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Showbiz Tonight

Deep Throat Revealed; Paris Hilton Engaged

Aired May 31, 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: Christian Slater`s real-life legal drama.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And the commercial some say is too hot for TV.

I`m A.J. Hammer.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): Tonight, the mystery of Deep Throat. Is this the man behind history`s best-kept secret? And how did it stay a secret for so long?

BRYANT: Paris plus Paris. The shipping heir and the hotel heiress get ready for the big, "I do." But where`s the ring?

HAMMER: ABC`s of DVDs. Tonight in our weeklong series, we`ll help you sort out where to rent DVDs online.

Plus, Mr. Moviefone, Russ Leatherman, fills us in on what`s out now.

JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS: Hi, I`m Jessica Alba, and if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

BRYANT: Tonight, history unfolding on TV. Deep Throat, the mysterious source who helped undercover the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency, has been unveiled.

HAMMER: Just hours ago the "Washington Post" confirmed what has had America talking all day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": "Bob Woodward Confirms Mark Felt as Deep Throat." There it is. There`s the "Washington Post" Web site. It is now official.

HAMMER (voice-over): This is how America learned the news, on CNN, immediately after Bob Woodward confirmed on the "Washington Post" Web site that this man, 91-year-old W. Mark Felt, was indeed Deep Throat.

ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges, and you go step by step.

HAMMER: In the 1976 movie "All the President`s Men," it was Hal Holbrook who played the shadowy, mysterious source who leaked secret information to "Washington Post" reporter Carl Bernstein, played by Dustin Hoffman, and Bob Woodward, played by Robert Redford, secrets that would eventually bring down the president of the United States, forcing him to resign.

RICHARD M. NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort.

HAMMER: Felt`s name first came out this morning in a "Vanity Fair" article that shocked America, claiming that W. Mark Felt, second in command at the FBI at time of the Watergate scandal, was indeed Deep Throat.

The story, written by John D. O`Connor, says Felt confessed to friends and family that he was the guy who spilled the beans on the Watergate scandal. And just hours ago, Felt`s daughter confirmed the secret that has been tightly held for more than three decades.

JOAN FELT, W. MARK FELT`S DAUGHTER: And we`re all so proud of him. Not only for his role in history but for that, for the character that he is, the person that he is.

HAMMER: This afternoon, Felt`s grandson spoke to reporters in Santa Rosa, California, where his 91-year-old grandfather lives with his daughter.

NICK JONES, W. MARK FELT`S GRANDSON: My grandfather`s pleased that he`s being honored for his role as Deep Throat.

HAMMER: So who is W. Mark Felt? We know that Felt was indicted in 1978 for approving some other break-ins during Nixon`s administration. President Reagan later pardoned him for the 1978 indictment, and in 1999, Felt told "The Hartford Courant" he was not Deep Throat.

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: And good morning, everyone. Hope you had a great holiday weekend.

HAMMER: For years, "Good Morning America" host Diane Sawyer has been on the list of names being tossed around as being Deep Throat. She worked in the White House press office during the Nixon years.

Another name on the short list? Former Nixon White House aide and TV pundit David Gergen.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER NIXON WHITE HOUSE AIDE: Whoever he was, Deep Throat had to have access to a lot of investigatory information, and Mark Felt was right at the vortex of all of the information from the FBI. All of the reports from investigatory units came straight through him on the way to the directory. He was number two in the agency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Now "Showbiz In-Depth," Deep Throat, the news media and Watergate.

Joining me live here in New York, CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield. Hey, there.

And live in Washington, D.C., Howard Kurtz, writer for the "Washington Post."

And Howard, I`m going to start with you. Is there any significance to the fact that the story came out in "Vanity Fair" and not in your own newspaper?

HOWARD KURTZ, WRITER, "WASHINGTON POST": Yes, the significance is the "Washington Post" must be awfully embarrassed. They protected this secret for more than 30 years, and then to get scooped on it by a magazine, and then only belatedly, a couple of hours ago, to have Bob Woodward confirm that Mark Felt, who decided at the age of 91 to come forward with -- to solve Washington`s longest mystery, is an interesting turn of events, to put it mildly.

