for in "Idol" 4 coming up.

BRYANT: And Damon Dash live. You may not know the name, but his Roc- A-Wear is probably in your favorite department store. The man behind the multi-million-dollar empire coming up live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: If you`re a Smashing Pumpkins fan, you`re really going to like what they`re doing with their music. Lead singer Billy Corgan fills us in a little later.

HAMMER: Well, tonight, Fantasia returns to "American Idol." Last season`s winner is back for a live performance to show the hopefuls just what they`re singing for, the title of "American Idol." Last night, as usual, Fox`s "Idol" dominated the ratings in prime time. You can look for more of the same tonight as millions of fans let their voices be heard when they send one contestant home. Aw!

Tuesday, fans were treated to songs from the "Great White Way," as contestants did their best with Broadway show tunes. And with Fantasia`s return to the show tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wanted to find out exactly what she thinks coming back to the show, her thoughts on the "Idols" and exactly who she`s rooting for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANTASIA BARRINO, THIRD-SEASON "IDOL" WINNER: I`m excited. I`m not nervous now because I don`t have to be voted off tonight, so I`m kind of happy about that. And I don`t have to, you know, hear from Simon, Paula and Randy. So that`s kind of cool. It`s actually good to come back. It reminds you of where you come from.

They got it pretty easy this year. They`ve got a live band, a live band every night. So I know what they`re going through. So we`re going to have fun today, though. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

But I really love Carrie. I like her because she`s really toughing it out. You know, it`s a pop show, and she`s a country singer. She takes those songs every week, and she still has her country flavor, but she is -- I just -- I love her. She has, like, the voice of an angel. She looks so comfortable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: It`s going to be good to see her back on that stage. Fantasia`s about to become an author. She`s writing an autobiography entitled "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale," and that`s due out in October. And as much as they`ve been talking about -- the big buzz has been this is the best talent they`ve had so far, isn`t Fantasia just going to show everybody up?

BRYANT: Yes, she`s just going to blow them away. And there are a couple guys I would love to give the axe about four weeks ago. Yes, she`s going to teach them. She`s going to teach them.

HAMMER: Well, one will go tonight.

BRYANT: Yes. Thankfully!

Well, time for more "SHOWBIZ Shorts." L`Oreal`s Longoria. The beauty company has signed "Desperate Housewives" Mrs. Solis, Eva Longoria, as its spokesperson. She`ll appear in her first commercial for Vive Hair Care sometime this spring.

And Eva will be keeping her other job, too, ABC announcing renewals. The ABC network said today it is picking up its first-year hits, "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Boston Legal," for another season. "Alias," which airs after "Lost," got a green light for a fifth season.

More "SHOWBIZ Shorts" coming up throughout the show.

HAMMER: It`s not unexpected that those shows are coming back.

BRYANT: Not really.

HAMMER: And "Desperate Housewives" -- who knew?

BRYANT: Who -- that`s a shocker! I didn`t see that coming.

HAMMER: Well, the women of Wisteria Lane did get together, but apparently, the "Housewives" got a little bit heated. Our cool "Buzz Bench" is going to talk about that later on.

BRYANT: OK. And why there might be more reality in Britney Spears`s future. That`s just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

HAMMER: Damon Dash live. Yes, he has a new movie coming out but Dash`s empire is dotted with a little bit of everything. We`ll mind his business coming up.

BRYANT: And today is the greatest if you`re a Smashing Pumpkins fan. Billy Corgan tells us what`s up with the Pumpkins online.

VINES: Hi, I`m Amanda Vines. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

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

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s hothead lines. Michael Jackson was among the mourners at famed attorney Johnnie Cochran`s funeral in Los Angeles today along with another high profile client of Cochran`s, O.J. Simpson. Cochran died last Tuesday of a brain tumor. He was 67 years old.

BRYANT: Bono and Brad Pitt buddied up today to announce a new star- studded public service announcement from what`s called the one campaign to fight poverty. The PSA debuts Sunday night on MTV and ABC.

HAMMER: And "American Idol" and the great American novel. We learned today "American Idol" winner Fantasia is writing her memoirs at the ripe old age of 20. It will be called "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale," and will cover her dropping out of high school and becoming a single mom as well as her IDOL win of course.

We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Broadcast indecency, should people go to jail for it? You can keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Also send us your e-mails to showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to share some of what you had to say at 55 past the hour.

