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Showbiz Tonight

Leno Testifies in Michael Jackson Trial; Sandler, Rock, Reynolds Star in Remake of `Longest Yard`

Aired May 24, 2005 - 19:00   ET

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

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


KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: Adam, Burt, Chris and Nelly live.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And Donald Trump, unauthorized. I`m A.J. Hammer.

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

Tonight, Jay at the Jackson trial.

HAMMER: "Tonight" show host Jay Leno takes the stand after paving the way with a barrage of jokes. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the laughter and the testimony.

BRYANT: Also, Scott Peterson`s former mistress has a special message to the actress playing her on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, SCOTT PETERSON`S FORMER MISTRESS: I appreciate your involvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: You`ll see it play out here, live tonight.

HAMMER: And...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK SWAYZE, ACTOR: All nations need a symbol, one that can unite them across the barriers of language and clan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Patrick Swayze. Will he be able to stop a dirty dictator from dancing to the presidency? Patrick Swayze joins us live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS ROCK, "THE LONGEST YARD": I`m Chris Rock. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you!

ROCK: Hey, what`s up, man?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. You are watching TV`s only live nightly entertainment news program.

BRYANT: Well, tonight, it`s almost the end of the road. There are only hours left in the Michael Jackson trial. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned that the defense will rest its case tomorrow.

HAMMER: And the trial is certainly no laughing matter, but it did supply comedians with endless material. No one has had more fun making fun of this trial than the "Tonight" show`s Jay Leno, of course, but today he found himself at the center of the action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): He`s the star witness we`ve been waiting to hear from. Comedian Jay Leno found himself walking to another stage with an audience and a microphone. But this time, the late-night TV talk show host was called to testify in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial as a witness for the defense.

Jackson`s lawyers say the accuser`s family tried to defraud Leno and other celebrities out of money. We can`t show you Leno`s monologue on the stand, but Leno testified it sounded a little odd that the young boy would be a fan of a comedian in his mid-50s. "I`m not Batman," he joked, and also plugged the line-up for tonight`s show.

Leno has been joking about his court appearance on the show for months. His monologue last night was entirely devoted to Jackson jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "TONIGHT" SHOW: I was called by the defense. I`m a defense witness, so apparently, they`ve never seen this program.

People say, How do you get picked?

Show how it was done. Show the footage. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The votes have been counted and only one of you get to testify. Chimp, you are going back to the ring. That means, Jay, congratulations. You are off to Santa Maria!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: On Friday, he spent the show trying to decide what to wear on the stand. The trial has provided Leno with endless material.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: Michael Jackson said now that Mother Teresa`s gone, there is no voice for the kids. Well, sure there is. It`s called the prosecutor. Hello?

Macaulay Culkin testified the other day. He said when he was 11 or so, Michael Jackson gave him a Rolex watch. Who gives an 11-year-old a Rolex watch? It wasn`t a cheap one. It was a very exclusive from the "Just keep your mouth shut" collection.

Michael Jackson trained his monkeys to sweep and clean around the house. Not only that, he trained a giraffe to be a lookout for the cops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: At the start of the trial, Leno had to keep mum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: There`s a gag order for everyone involved in the Michael Jackson trial. In fact, I believe that I`m the first person over the age of 12 that has been gagged by Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: So Leno enlisted other comedians to tell his jokes. Here`s Brad Garrett.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD GARRETT, COMEDIAN: All right, so let`s see what`s new in the Michael Jackson trial, or as we like to call it, "Diary of a mad white woman." Now, as we all know, Michael Jackson has been accused of supplying wine to underage boys. What`s Michael Jackson`s favorite wine? "C`mon, your mom won`t know!"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Dennis Miller was called to help, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS MILLER, COMEDIAN: Big day in the trial today, folks. I see where Michael Jackson and George Hamilton have officially crossed lines on the pigmentation flow chart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Joining Macaulay Culkin on the celebrity witness list, CNN`s Larry King, who was told by the judge to go home, and comedian George Lopez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, with the case almost over, Leno`s going to have to find some new material, but you can bet you`ll hear about his daytime testimony in his nighttime monologue.

BRYANT: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there moments ago, as movie star Chris Tucker took the stand. Now let`s go to our expert on this trial, "Celebrity Justice`s" Harvey Levin. He joins us live from Burbank, California. Harvey, I want to know, first and foremost, is Chris Tucker echoing what Leno said earlier on the stand?

HARVEY LEVIN, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": No, Karyn, he goes way beyond Jay Leno. Jay Leno`s contact with this family was limited. Chris Tucker knew them for this entire period of this alleged conspiracy and molestation. He was with them. He befriended them. He gave them money.

And we know some of what he is going to testify about, and I think probably most significant -- you know, the prosecution is saying that Michael Jackson spirited this family away to Florida when this Martin Bashir documentary aired, so they wouldn`t see it. Well, Chris Tucker is going to testify it was the family who contacted him and said, Gee, we hear Jackson is going to be in Florida, and kind of invited themselves. So Tucker is going to squarely fall on the defense side in this.

BRYANT: And did Jay Leno drop any bombs of his own today, though?

LEVIN: Not really. I mean, Jay Leno basically said, Look, I was suspicious of this kid when he called me up, and maybe he might have been trying to get money, but he never asked for money. And that`s what he told the police. But the defense thought he would go further. The defense thought he would say that, This family was trying to shake me down. He didn`t go that far. I don`t think it really helped the defense much. I don`t think it hurt him, either.

BRYANT: Well, the defense is resting tomorrow. How come we haven`t seen Liz Taylor? And how come Michael himself has not taken the stand?

LEVIN: Well, as for Liz Taylor, she was a peripheral witness. They put a lot of people on that list and ended up not calling them, and that`s not surprising. As far Michael Jackson, I never thought that Tom Mesereau would call him to the stand. I don`t know if you remember, A couple of years ago, Michael Jackson testified in that very same courthouse when he was sued for not showing up at a millennium concert. And you know, it was just quite a moment when he literally kind of put his hands on his ears and went like this to the camera inside the courtroom. So Michael Jackson is a potential disaster when he goes on the stand because he`s unpredictable. No way Mesereau was going to call him.

BRYANT: All right. Well, thank you, Harvey Levin. Of course, we`ll be keeping a close watch on this. Thank you for joining us from "Celebrity Justice" in Burbank.

LEVIN: My pleasure, Karyn.

HAMMER: And that leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Michael Jackson: Will he be convicted? You can vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say, e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to run down some of your feedback later on in the show.

BRYANT: Right now, the stars of "The Longest Yard" -- Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds and Nelly -- are in New York City for the film`s premiere. Now, it is a remake of the 1974 movie with the same title. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is live on the red carpet. David, how`s it going down there?

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: It`s going very well, Karyn. The original film came out 30 years ago. And joining us now live here on the red carpet is, well, Chris Rock. He`s right over here.

Mr. Rock, have you got a moment?

CHRIS ROCK, "THE LONGEST YARD": I`m on live. I was talking to a real actor.

HAFFENREFFER: You`re live on CNN. Welcome.

ROCK: Hey, I can curse right now.

HAFFENREFFER: Were you a fan of the original...

ROCK: Who would get sued if I cursed right now? They couldn`t sue me, right?

HAFFENREFFER: I`m not so sure about that.

ROCK: OK.

HAFFENREFFER: Were you fan of the original film?

ROCK: I loved the original film. It`s incredible. This film`s funnier, though. It really is.

HAFFENREFFER: Well, the cast looks fantastic. Was it fun to make?

ROCK: It was probably the most fun I`ve ever had doing a movie. You know, me and Adam have been friends for, like, 20 years. So when you see it, you`ll see the friendship. You`ll see how we actually are together.

HAFFENREFFER: Twenty years, but you never made a film together. You were on "SNL" together and you ran into each other a lot on the comedy circuit going up, but never in a film together.

ROCK: Never in a film. I mean, we`ve been talking about it for years, just sitting in diners, trying to talk about, you know, what kind of movie we`re going to do. And when this script came, it`s, like, OK, this is the one. We didn`t want to let people down. So here you go.

HAFFENREFFER: Was it a physically demanding film to make?

ROCK: Any time you film in the summer in New Mexico, it`s really demanding. So you`re out there for hours and hours. So for that, in that way. But I didn`t really play football, so, you know, I didn`t break any bones or anything.

HAFFENREFFER: And Nelly also in the film. What was it like having him on board?

ROCK: It was great. It was great.

HAFFENREFFER: He is an athlete.

ROCK: It was great because Whenever -- you know, whenever he came around, all the young people would leave me alone. All the kids were, like, Hey, Nelly. All right, Old Man Rock. There goes Nelly. See you later.

HAFFENREFFER: Old Man Rock, thank you for being with us tonight. We really do appreciate it. Have fun inside. Good luck with the film, as well.

We`ve been here, of course, as the other stars have come in, and we spoke to a couple of them about the film, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

What was it like undertaking the role that Burt Reynolds made famous back in the `70s.

ADAM SANDLER, "THE LONGEST YARD": Was I nervous, are you asking? Yes, yes, sure. I had to amp up my sexiness and my football skills all at once.

HAFFENREFFER: Were you a fan of the original film?

SANDLER: I thought the original was the best, yes, and that`s why I wanted to bring it down just a little bit.

HAFFENREFFER: And you and Chris Rock have known each other for about 20 years on the comedy circuit, "SNL," a long time. But this is your first film together.

SANDLER: Yes. Yes. We always wanted to do one together. We needed to find a script that both our mothers approved. And here we are.