BRYANT: Jeff, what do you think about that? We here at CNN, we should have been all over this. What happened?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: What happened was I don`t think this is all that surprising. Look, the story remained a secret for 30 years, a not entirely well-kept secret, because Mark Felt was at the top of an awful lot of lists for the reasons that Dave Gergen just explained.

But there were -- there were four people who knew: Woodward, presumably Bernstein, Ben Bradlee and now Mark Felt, and if they decided not to talk, it isn`t as if this was in a memo that hundreds of people had access to.

BRYANT: Well, I want to talk about the idea, though, that it may or may not have been ethically correct for Woodward to come out and confirm this today. Jeff, what do you think of that?

GREENFIELD: No, I don`t think there`s any problem. He has always said he would not confirm who this person was until this person died, which in fact led some people, some of Woodward`s critics, to say there was no Deep Throat, that it was a composite, that he basically made it up for dramatic reasons.

But once the person says, "it was me," I don`t really see what the ethical problem is in saying, "I`m not going to say it." Once Woodward found out that Mark Felt was, indeed, doing this, which is presumably what happened, I can`t -- maybe Howard, who is a sharp-eyed journalistic critic, can figure out some ethical problem. I can`t.

BRYANT: Yes, pipe in on that, Howard. Do you think it`s OK that Bob came out today and said, "Yes, in fact, that is the man"?

KURTZ: Well, having made promises of confidentiality to many anonymous sources over my career, you do get released from that pledge if the person decides to come forward publicly.

I was surprised that it took Woodward all day to acknowledge. After all, Felt was finally telling the world this. So I -- no ethical issue there.

BRYANT: Now, Howard, in today`s climate, with 24-hour news media, blogs, you know, everybody, all information all the time, do you think a secret like this could be -- could be kept anymore?

KURTZ: I think it`s certainly possible, because you have for example, the Valerie Plame case. We don`t know who leaked that information to a columnist, Bob Novak. We have two reporters who may go to jail over this.

Anonymous sources are very much in the news now, but the climate has shifted dramatically since the days of Watergate, whereas at that time, journalists were seen as heroes, and Deep Throat was seen as Hal Holbrook - - you showed that clip at the top. Nowadays, journalists are seen as, and in my view do often overuse and abuse unnamed sources, often sources who have partisan axes to grind.

So I think the secret could hold, but I think the public attitude toward those who keep these secrets has shifted very much so since the early 1970s.

BRYANT: Yes. Jeff, that does bring to mind "Newsweek." I mean, the idea of naming your sources. How many source is enough to really back up a story? This has definitely changed.

GREENFIELD: Yes, one thing I just think is important, because a lot of these big stories get -- get cemented in the past. What really broke Watergate, to take nothing away from Woodward and Bernstein and the "Washington Post" and the importance of Mark Felt, was in the spring of 1973 when a very hard-nosed federal judge took the Watergate burglars and sentenced them to huge and long prison terms saying, "Something is going on here."

One of the burglars came into Judge Sirica`s courtroom, gave him a letter and said, "Judge, you`re right. There`s stuff going on here." So what really blew this story sky high was a -- was a particular person.

That said, I think Howard`s right. It`s a lazy journalistic habit to rely excessively on anonymous sources, because you don`t know what their motivations are, and the reader really can`t judge for himself or herself whether there`s a hidden reason why that source is talking.

I do think that -- I do think that the heroism, the heroics that surrounded journalism in the wake of Watergate did lead the press to a kind of behavior where they would take a source -- and for years the suffix "gate" was attached to virtually every story. There was "Korea-gate."

BRYANT: Right, right.

GREENFIELD: And "Land-gate" and "Iran-gate," and there was this notion that the way to glory in the journalism business was to expose something like another "gate."

KURTZ: That`s because everybody wanted to be played by Robert Redford or Dustin Hoffman in the next movie. There was that aura about it. And it did lead to a lot of sloppy and, in sometimes cases, inaccurate journalism.

But the case of Deep Throat, it now reminds us that there are instances where really important stories cannot be reported any other way if somebody insists on having his name attached. That`s the positive side to using unnamed sources, and as we have learned in the case of "Newsweek" and others, there`s also quite a negative side or at least quite a risk.