BRYANT: Last night a record number of you voted in the question of the day when we asked Britney Spears` reality show, will you watch it? Well, 13 percent of you said yes, you would watch it while 87 percent of you said no, you wouldn`t. Because we got such an overwhelming response, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT took to the streets of New York City and went straight to the young music fans out front of MTV studios. Of course that`s Britney`s target audience and we wanted to ask if they would watch and here`s what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I probably would watch it, yes. I think it`s kind of stupid but I`d still watch it anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe just to see some of the things that happen and went on between them. After the whole thing that happened with her and Justin, just to see the chemistry and what happens with them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would watch it, because I personally like Britney Spears, but I don`t think she belongs with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s not the same little girl anymore. She`s definitely hotter now. I`d still watch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a mock of Nick and Jessica because they`ve been out there for like two years already and now Britney wants to do it. That`s copycat kind of.

QUESTION: But you would still watch it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`d watch it just to make fun of her the whole time basically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Just hours ago, our friends at people.com reported that Kevin Federline is looking to shop a reality show of his own. Now, this comes just a day after UPN announced that he and his wife Britney Spears would co-executive produce a joint reality show.

HAMMER: It is time now for the show`s biz. The Damon Dash empire -- Damon Dash is only 33-years-old, but he runs a $350 million a year empire that includes everything from his own record label to the hit fashion line Roc-A-Wear, a magazine, even a vodka and he has a new movie coming out as well. So how does Damon do it? We figured we`d just have him here and ask him himself. Thanks for dropping the show. Hi, Damon.

DAMON DASH, ROC-A-WEAR: How you doing?

HAMMER: So of all of these ventures, of all these things you`re involved with, which is the big money maker?

DASH: Right now, I would say it`s the clothing line.

HAMMER: The Fashion line.

DASH: Yeah. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) just in the clothing.

HAMMER: Oh really. So what`s the number overall then?

DASH: I don`t know.

HAMMER: Approximately or you let people handle that?

DASH: I can`t really tell because I planted a lot of seeds and they`re all eventually going to grow. I think in my mind they`re worth billions, you know what I mean? So eventually they`re all do just as good as Roc-A- Wear if not better.

HAMMER: And Roc-A-Wear is spreading out and spreading its wings even wider everyday.

DASH: Underneath the Roc-A-Wear umbrella, we have state property which is a clothing line. We have Teen Rock. We just acquired pro Keds and the Rachel Roy line. So there`s a lot of different lines for a lot of different dynamics underneath that umbrella.

HAMMER: And you`ve also hooked up with your newest partner, Patricia Fields. Patricia Fields of course worked on the wardrobe for "Sex in the City" and you`re going to be doing something with her.

DASH: She did an injection (ph) called the house of fields, the house of rock being done for us. She`s been a pretty good friend of mine. She`s a supporter. I think she`s super cool. So I think great minds kind of see similarities in each other. So I thought it would be great to work with her.

HAMMER: You`re kind of different though. You`re sort of, can be an understated low key kind of guy and she`s kind of wacky, isn`t she?

DASH: Today.

HAMMER: Today, exactly. I saw you at a J. Lo fashion show and you were having a good time.

DASH: All the things (ph) that was going on around me. She`s an individual and she`s like I said, she`s pretty cool. I like her style.

HAMMER: A lot of people just because it`s what they hear the most might have thought that the music would have been the biggest money maker. Of Rock-A-Fella, what you were work on with Jay-Z and you launched with Jay-Z, that was sold and you guys split. Now you`re doing your own record label. Among the artists you`re representing, ODB. Now the late ODB and you`re going to release a posthumous album for him, he did a little jail time. Beanie Siegel, the rapper who has an album out for you also doing a little jail time. Do you ever worry that working with or having artists that have a criminal past on your label could negatively impact your business?

DASH: I don`t really look at it like that. I kind of judge the individual by the individual. Beanie`s a great guy. Actually his album just came out. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) number three, did 131 units without him there. So he has a pretty secure following. And like I said, I think he`s a good dude. And I definitely loved The Old Dirty Bastard so I loved his music. And I don`t really think about the jail time too much. I would advice them not to go to jail. I don`t think that`s good for anybody, but no, that doesn`t come into the equation when I sign an artist.

HAMMER: And now you`re in the movie business. You have "State Property Two," that`s coming out next week. You did the "Woodsmen" with Kevin Bacon and the movie business, just a natural extension of everything else for you?