HAFFENREFFER: So this was it?

Does Adam Sandler pull it off?

BURT REYNOLDS, "THE LONGEST YARD": Yes, he does. He does. He really does. You know, he -- he worked so hard on throwing the ball. I said, Forget about throwing the ball, Adam. Just get in the huddle and look at Michael and say, Shut up, I`ll call the play. You know, once you get Joe Namath`s walk down, you`re going to have it.

HAFFENREFFER: Was this for you like a trip down Memory Lane, or was the project different enough so it felt like a brand-new film?

REYNOLDS: No, it was very much like the old film, and scene for scene. But the difference was, I think Chris Rock was absolutely amazing, much funnier, even though Jimmy was great in the original. And we had Ray Nitschke. That ain`t -- that`s not chopped liver. You know, he tried to hit me when I was walking to the huddle and make me cry. I`ve never cried in front of him, but I did behind the building. But Romanowski and those guys were -- they were after Adam. There was a bounty on Adam. There`s no doubt about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: "The Longest Yard" opens up this weekend. Karyn, back to you in the studio.

BRYANT: All right. Thank you, David Haffenreffer, live in New York City.

Well, put on your dancing shoes. Patrick Swayze swings by our studios at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Swayze heads in a new direction with his latest role as an ex-CIA operative, and he`ll join us live.

HAMMER: Also: She`s too hot for TV. Paris Hilton`s causing a commotion just by selling hamburgers. The steamy scene is coming up.

BRYANT: Plus: What was it like for "West Wing" star Janel Moloney to turn into Scott Peterson`s mistress, Amber Frey? And what message does Frey have for her? Well, you`ll see and hear it next in our "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."

HAMMER: Time now for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who has not been a guest star on TV`s "Will and Grace," Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Sandra Bernhard or Margaret Cho? We`re coming back with the answer next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back. Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who has not guest-starred on TV`s "Will & Grace" among these four: Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Sandra Bernhard or Margaret Cho? The answer, D, Margaret Cho.

BRYANT: Tonight, Angelina Jolie is speaking out about her mission in life, and it`s not all about movies. The star of the upcoming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," which is with Brad Pitt, sat down today for a lengthy interview in London. Jolie, who goes on humanitarian missions around the world, tells us she feels more and more like she has to help the world, and she talked about her experience in Sierra Leone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, U.N. GOOD WILL AMBASSADOR: And after I was in Sierra Leone the first time, I saw all the people with their limbs cut off, and I saw, you know, just so much that I never thought I`d ever see. I have -- I still have nightmares. I still have nightmares that my hands are cut off. You know, you just do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: And that`s just part of what Jolie had to say. She opens up in an emotional interview with CNN`s Richard Quest. We`ll have it all for you, including Jolie`s comments on her personal life, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Well, tonight in our first "SHOWBIZ Sitdown," Janel Moloney. You know her, of course, as the fictional White House aide in "The West Wing," and now Moloney is starring in a movie about a real-life drama that riveted the nation. Moloney, as seen here in this photo on the right, is playing Amber Frey, the mistress of Scott Peterson, who you see on the left. Of course, he`s the California man now on death row for killing his pregnant wife, Laci. The TV movie is called "Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution." Janel Moloney joins us now live here in New York City. Excellent to see you. Thanks for stopping by.

JANEL MOLONEY, "AMBER FREY": Thank you. It`s good to be here.

HAMMER: Was this a trial you paid attention to and followed while it was happening?

MOLONEY: Not even a little bit.

HAMMER: No?

MOLONEY: No interest, no involvement, absolutely nothing.

HAMMER: Just sort of had this general awareness.

MOLONEY: General awareness, yes.

HAMMER: Well, I want to take a look at this clip right now. And the resemblance, you have to admit, is kind of striking.

MOLONEY: Well, especially as I worked to look like her, obviously, in the movie, so...

HAMMER: OK. Well, in this clip, in the movie, it`s actually the first time Amber is spending some time with detectives. So let`s take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long have you been carrying on this affair with Scott Peterson?

MOLONEY: It`s not an affair. I didn`t know he was married.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, what do you want me to call it?

MOLONEY: A relationship?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A relationship, right. So you expect us to believe that you didn`t know he was married.

MOLONEY: Carol, can you get these guys some juice or something, please?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK. So you didn`t follow the trial, didn`t really pay attention when it was going on. But once you got involved with the part, did you very quickly learn why it transfixed the country?

MOLONEY: You know, it`s still somewhat of a mystery to me, to be honest. But I think, you know, the obvious -- all the players are kind of gorgeous. You know, something horrible happened. This controversial figure popped up in the middle of it, who was Amber. And I think that kind of riveted people. Had Amber not come onto the scene, I think people wouldn`t have been probably as interested.

HAMMER: And it`s fair to point out that, of course, this is authorized because it`s based on Amber`s writings. It`s based on her book.

MOLONEY: Yes.

HAMMER: How much was she involved, and how much did you personally consult with her, as far as the movie was concerned?

MOLONEY: I think she was somewhat involved behind the scenes, but you know, she`s busy and working on, I think, moving on and not terribly involved. And I sort of tried to capture her essence, and I didn`t really feel like I needed a lot of interaction. And I met her fairly far into the filming of the movie. But I felt like I -- it was confirmed -- what I had been working on was confirmed by meeting her.

HAMMER: Was she taking a look at any of the dailies or any of the footage from it?

MOLONEY: I don`t think so.

HAMMER: She didn`t give you any feedback at the time?

MOLONEY: No, I think she just trusted the people involved and she`s - - I think she just was happy that -- I think she was happy that I was involved, and she felt good about everything.

HAMMER: OK. Well, we had the chance to speak with Amber earlier this week in Los Angeles, and she has a little message for you. So let`s take a look at that right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, SCOTT PETERSON`S FORMER MISTRESS: Well, I appreciate, Janel, that you saw that this was an important film to make, and I appreciate your involvement and your personal input that you shared with me in playing my part. And I am looking forward to, you know, seeing everything come together. And you know, best wishes to you in your life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: That was very sweet.

MOLONEY: Yes, she`s a sweet girl.

HAMMER: Anything you`d like to say back to her while you have the forum?

MOLONEY: No. Obviously, best wishes to her. I think she doesn`t need, actually, anyone`s best wishes, in a way. She`s quite a strong, capable person. And I think if you can survive this, you can survive anything.

HAMMER: One of the things that came up a lot along the way was the question of whether or not she actually bears some responsibility in all of what happened. And now, having played the character, among whatever else you`ve read about this story, do you have a sense of that?

MOLONEY: Well, you know, it`s funny. I think it`s a ridiculous notion that she bears any responsibility. A man killed his wife and his unborn child. I mean, that`s his sickness and his pathology. You know, she had -- I believe she had nothing to do with that.

HAMMER: OK. I have to imagine that knowing that the cast of "The West Wing" happened to all have a pretty good sense of humor, that they must have been ribbing you a little bit along the way while you were making this movie.

MOLONEY: Incessantly, as often as possible, at every moment, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: What kind of things were said?

MOLONEY: Oh, just any time they could call me Amber -- Amber this, Amber that.

HAMMER: That`s nice.

MOLONEY: Where`s Scott? You know, constant.

HAMMER: Who`s going to be president on "The West Wing"? Tell me!

MOLONEY: You just have to watch!

HAMMER: Donna Moss going to be a part of everything?

MOLONEY: Maybe Donna Moss will be president. You never know.

HAMMER: Maybe Donna Moss will. I don`t think that`s how the storyline is currently playing out, Janel, but you never know.

MOLONEY: Could happen.

HAMMER: You never know. Thank you very much for stopping by here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

MOLONEY: Thanks for having me.

HAMMER: And come back and talk to us about "The West Wing" again.

MOLONEY: I will.

HAMMER: All right. And "Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution" will be airing tomorrow night on CBS.

BRYANT: Janel is not the only one playing a real-life headline-maker on TV. Coming up: How did he get that do? We talk to the Donald Trump look-a-like in "Trump Unauthorized," and we find out what it`s like to make believe to be the Donald.

HAMMER: Also, your dollar, your decision, your DVDs. We`ve got your "SHOWBIZ Guide" to new DVDs with Mr. Moviefone. Russ Leatherman coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. It is time now for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where throughout the week, we help you decide where to spend your dollars on movies, DVDs and more. Tonight, we are checking out what`s new on DVD. Joining us live from Hollywood to help us out is none other than Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman.

You know, to date, we haven`t had to do the voice, and we`re going to do it at some point. You know that, right?

RUSS LEATHERMAN, MR. MOVIEFONE: Just not today. I`m not up for it today, but I will do it soon.

BRYANT: All right. Well, let`s get going here. "The Aviator" is coming out. Of course, this stars Leonardo DiCaprio, big Scorsese picture. What`s the deal on the DVD?

LEATHERMAN: Well, this is one of the best movies of the year, and it`s finally out on DVD, and that`s good news for all of us, I think. And what can I tell you about the movie? It was a fantastic movie. It is Leonardo DiCaprio and it`s Martin Scorsese directing it. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, so you know, that`s fantastic. Cate Blanchett actually won the Best Supporting award.

And I have to tell you, this is one of those movies that is absolutely perfect for DVD. Here`s why. The movie is three-and-a-half hours long, right? And I don`t know about you, but for a three-and-a-half-hour movie, I need myself a little potty break, generally, you know? And now you can just press the pause button and you can go do your business and come back. So it`s the perfect DVD. It`s a fantastic movie. I`m in.