GREENFIELD: Brad Pitt is going to play Howard Kurtz in the movie.

BRYANT: Excellent. Great casting.

GREENFIELD: This is a showbiz show. I thought I would reveal this scoop.

BRYANT: Fantastic. Well, Howard Kurtz in Los Angeles, thank you. And Jeff Greenfield, thank you. We`ll work on your casting, OK? Just for the part of the reporter.

GREENFIELD: Let`s not push it.

BRYANT: We want to know your thoughts at home. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Deep Throat revealed: Should he have kept the secret? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or if you want to tell us more, e-mail us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll share some of what you had to say later in the show.

HAMMER: It`s time now for the "Legal Lowdown."

Tonight actor Christian Slater is charged with third-degree sexual abuse. Slater was in court in New York today. He was arrested early this morning after a woman claimed he grabbed her.

Slater did not enter a plea in court today. His next court date is July 14th.

Slater`s publicist tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "We believe the situation is the result of a misunderstanding, and we are hopeful that this will be resolved shortly."

Slater is in New York, starring in "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway and is performing tonight in the show.

Closing arguments could start as soon as tomorrow in the Michael Jackson molestation case. Lawyers were in court today talking about jury instructions. The jury could start deliberations by Thursday.

BRYANT: Paris Hilton is getting hitched, to Paris. Coming up, how the groom to be popped the question. And a ring fit for an heiress.

HAMMER: Plus, is prime-time TV ready for condom commercials? That`s coming up in the "Showbiz Showdown."

BRYANT: Also our special report on DVDs, renting DVDs from the comfort of your own home. There are plenty of Web sites to go to. We`ll sort it out, coming up in "The DVD Deal."

HAMMER: Here comes tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which cartoon character helped inspire Johnny Depp`s performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean"? Mighty Mouse, Speedy Gonzales, Pepe Le Pew or Goofy? The answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Once tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which cartoon character helped inspire Johnny Depp`s performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean?" Mighty Mouse; Speedy Gonzales; Pepe Le Pew or Goofy? The answer, C, Pepe Le Pew.

Well, the one-time wild child Paris Hilton is planning to settle down with yet another Paris. Tonight she is engaged.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood right now with the details.

Brooke, what`s the story?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, A.J., Paris Hilton, you know, she`s been linked to many hot Hollywood men, but now she`s found herself a wealthy Greek shipping heir, and she`s saying it`s for keeps.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): They`re both young, rich, have the same name and are now engaged to be married. Yes it`s true. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned Paris Hilton got engaged to boyfriend of five months Paris Latsis last Wednesday. Yes, his name is Paris, too.

The 27-year-old Greek shipping heir proposed right after Hilton returned from promoting her latest flick, "The House of Wax," in Europe.

We`ve known about him for a while. Paris Hilton told me all about her new love when I talked to her about her new film.

(on camera): Your boyfriend, Paris, is it fun going out with somebody with the same name?

PARIS HILTON, HEIRESS: I love it. It`s a lot of fun. It`s cool that I got to meet someone with my name.

ANDERSON: Where do you see your relationship with him going in the future, marriage?

HILTON: Yes, we`re very serious. We live together. And we actually met eight years ago and then got reunited again this year on his birthday. And we`ve been inseparable ever since. And he`s just the best guy in the world, and I couldn`t be happier.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Now here`s what SHOWBIZ TONIGHT knows.

Latsis asked Paris` parents, Kathy and Rick, for permission before popping the question. He took them out to dinner at this L.A. hot spot, Coy. And the couple announced their engagement in front of 75 friends and family at a Sunday barbecue at their Beverly Hills home.

And the ring. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned that Latsis hired a vintage antiques dealer to show them rare diamond rings, and the couple spent today checking out other options at Cartier, Tiffany and Harry Winston in Los Angeles. How big? Ten to 15 carats or more. Price tag? Of course, money is no option.

So what do we know about this guy? Sit down, you`ll like this. In March, "Forbes" magazine`s ranking of the world`s richest people listed his Latsis family at No. 54, with a combined wealth of $7.5 billion. That`s with a "b." He`s worth much more than Paris. We`re being told they don`t need each other`s money.