DASH: When I fist got into the business of music, I wanted to capitalize and do every other thing that presented itself to me. In getting the movie business, I kind of decided that it would be probably in my best interests to direct, to produce, to executive produce, to kind of establish financing and distribution. So this particular movie, I directed it and produced it and helped write it and I got to incorporate all my different artists. So I can use the movie business as a way and a vehicle to promote the artists and their lifestyles and give them a visual.

HAMMER: It seems to make sense.

DASH: Also, I want to, stay (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and do movies like "The Woodsman," just things that are socially conscious and showing that a person from the urban community can do anything.

HAMMER: Coming at it from (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

DASH: I believe we can do anything if you try hard enough.

HAMMER: I appreciate the inside.

DASH: ...Damon dash collection, so I can get you suited up one day too.

HAMMER: Hey, you know, I`m sitting here and I got to wear clothes too.

DASH: You didn`t talk about the rock box either.

HAMMER: I didn`t know about the rock box. It matches my shirt.

DASH: That`s why I made it. I knew you had a pink shirt today, so put that next to you. A Rock Digital.

HAMMER: This is Rock Digital, "State Property" is the movie, "State Property 2" and it opens a week from today. Thanks for coming by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, man.

BRYANT: Time for more "SHOWBIZ shorts." Denzel and Spike together again. Denzel Washington has signed on to work with director Spike Lee again in a cop movie called "Inside Man." Of course, the two worked together on "Malcolm X," "Mo Better Blues" and "He Got Game."

And the X-men movies are staying true to the comics. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) character, Jean Gray was killed at the end of the last movie but today we learned she will return as the Phoenix in "X-Men 3" just like in the comic book.

HAMMER: Well, "Desperate Housewives" is never short on drama. But recently there was a little bit of drama off the set, as well. We`re going to take that to our buzz bench coming up in a few.

BRYANT: Plus smashing expectations. Billy Corgan tells us what`s up with the Smashing Pumpkins catalog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: I love a bunch of dance music. I like J. Lo`s new song and actually Will Smith`s new song is really good. But I`m a little weird. I take a particular CD for a movie that I work on and randomly for this it was a combination of three day`s great (ph) and Muse, which is a lot harder, more like hey, rock and that whole thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It is time now for the buzz bench. Here`s what we`re buzzing about tonight. Some "Desperate Housewives" drama that wasn`t on Wisteria Lane. Jane Fonda`s memories and the latest in the Michael Jackson trial.

BRYANT: Joining us on the bench this evening, Sirius satellite radio host Frank Decaro, Fuse V.J. Marianela and CNN`s pop culture correspondent Toure. Good to see you again Toure. I just saw you this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" on CNN. But I want to start with you. We are talking about the "Desperate Housewives." They`re doing the May cover of "Vanity Fair". They`re all five in bathing suits and the story is that there`s all this things going on behind the scenes. They don`t want Terri Hatcher to get to wardrobe first. They couldn`t have Terri Hatcher in the center of the picture. All the housewives starting to get a little catty.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: It`s weird, because usually being on a winning team brings harmony. Everyone wants to play together and all these women except for Eva Longoria have been in the business for many many years. So you would think they would be humbled and appreciative of success, but it seems like the Lakers, like the ego is just dragging them down.

BRYANT: Which one`s Shaq in the group?

TOURE: Maybe Terri Hatcher is Shaq because she`s the one everybody wants to watch. She`s drawing people to the show.

HAMMER: She has been humbled. And she is obviously humbled by the whole experience.

MARIANELA, FUSE V.J.: It`s like high school all over again. This is the cooler club. Why do you get the cuter boys? It`s silly.

HAMMER: Having worked with her in the past, she is sweet and really...

TOURE: It seems that Marcia Cross, that`s what the rumors are saying, she`s the one doing most of the complaining, doesn`t want Terri to be in the middle. But if you look, Terri`s in the middle of the cover and Marcia Cross is not on the cover.

FRANK DECARO, SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO HOST: She`s in the fold. She and Felicity Hoffman are behind the fold. You have to admit, yes, it`s an ensemble show but even in the most equitably distributed ensemble, there`s always the anchor character. There`s always that one person who really pushes things forward and that`s Terri Hatcher and they are going to have to admit that.

TOURE: Some people are watching for Terri. Some people are watching for Eva.

DECARO: I`m a Bree Van De Kamp person myself. Even I will admit as much as I only want to watch about her, I think it`s really all about Susan.

MARIANELA: I spent all day dodging wardrobe. What`s the big deal? They say it`s not even on this shoot only that they say do not let Terri go first because she will pick all the best pieces.