HAMMER: And I imagine Scorsese probably has some pretty good director`s track going on, right?

LEATHERMAN: Well, yes. I mean, if you`re going to listen to a director, listen to Scorsese. He`s one of the, you know, best directors we`ve seen. And it`s a two-disc set, so hours of enjoyment.

HAMMER: OK, let`s move on to "Are We There Yet?" This is with Ice Cube.

LEATHERMAN: This is with Ice Cube. And this was a movie I wasn`t particularly fond of. Nia Long also stars in the movie. And really, he wants to date her, so he agrees to take her kids in a road trip across country. And what ends up happening is they torture each other, and really, the kids do awful things to Ice Cube. The movie was a big hit, but I thought was really sort of mean-spirited. So I`m out. I didn`t like this movie very much. They have a lot of deleted scenes, but I figure if I didn`t like the movie, why would I like the deleted scenes? So I`m out. Not much of a movie, as far as I`m concerned.

HAMMER: OK, now, Russ, I`m going to admit something here. I happen to be a Winnie the Pooh fanatic, OK? Tell me about "Pooh`s Heffalump" movie. Is this one any good?

LEATHERMAN: It is good, and you`re not going to see very many of these movies anymore. It`s two dimensional. Winnie the Pooh movie, the heffalump, Winnie the Pooh and the 100 Acre Wood characters. They believe that the heffalump is going come do some bad things to him. So they go out in search of him. They try to bring him down. What a cute movie! You can take -- you know, the very small kids can watch this movie. And as adults, we remember this 2D stuff, and we really love it. So this is a no harm, no foul. It`s about an hour long. There are lots of DVD extras. I like that movie. I`m in.

HAMMER: Yes, what are the extras? Because, you know, certainly, children will probably watch this over and over. What are the bonus things they`re going to get?

LEATHERMAN: Well, they`re going to get tons of stuff. And really, what you can do is you can sit the kids down. They can watch the movie. There`s lots of interactive stuff, which -- they can play games, et cetera. And so it`s really a nice movie.

I will also say -- and this is off the DVD track, but the movie "Madagascar" hits theaters this weekend. So watch the heffalump movie, then take the kids to see "Madagascar" because they`re going to have a blast. It`s a lot of fun.

HAMMER: All right. Great Well, thank you, Russ Leatherman in Hollywood. And remember, you can see Russ`s reviews and get the lowdown on all the new DVDs by checking out Moviefone.com.

LEATHERMAN: And we will get him to do that voice.

Paris Hilton`s cleaning cars in what some call a dirty commercial. Is her pitch for Carl`s Jr. inappropriate for America`s juniors? See what the fuss is all about.

Plus: He`s cool, collected -- and cuddly? We`re going to show off the softer side of John Stamos coming up in "Tuesday In Style."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Tonight -- Swayze a Russkie or is he? Patrick Swayze undercover. He joins us live.

HAMMER: And double Donald! The actor who`s playing Donald Trump in a new movie. Did he get the hair right?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, 31 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s hot headlines.

From the gridiron to the red carpet, the stars of "The Longest Yard" arrived for tonight`s New York premiere of the remake. And despite knowing each other for two decades, this is the first film Chris Rock and Adam Sandler have appeared in together.

HAMMER: "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno took the stand today in the Michael Jackson trial. He told the court he received calls from Jackson`s accuser, but that the boy`s family never demanded money. Later, comedian Chris Tucker came to the king of pop`s aid. He told jurors Jackson was targeted.

BRYANT: So what do you think of all of this? We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Michael Jackson, will he be convicted? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight and send your e- mails to showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll put some of your thoughts on the air at 54 past the hour.

HAMMER: Another Paris Hilton video, another uproar. But this time it`s a national TV commercial. A media watchdog group is outraged tonight over this Carl`s Jr. commercial. The group calls the ad "soft-core porn" and inappropriate for television. They`re lodging complaints against the chain. Carl`s Jr. is making no apologies for the ad. In fact, the CEO`s message to opponents -- "get a life." He says the commercial shows a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car. That`s it.

BRYANT: Donald Trump is one of the world`s most recognized real estate moguls and he is also the star of the hit reality show "The Apprentice." So now you can see Trump in a different light, in an unauthorized biopic on ABC. Joining me now for a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown," Justin Louis and Katheryn Winnick, who play Donald Trump and Trump`s former wife Ivana in "Trump Unauthorized." Thanks for joining us here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

KATHERYN WINNICK, "IVANA," TRUMP UNAUTHORIZED: Thank you for having us.

BRYANT: Before we get to chatting, we want to look at a clip of you guys in action. This is a scene where we start to see Donald and Ivana`s careers getting in the way of their marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN LOUIS, ACTOR: I don`t want you to do everything by yourself. I want you home.

WINNICK: When are you ever home?

LOUIS: We decided this. We decided this.

WINNICK: Sometimes you forget that I am a woman, yes? But you never let me forget that you are a man.

LOUIS: Sometimes it might be nice if my wife maybe just -- I don`t know.

WINNICK: My work has the same importance as your work.

LOUIS: Supported me, nodded her head.

WINNICK: We are Donald and Ivana.

LOUIS: Agreed to do what I asked her to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: You guys are in rapture looking at that, too.

LOUIS: I haven`t seen it.

WINNICK: I just saw it last night for the first time.

BRYANT: What did you guys do to prepare? Because certainly I know physicality has got to be a big part of this role and accents. What did you do to prepare?

WINNICK: My first language was Ukrainian and so I got a chance to kind of dig into my roots and put on the accent and wear the nice clothes. I`m such a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl so it was just new for me to put on a high heels and the hair up and the makeup, so a combination of everything to prepare. It really was.

LOUIS: And I`m like, you know, 5`10" Portuguese street kid from Toronto playing like this 6`4" millionaire, which was like -- so I had a lot of work to do. We had one tape in A&E biography that had been done on Trump sort of in earlier years which is what I used. I used a lot of that as far as getting the character down.

BRYANT: And obviously, he`s so famous for the hair. How long did the hair prep take?

LOUIS: For me it was good. My actual -- it was my real hair, just dyed and styled. We just sort of had to go with a look. It was a very `80s `do. I was digging it. It was fun.

BRYANT: It was certainly very `80s. Once you put some of the clothes on, you`ve got the mood right there.

WINNICK: Especially with Ivana. She was so all about the clothes, the hair, the jewelry. Everything from head to toe was just suits and Chanel this and Gucci this.

LOUIS: She looked fantastic.

WINNICK: So much fun.

BRYANT: Did you learn any special inside nuggets or tidbits while you were making this about the actual people?

LOUIS: For me I think there`s tons and I think that`s why people should tune in because I think a lot of people don`t know Donald Trump`s story except for "The Apprentice" and sort of what he is there. His whole back story and stuff like that, that`s what drew me to the script.

BRYANT: Your favorite nugget.

LOUIS: I can`t tell you. I won`t tell you.

WINNICK: I think everybody will be surprised. You kind of see the behind the scenes. It`s unauthorized. Donald did not write this so you kind of get the real scoop what Donald and Ivana are really like.

BRYANT: Now did you feel at all the sense of power that they have while you were making this? You are getting a glimpse into their life. Did you start to get an understanding of what that power must feel like?

WINNICK: We got to play billionaires. It was so much fun with the clothes and the, you know, you get a chance to --

LOUIS: I remember just going to my, when I`d go home, I have a loft in the city. I`m just coming through, how you doing Joe? The hand goes up. Good morning, people. Good morning, Mr. Trump. It was fun to play with that. Certainly a feeling everyone should have at some point. As an actor too, it was nice.

BRYANT: Now do you see either of these people Ivana or Donald, do you see them differently now that you`ve played them?

WINNICK: Oh, yeah. I think the public eye does not really -- no one got a chance to see what Ivana is really like. Donald took all the spotlight. He did. But I think this movie really shows the strength of Ivana and that she had a huge impact on building the Trump empire and not just being a wife, but a mother and a businesswoman and looking good doing it. I think there`s a combination.

BRYANT: Exactly. Thank you Katheryn Winnick and Justin Louis. Of course, "Trump Unauthorized" airs tonight on ABC.

HAMMER: Newlywed Renee Zellweger has laid claim to another star. This one is on the Hollywood walk of fame. The Oscar-winning actress received the honor today. Zellweger says that she first visited the walk of fame back in 1988, when she was just a college student hoping one day to make it big. A teary Zellweger told the crowd she`s simply dumbfounded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENEE ZELLWEGER, ACTRESS: I got to tell you, I never, ever imagined a day like this or that I would be invited to be part of this legacy. I am dying right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Now Zellweger said she did not expect anybody to show up at this event, except for Ashton Kutcher, to tell her that she`d been "punk`d"!

BRYANT: They`ve been talking all day and we`ve been listening. Now as we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the best from today`s talk shows. Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston and Star Jones. On the view today, super star producer David Foster took Star into the studio. A couple of high-tech tweaks later, well, take a look.

There you have it. Tomorrow on "The View," Evangeline Lilly and Rob Thomas.

HAMMER: Coming up, this "Dirty Dancing" icon goes undercover in Fredrick Forsyth`s "Icon." Patrick Swayze will join us live coming up next.

BRYANT: And "Jake in Progress" is John Stamos" is helping a charity progress. Find out which one it is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: You may recognize that leading man, Patrick Swayze, dancing with "Today Show" host Katie Couric just this morning. Of course, you know Patrick from films like "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" and so many more and now, he`s got a new project to look forward to. It`s a Hallmark miniseries called "Icon." Patrick Swayze has stopped by another showbiz sit down here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for being here, man.