The engagement comes at a time when Paris could use some good press. She recently caused controversy with her provocative ad for the Carl`s Jr. hamburger chain.

Hilton`s childhood friend and former "Simple Life" co-star Nicole Richie is also engaged, to D.J. Adam Goldstein.

But don`t expect to see either as bridesmaids for each other. The two have had a falling out. We went to "People" magazine senior editor Albert Kim, and he told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Paris will definitely outdo her former friend on the big day.

ALBERT KIM, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: They haven`t announced any date or wedding plans yet, but knowing Paris Hilton, it`s probably going to be a pretty large affair. She doesn`t go halfway on anything, so expect a big show.

Paris and Nicole, as we all know, aren`t friends anymore. So I wouldn`t put it past either one of them to be -- to have a little bit of a rivalry here and see who gets married first. So we don`t know anything about their wedding dates, but you know, I wouldn`t be surprised if Paris decided to one-up Nicole a little bit and get out there first.

ANDERSON: Hilton`s younger sister, Nicky, was already a bride. Was quickie Vegas wedding to Todd Andrew Meister was annulled after less than three months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Paris told me that she`s through with the party girl lifestyle. She said Paris Latsis hates going out, so they spend time watching DVDs, going to movies. She even told me that she cooks.

A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: You all right, Brooke, thanks very much. Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Time for the "Showbiz Showdown." Tonight, condom ads in prime-time television.

This evening, NBC and the WB will be the first to run a Trojan condom ad in prime-time. NBC will air it sometime after 10 p.m. during the movie "Traffic," and the WB will air theirs after 9 p.m. during "The Gilmore Girls."

The spot focuses on the health issues concerning unprotected sex, and in the past, condom ads haven`t run earlier than 11:30 p.m. on network TV. So what`s the big deal?

Joining us live from Los Angeles is syndicated radio host and entertainment news editor at KSWB, Ross Crystal. And live in Washington, WMAL syndicated radio host Michael Graham.

Now, Michael, first I will start with you. You say they should not be airing these condom ads, correct?

MICHAEL GRAHAM, SYNDICATED RADIO HOT: Look, I want to say right up front, I`m a right-wing nut job. I believe in the free markets. I don`t want the government to step in.

But I am also the father of four kids 12 and younger. And this is all theoretical anyway, because let`s face it, nobody watches NBC during prime time, and if they did, please don`t do this to me.

I sit down with my 10-year old daughter. My mother-in-law is in the room, and I`ve got erectile dysfunction flying at me. I`ve got Paris Hilton humping a burger. I`ve got -- it`s just this nonstop barrage. It`s a message from my TV that it is an enemy in my own home.

This isn`t about First Amendment rights. This is about sensibilities. Is there any space in America for families to just get together and not have to worry about leaping up from the television because you`re listening to an ad about softening your stools? I just -- why do I have to have this in my life?

BRYANT: Well, it`s about big business, and it`s about advertising. I want to get to some of the specifics of what you said in a moment. But Ross, I want to have you pipe in. Do you think it`s OK for these ads to start running earlier in the evening?

ROSS CRYSTAL, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST: Of course it`s OK. It`s about time, in fact. You`re talking about a situation here where you`ve got a product that can help reduce the incidence of AIDS, sexually transmitted disease.

And this is a little different than a burger. It`s a little different than some of the things that -- I do agree, Michael, you`re out there. Way out there! But in this case, this product is a good product that is there for a reason. And my gosh, its time has come.

And did you see -- and did you see the spot, Michael?

BRYANT: Well, we`re going to run it right now, actually. If you guys can pause for one second. We`ve got -- we`ve got the ad?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

GRAPHIC: Forty percent of people who know they are HIV positive do not tell their partners.

ANNOUNCER: Trojan: pleasure you want, protection you trust.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Now, Michael, to me that`s a lot better than some of these Cialis ads that talk about things for four hours that men might have. That`s a bit much.

GRAHAM: And something to brag about, personally.

But, anyway, look, this is my point. That ad, a message for HIV people and the people who might be involved with them sexually is so specific, so narrow you could target that ad through magazines, for example, and in regions where it matters, where it has an impact.