DECARO: I don`t know. Catty, catty.

HAMMER: Let`s talk about a woman with class. Some Fonda memories, Jane Fonda. Yeah, she is baring it all and we mean it all. Jane Fonda of course is publishing her memoirs talking about all of her wild experiences. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Marianela.

MARIANELA: Yeah, this is probably a bad case of TMI. I mean, do people really want to know all of these details? I think it`s more of a textbook case study for psych students. Like spice up the case studies. It`s like OK, mother committed suicide. The father. He was basically an overly demanding father who said she was fat and now bulimia and obviously wants to please men. It`s like kids, read, discuss and diagnose. It`s more of like a case book study than a memoir to be honest.

DECARO: I`m with you. I thought the exercise tapes were too revealing. I`m knocked for a loop with this one. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like celebrities had three ways and stuff. Doesn`t that just sound kind like, oh, that`s kind of cute?

(CROSSTALK)

BRYANT: Too much information.

TOURE: Last year, Vietnam was back as big as it had ever been in the last two decades and now she comes out. She`s got to immediately disavow the whole Hanoi Jane thing, which in the modern context doesn`t really fit so well, like siding with the enemy in that sort of a way, showing sympathy for them. She`s got to immediately come out on 60 MINUTES and say that was wrong. It`s totally behind me. Don`t attack me.

BRYANT: We have to move onto the third topic, Michael Jackson. Speaking of being attacked, his former maid`s son was on the stand and the maid herself also testified that Michael Jackson was in the shower with young boys. Her son had been paid money before once. He`s talking about past indiscretions.

DECARO: Uh-huh. The word is tickling. The important word here is a lot of tickling, inappropriate tickling. And supposedly, Michael, they said, would give you $100 after he tickled you in the shower. I`ve been tickled in the shower for a lot less money than that. I`m telling you. You know, 100 bucks is not -- no I think the whole theme tonight is too much information. It really, really is.

HAMMER: In that case, we`re going to end it right there. We`re out of time on the buzz bench, Toure, Marianela and Frank Decaro, thanks for stopping by.

BRYANT: Well, lots of people are talking about the new Beck record. It has been out a week now. We`ll take a look how it`s faring on the "Billboard" charts. That`s coming up.

HAMMER: It is so good. Plus Billy Corgan is still smashing after all these years. He`s going to give us some Pumpkin news, coming up as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: You got to love New York, people. It`s a beautiful city. Well, it was the biggest sales week of Beck`s career. His new album (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sold 162,000 copies in its debut week according to "Billboard" numbers out today. But it still wasn`t enough to knock 50 Cent from the top spot. "The Massacre" is number one for a fifth straight week. Beck is number two. Beanie Sigel, the B coming, debuts in third place, 112 opens up at number four with "Pleasure and Pain" and the now 18 compilation drops to number five.

HAMMER: Well, more than 200 songs from one of the hottest all rock bands of the `90s are on Internet tonight. Yes, the Smashing Pumpkins yesterday released their entire musical catalog online. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson sat down with front man Billy Corgan to chat about this long awaited digit debut and to find out if the Pumpkins will ever reunite.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILLY CORGAN: We really resisted for a long time putting our songs online because we`ve had so much of our stuff illegally downloaded.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So many people want to take your songs and use them for commercial reasons, for advertisements. Some call it selling out. Elaborate on why you choose not to do this.

CORGAN: That music means so much to people. And I never want them to think that the dreams or the emotions that they invest in that somehow doesn`t mean something, that ultimately it`s more about making money.

ANDERSON: To you, the music is sacred.

CORGAN: The music is extremely sacred. The Smashing Pumpkins saved my life. There were those times in my life where I looked out the window and I thought there`s just no reason to go on. But the band was like the core thing that took me through divorce and the death of my mother and all sorts of things.

ANDERSON: What caused the break up?

CORGAN: Ever see any of us (ph) behind the music, it`s like first they got famous. Then they got into drugs. Then they went crazy. You know? It`s the same story over and over again. We just had all those kind of basic problems.

ANDERSON: Is this effort that you`re releasing the more than 200 songs, all of the work, is it closure for you? Is it the end?

CORGAN: No, my heart is in the Smashing Pumpkins. I always say if I`ll ever have another band, it will be the Smashing Pumpkins because there`s no way. It`s like the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

ANDERSON: Will there ever be a reunion?