PATRICK SWAYZE, ACTOR: How are you, sir?

HAMMER: Appreciate it. I`m great. Katie and you cutting it up this morning.

SWAYZE: The woman can dance.

HAMMER: So she`s all right.

SWAYZE: Blew me away. You have to be ready to lead her because she`s going to lead you. So you need to be strong like bull, you know?

HAMMER: I would not have known that about Katie Couric that she`d be that way.

SWAYZE: . has no controlling energy at all. She`s great.

HAMMER: We were going to do a little dancing here, you and I, but (INAUDIBLE) having a problem with the wardrobe so we`ll just move on. One of the things that I often hear about you, you`ve been a big time Hollywood star for a long time. We`re always hearing about what a good guy and what a grounded individual you are and have remained throughout your career. What is the secret to that?

SWAYZE: My mama beat me as a child.

HAMMER: Simple as that.

SWAYZE: And my dad made me wear hot pants and cowboy boots. No, I`m kidding.

HAMMER: We`ve seen that look on you to some degree.

SWAYZE: Not unless you pay me a lot of money. I don`t know. It`s just -- I guess early on I saw the whole in all of this, and I have a real passion for the craft and seeing how far I can take this and how much courage I can come up with to go deeper into characters and that`s what`s always intrigued me. Having a wife that I absolutely love to my core, and we -- June 12th we`ll have been married 30 years.

HAMMER: Not too normal in the Hollywood scene.

SWAYZE: No, I guess not. And the first thing I did after "North and South" hit so big is we bought a little ranch outside of L.A. and we don`t play that game. When we put on formal stuff to go into a premiere or whatever, it`s sort of like going in to visit the monkeys in the zoo. So it`s entertaining for us. And I live a life training horses and dogs and now buffalo and now elephants with conservation in Africa and .

HAMMER: And you mention the passion for the craft. And I think that may be reflected a bit in the fact if you look back at the long list of movies you`ve done, you`ve sort of shied away from those big-time Hollywood blockbusters recently and I`m sure through no shortage of scripts coming to you.

SWAYZE: You wait for a long time. Just like a movie on the level of "City of Joy," I waited a long time to find something like that that really goes deep that really, you know, hits -- strikes soul chords in people. So you wait around for those scripts and as time goes on you start thinking, well, you know what, why don`t I try to be the keeping of the vision and start doing your own stuff. So Lisa and I just finished "One Last Dance" about our lives as concert dancers in New York and had to turn back into classical ballet dancers again. But you -- I made a decision about nine years ago to get out of being sucked into that box office mentality and blockbuster concept and just go for fine, fabulous little independents. I just did "Green Dragon" and "Donnie Darko." They both went to the Sundance film festival and just did "Keeping Mum" with Maggie Smith and Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Scott Thomas.

HAMMER: And of course "Icon."

SWAYZE: And then working "Icon" and then Hallmark, I found this venue of these event miniseries where I get to do the sort big characters, big subject matter and Russia is a big subject matter. There`s been a lot of fear associated with that country for a long time. And .

HAMMER: And we`re taking a look at your character right now. You play an ex-CIA agent in the movie, basically who is trying to keep a bad guy from getting elected over there. And it really was a very different kind of a role for you.

SWAYZE: It`s sort of a grow-up role for me. It`s -- I`ve always felt like I was, you know, a man trapped in a kid`s body because I`ve lock looked so young so long. And it was like, you know, as time goes on, you want to grow up. This is a more close to the vest character and I`ve never done an intrigue spy thriller kind of thing before and we really wanted to -- we really wanted to tell an honest tale and honor Frederick Forsyth`s book which is incredibly detailed and incredibly researched and go for this character who is totally disillusioned with the American dream. He bought it hook, line and sinker to the level of destroying his relationship with his Russian wife and has never seen his daughter since she was young because he lied to her.

HAMMER: Sounds like you had a great time sinking your teeth into it, too.

SWAYZE: It was a role to grab a hold of and to make the action real. A real man caught in these situations, trying to survive and get his way out. And because he loves Russia and he loves these people. So the biggest thing, Charlie Martin Smith, a wonderful director, by the way, and I wanted to do is not present one as the bad guy. Not Russia as the bad guys but that there are no good guys. And really analyze the possibility of something like this happening. You know, a crazy taking over in perfect fodder. And like Russia that could easily turn into an anarchy and you know, a man who is going to create a genocide to purify the race and it`s like, oh, my God, all of a sudden Hitler coming again.

HAMMER: It`s quite a story.

SWAYZE: It`s a really, really interesting story.

HAMMER: We`re going to look forward to seeing that after the Memorial Day weekend. We appreciate you stopping by and talking.

SWAYZE: On Memorial Day on the 30th.

HAMMER: The tail end of Memorial Day weekend, when there`s still something left on the barbecue. Patrick Swayze, appreciate you stopping by.

SWAYZE: OK, thanks for having me.

HAMMER: Once again, Patrick Swayze in Fredrick Forsyth`s "Icon" will air on Monday, May 30th, of course, Memorial Day, on the Hallmark channel.

BRYANT: Time now for Tuesday "in Style." Every month, "In Style" magazine takes a look at a celebrity who is donating their time to a good cause. Tonight, former FULL HOUSE star and current JAKE IN PROGRESS star is John Stamos and "Project Cuddle."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, IN STYLE MAGAZINE: John Stamos has had plenty of ups and downs in his career, which sort of makes him all the more sexy. He`s had a string of Broadway hits and he`s also on this great ABC show called "Jake in Progress." John Stamos has really committed himself to this charity called Project Cuddle. You know, the old joke is that there`s nothing sexier than a hot guy holding a baby, and it really proves true in our story. Project Cuddle is an organization that matches up expectant mothers with potentially adoptive parents. It provides support and an outreach program for moms to prevent them from abandoning their babies if they are at risk of doing so.

The woman who founded Project Cuddle is named Debbie Magnusen and she`s a very good friend of John Stamos` mother. He heard about the charity for years but once he sort of really got down to the nitty-gritty and found out what it was all about, he said it hit him in the heart and just blew him away and he really felt compelled to support it in whatever way he could.

JOHN STAMOS, ACTOR: When I got a chance to kind of really look and see what Debbie was doing, I felt that I could really be of some help. It`s been around for a few years, but it needs an extra boost and I really think I can help. So that`s why I got on board.

ZUCKERMAN: John Stamos has really gone on a mission or a crusade to help out Project Cuddle because he`s seen how it`s changed the lives of people closest to him.

STAMOS: Every time I talk to her, some miracle has happened.

ZUCKERMAN: The reason that John Stamos feels so passionately about Project Cuddle and wants so badly to get the word out is because he wants pregnant women who are at risk of abandoning their babies to know that there`s an alternative out there that there`s no judgment. There are no strings attached, but just that there are people there to help and support you. I find it so heartfelt and wonderful that he`s taken on this challenge as a man to really relate to women in this way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: To read more about John Stamos and Project Cuddle, pick up a copy of June`s "In Style" magazine, on newsstands now.

HAMMER: It`s time to get your laugh on in "laughter dark." As we do every night, we bring you those late-night laughs that you just might have missed. It`s hard to believe, but "Empire Falls" star Paul Newman is 80 this year. On the "Late Show" with David Letterman, Dave thought Paul could use a little pick-me-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW: Certainly it`s apparent that you and life are getting along just fine these days. And what about a balloon ride. What do you think?

Go for it. 6,000 party balloons. 15,000 cubic feet of helium. That`s something you don`t see every day.

PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: There`s a lot of good looking people down there.

LETTERMAN: It`s a nice shot of your shoes Paul. How is that?

NEWMAN: Well, it would be a nice jump from here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: For the record, he did not jump. Tonight on THE LATE SHOW, Adam Sandler stops by, and a performance by the Wallflowers. S

BRYANT: There`s still time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day -- Michael Jackson, will he be convicted? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Throughout the show tonight, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Michael Jackson -- will he be convicted? Here`s how the vote`s been going, 33 percent of you say yes, Michael Jackson will be convicted so 67 percent of you say no, he won`t be. We`ve been getting some e-mails on the question as well. Heard from Cindy in Roseville, California, who says, if the jurors follow their gut feelings, I`m sure they will convict him on the molestation charge. Remember, you can continue to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight.

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

HAMMER: He is here, the marquee guy, with all that information. Take it away, marquee dude.

ANNOUNCER: They`ll sing a song. They`ll sing out loud and sing out strong and sing out proud. It`s Carrie. It`s Bo and one of them will be named the next AMERICAN IDOL tomorrow. And that`s the day we bring you a special report on judge Simon Cowell. Who is he really? The people who know him tell us, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Also, this is a tale of castaways, and it looks like they`ll be there for a long, long time. Or will they? Will the raft work? We`ll ask Hurley from "Lost." And you can find him on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow live. This is the marquee guy. I was once lost until I was found and then they gave me this nice house in marqueeland.

HAMMER: All right. So I didn`t have a chance to raise it with Patrick Swayze, but when I was preparing for, you know, having him here on the show today with the producer, the producer who was working with me said, quote, when I was 12, he awakened feelings in me I didn`t know existed. Were you a big swooner on Patrick Swayze?

BRYANT: I think he`s great. I`ve been a fan for years. I think he`s terrific.

HAMEMR: That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for tonight I guess. I`m AJ Hammer.