CORGAN: I think you`ll see a Smashing Pumpkins reunion when the Cubs win the World Series. Nothing with me is ever as it seems and nothing will ever turn out the way you think it would turn out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: And Corgan is getting ready to do it and go it alone for the very first time. His debut solo album "The Future Embrace," is going to hit stores in June.

BRYANT: Time for more "SHOWBIZ Shorts." Bruce Springsteen alone on the road. The Boss starts touring the U.S. and Europe this month for his upcoming album "Devils and Dust." He`s performing solo in theaters and arenas. The first show is in Detroit April 25th. The CD comes out the next day.

MTV online. Today the network announced MTV overdrive, a free web- based channel with music videos on demand, and extended versions of MTV shows. The service features clips from performances and shows like TRL. It`s in limited testing now and the channel is set for full release April 25th.

HAMMER: Get out your number two pencils and tense up everybody. It`s SAT time on Conan and that`s coming up in "laughter dark."

BRYANT: There is still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "question of the day". Broadcast indecency, should people go to jail for it? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: It is time to get your laugh on in laughter dark. As we do every night, we bring you the late night laughs you may have missed.

HAMMER: Only late night with Conan O`Brien can make the analogy section of the SATs seem like fun. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Willie Mays is to the Say Hey kid as Barry Bonds is to -- that`s right. The say kid, you know where I can get some good roids?

Sammy Sosa is to played with Cubs as Michael Jackson is to -- that`s right, played with cub scouts.

And Britney Spears is to can`t decide between national or international tour as her husband Kevin Federline is to, that`s right, can`t decide between getting high on the couch or in the tub.

And finally, Goldilocks is to wakes up in a bed surrounded by bears, do you want it or not, folks? Yeah. All right. Goldlilocks is to wakes up in a bed surrounded by bears as Paris Hilton is to wakes up in a bed surrounded by Bears, Steelers and Patriots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: I didn`t do very well on the SATs. On the late show with David Letterman, Dave gave us some insight into the major league baseball`s new steroid policy.

BRYANT: This is after Tampa Bay Devil Ray`s outfielder Alex Sanchez became the first player to be publicly identified breaking the new rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: Oh, boy, the baseball season only a couple of days old and already one of these thugs has been caught using steroids.

PAUL SCHAFFER: No.

LETTERMAN: Yes. Yes and plays for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

SCHAFFER: Who is it?

LETTERMAN: We`re going to find out here in a second. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays when they realized this was going on, they released this announcement. Take a look. Alex Sanchez. Watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baseball is disappointed that Tampa Bay Devil Ray Alex Sanchez tested positive for steroids. Bud Selig would like to announce that instead of a 10-game suspension, Sanchez` punishment will be to continue playing for the Devil Rays. Baseball fever. Catch it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: All right. Throughout the show tonight, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "question of the day," broadcast indecency, should people go to jail for it or play for the Devil Rays? Let`s take a look at how the vote`s going so far. 20 percent of you said yes, people should go to jail for broadcast indecency. So the overwhelming majority, 80 percent of you said no, they should not.

We`ve gotten some e-mails on the question as well, like one from Ralph in New York who says imprisonment is quite harsh for broadcast indecency. Warnings, community service or probation may be more suitable. And Jennzah from Milwaukee writes, television wouldn`t be as fresh or entertaining if there wasn`t the occasional taboo here and there. Remember, you can continue to vote@cnn.com/showbiztonight.

BRYANT: It`s time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.

HAMMER: I`m excited about this. The marquee guy, hit it.

ANNOUNCER: Say hey, it`s Michael Buble (ph). He`s oh so young, yet can swing like Sinatra. That`s money. Hey, Buble, how`s about coming on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT? Yeah, you will? Cool. Tomorrow`s Buble day on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Also tomorrow, guess where we`re invited? To a party at (UNINTELLIGIBLE) one of the hottest clubs in Hollywood and maybe that`s why the dancers there barely wear any clothes. Tomorrow it`s deuces wild on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is the marquee guy, party on dudes.

HAMMER: I just want to hear the marquee guy say Michael Buble one more time.

BRYANT: One more time.

ANNOUNCER: Michael Buble.

BRYANT: Maybe the marquee guy should do the interview, Mr. Buble.

HAMMER: How are you today? Maybe not. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`re going to see you back here with Michael Buble tomorrow.

BRYANT: That`s right. "NANCY GRACE" is up next right after the very latest from the headline news.

(NEWS BREAK)

END