BRYANT: He`s already finished over there. I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.

END


Aired May 24, 2005 - 19:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: Adam, Burt, Chris and Nelly live.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And Donald Trump, unauthorized. I`m A.J. Hammer.

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

Tonight, Jay at the Jackson trial.

HAMMER: "Tonight" show host Jay Leno takes the stand after paving the way with a barrage of jokes. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the laughter and the testimony.

BRYANT: Also, Scott Peterson`s former mistress has a special message to the actress playing her on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, SCOTT PETERSON`S FORMER MISTRESS: I appreciate your involvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: You`ll see it play out here, live tonight.

HAMMER: And...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK SWAYZE, ACTOR: All nations need a symbol, one that can unite them across the barriers of language and clan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Patrick Swayze. Will he be able to stop a dirty dictator from dancing to the presidency? Patrick Swayze joins us live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS ROCK, "THE LONGEST YARD": I`m Chris Rock. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you!

ROCK: Hey, what`s up, man?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. You are watching TV`s only live nightly entertainment news program.

BRYANT: Well, tonight, it`s almost the end of the road. There are only hours left in the Michael Jackson trial. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned that the defense will rest its case tomorrow.

HAMMER: And the trial is certainly no laughing matter, but it did supply comedians with endless material. No one has had more fun making fun of this trial than the "Tonight" show`s Jay Leno, of course, but today he found himself at the center of the action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): He`s the star witness we`ve been waiting to hear from. Comedian Jay Leno found himself walking to another stage with an audience and a microphone. But this time, the late-night TV talk show host was called to testify in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial as a witness for the defense.

Jackson`s lawyers say the accuser`s family tried to defraud Leno and other celebrities out of money. We can`t show you Leno`s monologue on the stand, but Leno testified it sounded a little odd that the young boy would be a fan of a comedian in his mid-50s. "I`m not Batman," he joked, and also plugged the line-up for tonight`s show.

Leno has been joking about his court appearance on the show for months. His monologue last night was entirely devoted to Jackson jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "TONIGHT" SHOW: I was called by the defense. I`m a defense witness, so apparently, they`ve never seen this program.

People say, How do you get picked?

Show how it was done. Show the footage. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The votes have been counted and only one of you get to testify. Chimp, you are going back to the ring. That means, Jay, congratulations. You are off to Santa Maria!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: On Friday, he spent the show trying to decide what to wear on the stand. The trial has provided Leno with endless material.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: Michael Jackson said now that Mother Teresa`s gone, there is no voice for the kids. Well, sure there is. It`s called the prosecutor. Hello?

Macaulay Culkin testified the other day. He said when he was 11 or so, Michael Jackson gave him a Rolex watch. Who gives an 11-year-old a Rolex watch? It wasn`t a cheap one. It was a very exclusive from the "Just keep your mouth shut" collection.

Michael Jackson trained his monkeys to sweep and clean around the house. Not only that, he trained a giraffe to be a lookout for the cops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: At the start of the trial, Leno had to keep mum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: There`s a gag order for everyone involved in the Michael Jackson trial. In fact, I believe that I`m the first person over the age of 12 that has been gagged by Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: So Leno enlisted other comedians to tell his jokes. Here`s Brad Garrett.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD GARRETT, COMEDIAN: All right, so let`s see what`s new in the Michael Jackson trial, or as we like to call it, "Diary of a mad white woman." Now, as we all know, Michael Jackson has been accused of supplying wine to underage boys. What`s Michael Jackson`s favorite wine? "C`mon, your mom won`t know!"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Dennis Miller was called to help, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS MILLER, COMEDIAN: Big day in the trial today, folks. I see where Michael Jackson and George Hamilton have officially crossed lines on the pigmentation flow chart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Joining Macaulay Culkin on the celebrity witness list, CNN`s Larry King, who was told by the judge to go home, and comedian George Lopez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, with the case almost over, Leno`s going to have to find some new material, but you can bet you`ll hear about his daytime testimony in his nighttime monologue.

BRYANT: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there moments ago, as movie star Chris Tucker took the stand. Now let`s go to our expert on this trial, "Celebrity Justice`s" Harvey Levin. He joins us live from Burbank, California. Harvey, I want to know, first and foremost, is Chris Tucker echoing what Leno said earlier on the stand?

HARVEY LEVIN, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": No, Karyn, he goes way beyond Jay Leno. Jay Leno`s contact with this family was limited. Chris Tucker knew them for this entire period of this alleged conspiracy and molestation. He was with them. He befriended them. He gave them money.

And we know some of what he is going to testify about, and I think probably most significant -- you know, the prosecution is saying that Michael Jackson spirited this family away to Florida when this Martin Bashir documentary aired, so they wouldn`t see it. Well, Chris Tucker is going to testify it was the family who contacted him and said, Gee, we hear Jackson is going to be in Florida, and kind of invited themselves. So Tucker is going to squarely fall on the defense side in this.

BRYANT: And did Jay Leno drop any bombs of his own today, though?

LEVIN: Not really. I mean, Jay Leno basically said, Look, I was suspicious of this kid when he called me up, and maybe he might have been trying to get money, but he never asked for money. And that`s what he told the police. But the defense thought he would go further. The defense thought he would say that, This family was trying to shake me down. He didn`t go that far. I don`t think it really helped the defense much. I don`t think it hurt him, either.

BRYANT: Well, the defense is resting tomorrow. How come we haven`t seen Liz Taylor? And how come Michael himself has not taken the stand?

LEVIN: Well, as for Liz Taylor, she was a peripheral witness. They put a lot of people on that list and ended up not calling them, and that`s not surprising. As far Michael Jackson, I never thought that Tom Mesereau would call him to the stand. I don`t know if you remember, A couple of years ago, Michael Jackson testified in that very same courthouse when he was sued for not showing up at a millennium concert. And you know, it was just quite a moment when he literally kind of put his hands on his ears and went like this to the camera inside the courtroom. So Michael Jackson is a potential disaster when he goes on the stand because he`s unpredictable. No way Mesereau was going to call him.

BRYANT: All right. Well, thank you, Harvey Levin. Of course, we`ll be keeping a close watch on this. Thank you for joining us from "Celebrity Justice" in Burbank.

LEVIN: My pleasure, Karyn.

HAMMER: And that leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Michael Jackson: Will he be convicted? You can vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say, e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to run down some of your feedback later on in the show.

BRYANT: Right now, the stars of "The Longest Yard" -- Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds and Nelly -- are in New York City for the film`s premiere. Now, it is a remake of the 1974 movie with the same title. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is live on the red carpet. David, how`s it going down there?

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: It`s going very well, Karyn. The original film came out 30 years ago. And joining us now live here on the red carpet is, well, Chris Rock. He`s right over here.

Mr. Rock, have you got a moment?

CHRIS ROCK, "THE LONGEST YARD": I`m on live. I was talking to a real actor.

HAFFENREFFER: You`re live on CNN. Welcome.

ROCK: Hey, I can curse right now.

HAFFENREFFER: Were you a fan of the original...

ROCK: Who would get sued if I cursed right now? They couldn`t sue me, right?

HAFFENREFFER: I`m not so sure about that.

ROCK: OK.

HAFFENREFFER: Were you fan of the original film?

ROCK: I loved the original film. It`s incredible. This film`s funnier, though. It really is.

HAFFENREFFER: Well, the cast looks fantastic. Was it fun to make?

ROCK: It was probably the most fun I`ve ever had doing a movie. You know, me and Adam have been friends for, like, 20 years. So when you see it, you`ll see the friendship. You`ll see how we actually are together.

HAFFENREFFER: Twenty years, but you never made a film together. You were on "SNL" together and you ran into each other a lot on the comedy circuit going up, but never in a film together.

ROCK: Never in a film. I mean, we`ve been talking about it for years, just sitting in diners, trying to talk about, you know, what kind of movie we`re going to do. And when this script came, it`s, like, OK, this is the one. We didn`t want to let people down. So here you go.

HAFFENREFFER: Was it a physically demanding film to make?

ROCK: Any time you film in the summer in New Mexico, it`s really demanding. So you`re out there for hours and hours. So for that, in that way. But I didn`t really play football, so, you know, I didn`t break any bones or anything.

HAFFENREFFER: And Nelly also in the film. What was it like having him on board?

ROCK: It was great. It was great.

HAFFENREFFER: He is an athlete.

ROCK: It was great because Whenever -- you know, whenever he came around, all the young people would leave me alone. All the kids were, like, Hey, Nelly. All right, Old Man Rock. There goes Nelly. See you later.

HAFFENREFFER: Old Man Rock, thank you for being with us tonight. We really do appreciate it. Have fun inside. Good luck with the film, as well.

We`ve been here, of course, as the other stars have come in, and we spoke to a couple of them about the film, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

What was it like undertaking the role that Burt Reynolds made famous back in the `70s.

ADAM SANDLER, "THE LONGEST YARD": Was I nervous, are you asking? Yes, yes, sure. I had to amp up my sexiness and my football skills all at once.

HAFFENREFFER: Were you a fan of the original film?

SANDLER: I thought the original was the best, yes, and that`s why I wanted to bring it down just a little bit.

HAFFENREFFER: And you and Chris Rock have known each other for about 20 years on the comedy circuit, "SNL," a long time. But this is your first film together.

SANDLER: Yes. Yes. We always wanted to do one together. We needed to find a script that both our mothers approved. And here we are.

HAFFENREFFER: So this was it?

Does Adam Sandler pull it off?

BURT REYNOLDS, "THE LONGEST YARD": Yes, he does. He does. He really does. You know, he -- he worked so hard on throwing the ball. I said, Forget about throwing the ball, Adam. Just get in the huddle and look at Michael and say, Shut up, I`ll call the play. You know, once you get Joe Namath`s walk down, you`re going to have it.

HAFFENREFFER: Was this for you like a trip down Memory Lane, or was the project different enough so it felt like a brand-new film?

REYNOLDS: No, it was very much like the old film, and scene for scene. But the difference was, I think Chris Rock was absolutely amazing, much funnier, even though Jimmy was great in the original. And we had Ray Nitschke. That ain`t -- that`s not chopped liver. You know, he tried to hit me when I was walking to the huddle and make me cry. I`ve never cried in front of him, but I did behind the building. But Romanowski and those guys were -- they were after Adam. There was a bounty on Adam. There`s no doubt about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: "The Longest Yard" opens up this weekend. Karyn, back to you in the studio.

BRYANT: All right. Thank you, David Haffenreffer, live in New York City.

Well, put on your dancing shoes. Patrick Swayze swings by our studios at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Swayze heads in a new direction with his latest role as an ex-CIA operative, and he`ll join us live.

HAMMER: Also: She`s too hot for TV. Paris Hilton`s causing a commotion just by selling hamburgers. The steamy scene is coming up.

BRYANT: Plus: What was it like for "West Wing" star Janel Moloney to turn into Scott Peterson`s mistress, Amber Frey? And what message does Frey have for her? Well, you`ll see and hear it next in our "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."

HAMMER: Time now for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who has not been a guest star on TV`s "Will and Grace," Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Sandra Bernhard or Margaret Cho? We`re coming back with the answer next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back. Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who has not guest-starred on TV`s "Will & Grace" among these four: Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Sandra Bernhard or Margaret Cho? The answer, D, Margaret Cho.

BRYANT: Tonight, Angelina Jolie is speaking out about her mission in life, and it`s not all about movies. The star of the upcoming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," which is with Brad Pitt, sat down today for a lengthy interview in London. Jolie, who goes on humanitarian missions around the world, tells us she feels more and more like she has to help the world, and she talked about her experience in Sierra Leone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, U.N. GOOD WILL AMBASSADOR: And after I was in Sierra Leone the first time, I saw all the people with their limbs cut off, and I saw, you know, just so much that I never thought I`d ever see. I have -- I still have nightmares. I still have nightmares that my hands are cut off. You know, you just do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: And that`s just part of what Jolie had to say. She opens up in an emotional interview with CNN`s Richard Quest. We`ll have it all for you, including Jolie`s comments on her personal life, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Well, tonight in our first "SHOWBIZ Sitdown," Janel Moloney. You know her, of course, as the fictional White House aide in "The West Wing," and now Moloney is starring in a movie about a real-life drama that riveted the nation. Moloney, as seen here in this photo on the right, is playing Amber Frey, the mistress of Scott Peterson, who you see on the left. Of course, he`s the California man now on death row for killing his pregnant wife, Laci. The TV movie is called "Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution." Janel Moloney joins us now live here in New York City. Excellent to see you. Thanks for stopping by.

JANEL MOLONEY, "AMBER FREY": Thank you. It`s good to be here.

HAMMER: Was this a trial you paid attention to and followed while it was happening?

MOLONEY: Not even a little bit.

HAMMER: No?

MOLONEY: No interest, no involvement, absolutely nothing.

HAMMER: Just sort of had this general awareness.

MOLONEY: General awareness, yes.

HAMMER: Well, I want to take a look at this clip right now. And the resemblance, you have to admit, is kind of striking.

MOLONEY: Well, especially as I worked to look like her, obviously, in the movie, so...

HAMMER: OK. Well, in this clip, in the movie, it`s actually the first time Amber is spending some time with detectives. So let`s take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long have you been carrying on this affair with Scott Peterson?

MOLONEY: It`s not an affair. I didn`t know he was married.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, what do you want me to call it?

MOLONEY: A relationship?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A relationship, right. So you expect us to believe that you didn`t know he was married.

MOLONEY: Carol, can you get these guys some juice or something, please?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: OK. So you didn`t follow the trial, didn`t really pay attention when it was going on. But once you got involved with the part, did you very quickly learn why it transfixed the country?

MOLONEY: You know, it`s still somewhat of a mystery to me, to be honest. But I think, you know, the obvious -- all the players are kind of gorgeous. You know, something horrible happened. This controversial figure popped up in the middle of it, who was Amber. And I think that kind of riveted people. Had Amber not come onto the scene, I think people wouldn`t have been probably as interested.

HAMMER: And it`s fair to point out that, of course, this is authorized because it`s based on Amber`s writings. It`s based on her book.

MOLONEY: Yes.

HAMMER: How much was she involved, and how much did you personally consult with her, as far as the movie was concerned?

MOLONEY: I think she was somewhat involved behind the scenes, but you know, she`s busy and working on, I think, moving on and not terribly involved. And I sort of tried to capture her essence, and I didn`t really feel like I needed a lot of interaction. And I met her fairly far into the filming of the movie. But I felt like I -- it was confirmed -- what I had been working on was confirmed by meeting her.

HAMMER: Was she taking a look at any of the dailies or any of the footage from it?

MOLONEY: I don`t think so.

HAMMER: She didn`t give you any feedback at the time?

MOLONEY: No, I think she just trusted the people involved and she`s - - I think she just was happy that -- I think she was happy that I was involved, and she felt good about everything.

HAMMER: OK. Well, we had the chance to speak with Amber earlier this week in Los Angeles, and she has a little message for you. So let`s take a look at that right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, SCOTT PETERSON`S FORMER MISTRESS: Well, I appreciate, Janel, that you saw that this was an important film to make, and I appreciate your involvement and your personal input that you shared with me in playing my part. And I am looking forward to, you know, seeing everything come together. And you know, best wishes to you in your life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: That was very sweet.

MOLONEY: Yes, she`s a sweet girl.

HAMMER: Anything you`d like to say back to her while you have the forum?

MOLONEY: No. Obviously, best wishes to her. I think she doesn`t need, actually, anyone`s best wishes, in a way. She`s quite a strong, capable person. And I think if you can survive this, you can survive anything.

HAMMER: One of the things that came up a lot along the way was the question of whether or not she actually bears some responsibility in all of what happened. And now, having played the character, among whatever else you`ve read about this story, do you have a sense of that?

MOLONEY: Well, you know, it`s funny. I think it`s a ridiculous notion that she bears any responsibility. A man killed his wife and his unborn child. I mean, that`s his sickness and his pathology. You know, she had -- I believe she had nothing to do with that.

HAMMER: OK. I have to imagine that knowing that the cast of "The West Wing" happened to all have a pretty good sense of humor, that they must have been ribbing you a little bit along the way while you were making this movie.

MOLONEY: Incessantly, as often as possible, at every moment, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: What kind of things were said?

MOLONEY: Oh, just any time they could call me Amber -- Amber this, Amber that.

HAMMER: That`s nice.

MOLONEY: Where`s Scott? You know, constant.

HAMMER: Who`s going to be president on "The West Wing"? Tell me!

MOLONEY: You just have to watch!

HAMMER: Donna Moss going to be a part of everything?

MOLONEY: Maybe Donna Moss will be president. You never know.

HAMMER: Maybe Donna Moss will. I don`t think that`s how the storyline is currently playing out, Janel, but you never know.

MOLONEY: Could happen.

HAMMER: You never know. Thank you very much for stopping by here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

MOLONEY: Thanks for having me.

HAMMER: And come back and talk to us about "The West Wing" again.

MOLONEY: I will.

HAMMER: All right. And "Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution" will be airing tomorrow night on CBS.

BRYANT: Janel is not the only one playing a real-life headline-maker on TV. Coming up: How did he get that do? We talk to the Donald Trump look-a-like in "Trump Unauthorized," and we find out what it`s like to make believe to be the Donald.

HAMMER: Also, your dollar, your decision, your DVDs. We`ve got your "SHOWBIZ Guide" to new DVDs with Mr. Moviefone. Russ Leatherman coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back. It is time now for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where throughout the week, we help you decide where to spend your dollars on movies, DVDs and more. Tonight, we are checking out what`s new on DVD. Joining us live from Hollywood to help us out is none other than Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman.

You know, to date, we haven`t had to do the voice, and we`re going to do it at some point. You know that, right?

RUSS LEATHERMAN, MR. MOVIEFONE: Just not today. I`m not up for it today, but I will do it soon.

BRYANT: All right. Well, let`s get going here. "The Aviator" is coming out. Of course, this stars Leonardo DiCaprio, big Scorsese picture. What`s the deal on the DVD?

LEATHERMAN: Well, this is one of the best movies of the year, and it`s finally out on DVD, and that`s good news for all of us, I think. And what can I tell you about the movie? It was a fantastic movie. It is Leonardo DiCaprio and it`s Martin Scorsese directing it. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, so you know, that`s fantastic. Cate Blanchett actually won the Best Supporting award.

And I have to tell you, this is one of those movies that is absolutely perfect for DVD. Here`s why. The movie is three-and-a-half hours long, right? And I don`t know about you, but for a three-and-a-half-hour movie, I need myself a little potty break, generally, you know? And now you can just press the pause button and you can go do your business and come back. So it`s the perfect DVD. It`s a fantastic movie. I`m in.

HAMMER: And I imagine Scorsese probably has some pretty good director`s track going on, right?

LEATHERMAN: Well, yes. I mean, if you`re going to listen to a director, listen to Scorsese. He`s one of the, you know, best directors we`ve seen. And it`s a two-disc set, so hours of enjoyment.

HAMMER: OK, let`s move on to "Are We There Yet?" This is with Ice Cube.

LEATHERMAN: This is with Ice Cube. And this was a movie I wasn`t particularly fond of. Nia Long also stars in the movie. And really, he wants to date her, so he agrees to take her kids in a road trip across country. And what ends up happening is they torture each other, and really, the kids do awful things to Ice Cube. The movie was a big hit, but I thought was really sort of mean-spirited. So I`m out. I didn`t like this movie very much. They have a lot of deleted scenes, but I figure if I didn`t like the movie, why would I like the deleted scenes? So I`m out. Not much of a movie, as far as I`m concerned.

HAMMER: OK, now, Russ, I`m going to admit something here. I happen to be a Winnie the Pooh fanatic, OK? Tell me about "Pooh`s Heffalump" movie. Is this one any good?

LEATHERMAN: It is good, and you`re not going to see very many of these movies anymore. It`s two dimensional. Winnie the Pooh movie, the heffalump, Winnie the Pooh and the 100 Acre Wood characters. They believe that the heffalump is going come do some bad things to him. So they go out in search of him. They try to bring him down. What a cute movie! You can take -- you know, the very small kids can watch this movie. And as adults, we remember this 2D stuff, and we really love it. So this is a no harm, no foul. It`s about an hour long. There are lots of DVD extras. I like that movie. I`m in.

HAMMER: Yes, what are the extras? Because, you know, certainly, children will probably watch this over and over. What are the bonus things they`re going to get?

LEATHERMAN: Well, they`re going to get tons of stuff. And really, what you can do is you can sit the kids down. They can watch the movie. There`s lots of interactive stuff, which -- they can play games, et cetera. And so it`s really a nice movie.

I will also say -- and this is off the DVD track, but the movie "Madagascar" hits theaters this weekend. So watch the heffalump movie, then take the kids to see "Madagascar" because they`re going to have a blast. It`s a lot of fun.

HAMMER: All right. Great Well, thank you, Russ Leatherman in Hollywood. And remember, you can see Russ`s reviews and get the lowdown on all the new DVDs by checking out Moviefone.com.

LEATHERMAN: And we will get him to do that voice.

Paris Hilton`s cleaning cars in what some call a dirty commercial. Is her pitch for Carl`s Jr. inappropriate for America`s juniors? See what the fuss is all about.

Plus: He`s cool, collected -- and cuddly? We`re going to show off the softer side of John Stamos coming up in "Tuesday In Style."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Tonight -- Swayze a Russkie or is he? Patrick Swayze undercover. He joins us live.

HAMMER: And double Donald! The actor who`s playing Donald Trump in a new movie. Did he get the hair right?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, 31 minutes past the hour. I`m AJ Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s hot headlines.

From the gridiron to the red carpet, the stars of "The Longest Yard" arrived for tonight`s New York premiere of the remake. And despite knowing each other for two decades, this is the first film Chris Rock and Adam Sandler have appeared in together.

HAMMER: "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno took the stand today in the Michael Jackson trial. He told the court he received calls from Jackson`s accuser, but that the boy`s family never demanded money. Later, comedian Chris Tucker came to the king of pop`s aid. He told jurors Jackson was targeted.

BRYANT: So what do you think of all of this? We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Michael Jackson, will he be convicted? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight and send your e- mails to showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll put some of your thoughts on the air at 54 past the hour.

HAMMER: Another Paris Hilton video, another uproar. But this time it`s a national TV commercial. A media watchdog group is outraged tonight over this Carl`s Jr. commercial. The group calls the ad "soft-core porn" and inappropriate for television. They`re lodging complaints against the chain. Carl`s Jr. is making no apologies for the ad. In fact, the CEO`s message to opponents -- "get a life." He says the commercial shows a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car. That`s it.

BRYANT: Donald Trump is one of the world`s most recognized real estate moguls and he is also the star of the hit reality show "The Apprentice." So now you can see Trump in a different light, in an unauthorized biopic on ABC. Joining me now for a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown," Justin Louis and Katheryn Winnick, who play Donald Trump and Trump`s former wife Ivana in "Trump Unauthorized." Thanks for joining us here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

KATHERYN WINNICK, "IVANA," TRUMP UNAUTHORIZED: Thank you for having us.

BRYANT: Before we get to chatting, we want to look at a clip of you guys in action. This is a scene where we start to see Donald and Ivana`s careers getting in the way of their marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN LOUIS, ACTOR: I don`t want you to do everything by yourself. I want you home.

WINNICK: When are you ever home?

LOUIS: We decided this. We decided this.

WINNICK: Sometimes you forget that I am a woman, yes? But you never let me forget that you are a man.

LOUIS: Sometimes it might be nice if my wife maybe just -- I don`t know.

WINNICK: My work has the same importance as your work.

LOUIS: Supported me, nodded her head.

WINNICK: We are Donald and Ivana.

LOUIS: Agreed to do what I asked her to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: You guys are in rapture looking at that, too.

LOUIS: I haven`t seen it.

WINNICK: I just saw it last night for the first time.

BRYANT: What did you guys do to prepare? Because certainly I know physicality has got to be a big part of this role and accents. What did you do to prepare?

WINNICK: My first language was Ukrainian and so I got a chance to kind of dig into my roots and put on the accent and wear the nice clothes. I`m such a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl so it was just new for me to put on a high heels and the hair up and the makeup, so a combination of everything to prepare. It really was.

LOUIS: And I`m like, you know, 5`10" Portuguese street kid from Toronto playing like this 6`4" millionaire, which was like -- so I had a lot of work to do. We had one tape in A&E biography that had been done on Trump sort of in earlier years which is what I used. I used a lot of that as far as getting the character down.

BRYANT: And obviously, he`s so famous for the hair. How long did the hair prep take?

LOUIS: For me it was good. My actual -- it was my real hair, just dyed and styled. We just sort of had to go with a look. It was a very `80s `do. I was digging it. It was fun.

BRYANT: It was certainly very `80s. Once you put some of the clothes on, you`ve got the mood right there.

WINNICK: Especially with Ivana. She was so all about the clothes, the hair, the jewelry. Everything from head to toe was just suits and Chanel this and Gucci this.

LOUIS: She looked fantastic.

WINNICK: So much fun.

BRYANT: Did you learn any special inside nuggets or tidbits while you were making this about the actual people?

LOUIS: For me I think there`s tons and I think that`s why people should tune in because I think a lot of people don`t know Donald Trump`s story except for "The Apprentice" and sort of what he is there. His whole back story and stuff like that, that`s what drew me to the script.

BRYANT: Your favorite nugget.

LOUIS: I can`t tell you. I won`t tell you.

WINNICK: I think everybody will be surprised. You kind of see the behind the scenes. It`s unauthorized. Donald did not write this so you kind of get the real scoop what Donald and Ivana are really like.

BRYANT: Now did you feel at all the sense of power that they have while you were making this? You are getting a glimpse into their life. Did you start to get an understanding of what that power must feel like?

WINNICK: We got to play billionaires. It was so much fun with the clothes and the, you know, you get a chance to --

LOUIS: I remember just going to my, when I`d go home, I have a loft in the city. I`m just coming through, how you doing Joe? The hand goes up. Good morning, people. Good morning, Mr. Trump. It was fun to play with that. Certainly a feeling everyone should have at some point. As an actor too, it was nice.

BRYANT: Now do you see either of these people Ivana or Donald, do you see them differently now that you`ve played them?

WINNICK: Oh, yeah. I think the public eye does not really -- no one got a chance to see what Ivana is really like. Donald took all the spotlight. He did. But I think this movie really shows the strength of Ivana and that she had a huge impact on building the Trump empire and not just being a wife, but a mother and a businesswoman and looking good doing it. I think there`s a combination.

BRYANT: Exactly. Thank you Katheryn Winnick and Justin Louis. Of course, "Trump Unauthorized" airs tonight on ABC.

HAMMER: Newlywed Renee Zellweger has laid claim to another star. This one is on the Hollywood walk of fame. The Oscar-winning actress received the honor today. Zellweger says that she first visited the walk of fame back in 1988, when she was just a college student hoping one day to make it big. A teary Zellweger told the crowd she`s simply dumbfounded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENEE ZELLWEGER, ACTRESS: I got to tell you, I never, ever imagined a day like this or that I would be invited to be part of this legacy. I am dying right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Now Zellweger said she did not expect anybody to show up at this event, except for Ashton Kutcher, to tell her that she`d been "punk`d"!

BRYANT: They`ve been talking all day and we`ve been listening. Now as we do every night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the best from today`s talk shows. Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston and Star Jones. On the view today, super star producer David Foster took Star into the studio. A couple of high-tech tweaks later, well, take a look.

There you have it. Tomorrow on "The View," Evangeline Lilly and Rob Thomas.

HAMMER: Coming up, this "Dirty Dancing" icon goes undercover in Fredrick Forsyth`s "Icon." Patrick Swayze will join us live coming up next.

BRYANT: And "Jake in Progress" is John Stamos" is helping a charity progress. Find out which one it is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: You may recognize that leading man, Patrick Swayze, dancing with "Today Show" host Katie Couric just this morning. Of course, you know Patrick from films like "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" and so many more and now, he`s got a new project to look forward to. It`s a Hallmark miniseries called "Icon." Patrick Swayze has stopped by another showbiz sit down here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for being here, man.

PATRICK SWAYZE, ACTOR: How are you, sir?

HAMMER: Appreciate it. I`m great. Katie and you cutting it up this morning.

SWAYZE: The woman can dance.

HAMMER: So she`s all right.

SWAYZE: Blew me away. You have to be ready to lead her because she`s going to lead you. So you need to be strong like bull, you know?

HAMMER: I would not have known that about Katie Couric that she`d be that way.

SWAYZE: . has no controlling energy at all. She`s great.

HAMMER: We were going to do a little dancing here, you and I, but (INAUDIBLE) having a problem with the wardrobe so we`ll just move on. One of the things that I often hear about you, you`ve been a big time Hollywood star for a long time. We`re always hearing about what a good guy and what a grounded individual you are and have remained throughout your career. What is the secret to that?

SWAYZE: My mama beat me as a child.

HAMMER: Simple as that.

SWAYZE: And my dad made me wear hot pants and cowboy boots. No, I`m kidding.

HAMMER: We`ve seen that look on you to some degree.

SWAYZE: Not unless you pay me a lot of money. I don`t know. It`s just -- I guess early on I saw the whole in all of this, and I have a real passion for the craft and seeing how far I can take this and how much courage I can come up with to go deeper into characters and that`s what`s always intrigued me. Having a wife that I absolutely love to my core, and we -- June 12th we`ll have been married 30 years.

HAMMER: Not too normal in the Hollywood scene.

SWAYZE: No, I guess not. And the first thing I did after "North and South" hit so big is we bought a little ranch outside of L.A. and we don`t play that game. When we put on formal stuff to go into a premiere or whatever, it`s sort of like going in to visit the monkeys in the zoo. So it`s entertaining for us. And I live a life training horses and dogs and now buffalo and now elephants with conservation in Africa and .

HAMMER: And you mention the passion for the craft. And I think that may be reflected a bit in the fact if you look back at the long list of movies you`ve done, you`ve sort of shied away from those big-time Hollywood blockbusters recently and I`m sure through no shortage of scripts coming to you.

SWAYZE: You wait for a long time. Just like a movie on the level of "City of Joy," I waited a long time to find something like that that really goes deep that really, you know, hits -- strikes soul chords in people. So you wait around for those scripts and as time goes on you start thinking, well, you know what, why don`t I try to be the keeping of the vision and start doing your own stuff. So Lisa and I just finished "One Last Dance" about our lives as concert dancers in New York and had to turn back into classical ballet dancers again. But you -- I made a decision about nine years ago to get out of being sucked into that box office mentality and blockbuster concept and just go for fine, fabulous little independents. I just did "Green Dragon" and "Donnie Darko." They both went to the Sundance film festival and just did "Keeping Mum" with Maggie Smith and Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Scott Thomas.

HAMMER: And of course "Icon."

SWAYZE: And then working "Icon" and then Hallmark, I found this venue of these event miniseries where I get to do the sort big characters, big subject matter and Russia is a big subject matter. There`s been a lot of fear associated with that country for a long time. And .

HAMMER: And we`re taking a look at your character right now. You play an ex-CIA agent in the movie, basically who is trying to keep a bad guy from getting elected over there. And it really was a very different kind of a role for you.

SWAYZE: It`s sort of a grow-up role for me. It`s -- I`ve always felt like I was, you know, a man trapped in a kid`s body because I`ve lock looked so young so long. And it was like, you know, as time goes on, you want to grow up. This is a more close to the vest character and I`ve never done an intrigue spy thriller kind of thing before and we really wanted to -- we really wanted to tell an honest tale and honor Frederick Forsyth`s book which is incredibly detailed and incredibly researched and go for this character who is totally disillusioned with the American dream. He bought it hook, line and sinker to the level of destroying his relationship with his Russian wife and has never seen his daughter since she was young because he lied to her.

HAMMER: Sounds like you had a great time sinking your teeth into it, too.

SWAYZE: It was a role to grab a hold of and to make the action real. A real man caught in these situations, trying to survive and get his way out. And because he loves Russia and he loves these people. So the biggest thing, Charlie Martin Smith, a wonderful director, by the way, and I wanted to do is not present one as the bad guy. Not Russia as the bad guys but that there are no good guys. And really analyze the possibility of something like this happening. You know, a crazy taking over in perfect fodder. And like Russia that could easily turn into an anarchy and you know, a man who is going to create a genocide to purify the race and it`s like, oh, my God, all of a sudden Hitler coming again.

HAMMER: It`s quite a story.

SWAYZE: It`s a really, really interesting story.

HAMMER: We`re going to look forward to seeing that after the Memorial Day weekend. We appreciate you stopping by and talking.

SWAYZE: On Memorial Day on the 30th.

HAMMER: The tail end of Memorial Day weekend, when there`s still something left on the barbecue. Patrick Swayze, appreciate you stopping by.

SWAYZE: OK, thanks for having me.

HAMMER: Once again, Patrick Swayze in Fredrick Forsyth`s "Icon" will air on Monday, May 30th, of course, Memorial Day, on the Hallmark channel.

BRYANT: Time now for Tuesday "in Style." Every month, "In Style" magazine takes a look at a celebrity who is donating their time to a good cause. Tonight, former FULL HOUSE star and current JAKE IN PROGRESS star is John Stamos and "Project Cuddle."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, IN STYLE MAGAZINE: John Stamos has had plenty of ups and downs in his career, which sort of makes him all the more sexy. He`s had a string of Broadway hits and he`s also on this great ABC show called "Jake in Progress." John Stamos has really committed himself to this charity called Project Cuddle. You know, the old joke is that there`s nothing sexier than a hot guy holding a baby, and it really proves true in our story. Project Cuddle is an organization that matches up expectant mothers with potentially adoptive parents. It provides support and an outreach program for moms to prevent them from abandoning their babies if they are at risk of doing so.

The woman who founded Project Cuddle is named Debbie Magnusen and she`s a very good friend of John Stamos` mother. He heard about the charity for years but once he sort of really got down to the nitty-gritty and found out what it was all about, he said it hit him in the heart and just blew him away and he really felt compelled to support it in whatever way he could.

JOHN STAMOS, ACTOR: When I got a chance to kind of really look and see what Debbie was doing, I felt that I could really be of some help. It`s been around for a few years, but it needs an extra boost and I really think I can help. So that`s why I got on board.

ZUCKERMAN: John Stamos has really gone on a mission or a crusade to help out Project Cuddle because he`s seen how it`s changed the lives of people closest to him.

STAMOS: Every time I talk to her, some miracle has happened.

ZUCKERMAN: The reason that John Stamos feels so passionately about Project Cuddle and wants so badly to get the word out is because he wants pregnant women who are at risk of abandoning their babies to know that there`s an alternative out there that there`s no judgment. There are no strings attached, but just that there are people there to help and support you. I find it so heartfelt and wonderful that he`s taken on this challenge as a man to really relate to women in this way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: To read more about John Stamos and Project Cuddle, pick up a copy of June`s "In Style" magazine, on newsstands now.

HAMMER: It`s time to get your laugh on in "laughter dark." As we do every night, we bring you those late-night laughs that you just might have missed. It`s hard to believe, but "Empire Falls" star Paul Newman is 80 this year. On the "Late Show" with David Letterman, Dave thought Paul could use a little pick-me-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW: Certainly it`s apparent that you and life are getting along just fine these days. And what about a balloon ride. What do you think?

Go for it. 6,000 party balloons. 15,000 cubic feet of helium. That`s something you don`t see every day.

PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: There`s a lot of good looking people down there.

LETTERMAN: It`s a nice shot of your shoes Paul. How is that?

NEWMAN: Well, it would be a nice jump from here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: For the record, he did not jump. Tonight on THE LATE SHOW, Adam Sandler stops by, and a performance by the Wallflowers. S

BRYANT: There`s still time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day -- Michael Jackson, will he be convicted? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or e-mail us what`s on your mind at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Throughout the show tonight, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Michael Jackson -- will he be convicted? Here`s how the vote`s been going, 33 percent of you say yes, Michael Jackson will be convicted so 67 percent of you say no, he won`t be. We`ve been getting some e-mails on the question as well. Heard from Cindy in Roseville, California, who says, if the jurors follow their gut feelings, I`m sure they will convict him on the molestation charge. Remember, you can continue to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight.

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

HAMMER: He is here, the marquee guy, with all that information. Take it away, marquee dude.

ANNOUNCER: They`ll sing a song. They`ll sing out loud and sing out strong and sing out proud. It`s Carrie. It`s Bo and one of them will be named the next AMERICAN IDOL tomorrow. And that`s the day we bring you a special report on judge Simon Cowell. Who is he really? The people who know him tell us, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Also, this is a tale of castaways, and it looks like they`ll be there for a long, long time. Or will they? Will the raft work? We`ll ask Hurley from "Lost." And you can find him on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow live. This is the marquee guy. I was once lost until I was found and then they gave me this nice house in marqueeland.

HAMMER: All right. So I didn`t have a chance to raise it with Patrick Swayze, but when I was preparing for, you know, having him here on the show today with the producer, the producer who was working with me said, quote, when I was 12, he awakened feelings in me I didn`t know existed. Were you a big swooner on Patrick Swayze?

BRYANT: I think he`s great. I`ve been a fan for years. I think he`s terrific.

HAMEMR: That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for tonight I guess. I`m AJ Hammer.

BRYANT: He`s already finished over there. I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.

END