Just to throw it out at 10 p.m. prime time for the 99.9 -- well, 95 percent of America, that means nothing. That`s one step.

And then the second point is. We know it starts here with the tasteful, let`s be careful ads. Within the year, I`m going to have Tommy the Trojan chasing people around on my TV. That`s where TV goes. It goes down to the lowest common denominator.

BRYANT: Ross, what do you think of that? Is it a slippery slope?

CRYSTAL: No, it`s not a slippery -- the slope is already -- you`ve slipped down the slope already. Listen to television.

I was just listening to the Oprah show out here. It`s early, at 3 p.m. They just ran the Oprah show on some makeovers. They`re talking about sexuality and sensuality. In just a few minutes, they`re going to talk, perhaps, if they sold the spot the right way, they`ll talk about the -- the patch for women instead of the pill and remembering it all.

You`ve got to be kidding, Michael. The slope is gone. It`s time to have ads. An ad -- it`s 10 p.m. at night.

Now, you could tell your child -- first of all, what`s he doing up at that hour? Or what`s she doing up at that hour? And second of all, as you saw the voice-over, there was music in there. "Hey, go get me a glass of water."

It was tastefully done, I think.

BRYANT: All right. Gentlemen, we`re going to -- we`re going to end it there, and I`m certain this debate will rage on between the two of you, after we cut away from you. Thank you, Ross Crystal and Michael Graham, for joining us.

HAMMER: Well, still ahead, the best places for you to get DVDs delivered right to your home.

Plus, at home with Cheryl Hines. When she`s not curbing her enthusiasm, where does she hang her hat? That`s coming up in "Tuesday InStyle."

BRYANT: Also, the battle lines are drawn in the morning TV show wars. We get the inside story on the battle between Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric. They are fighting for the number one spot. Got that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It`s time now for "Tuesday InStyle." Tonight, at home with Cheryl Hines. Of course, you know her from HBO`s hit comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Now, a more intimate look at the actress and her L.A. home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBIRA SHAW, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: Cheryl lives with her husband Paul and young daughter, Catherine, in a ranch-style home in the Hollywood hills. It`s got a nice mix of texture and color. It`s got a lot of light and picture windows. And Cheryl says she loves the way it feels, because you feel like you`re tucked away from the city.

Cheryl and Paul`s home is very kid-friendly. Cheryl loves giving her baby baths right in the kitchen sink, because there`s warm sunlight filtering through.

CHERYL HINES, ACTRESS: Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

SHAW: Cheryl is definitely, definitely excited about being a mother. She says being with her baby is like a love affair.

The den is a perfect place for Cheryl to pore over scripts. It`s got a fireplace, a clock that tells time in all 24 time zones, a leather chair and ottoman. And pocket doors so that she could close them when she needs to concentrate.

The living room has a lot of interesting elements, such as the custom made sofa by a store called Pompa in Los Angeles. There`s also a set of two dark chocolate chairs in the living room. And Cheryl and Paul love this shade. They`ve used it throughout the home, because it`s rich, and it lends a natural feeling, but at the same time, it`s not too heavy for the home, which is very light and airy.

Every six weeks, Cheryl and Paul host poker night at their house and their friend Kevin Nealon, the comedian, it says it`s one of the bigger poker nights he`s been to.

They`ve got two tables going with eight people each, and their bar is perfectly appointed for that purpose. It`s got chips, cards, liquor, two great chairs from Cost-Plus World Market and a vintage western sign that says, "Come on in!"

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: And for more on Cheryl Hines and her L.A. home, you can just pick up a copy of June`s "InStyle" magazine. It`s on newsstands now.

BRYANT: Whether your home is in the Hollywood hills or on Main Street, USA, these days, you can get DVDs delivered right to your door. We`ll check out the different rental Web sites, coming up in our special report, "The DVD Deal."

HAMMER: Plus, he`s a little bit country, a little bit rap. And believe it or not, that isn`t even the most surprising thing about Cowboy Troy. Cowboy Troy joins us live, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. Here`s your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

True identity of Deep Throat is no longer a mystery. W. Mark Felt, the former number two man at FBI, says he was "The Washington Post" Watergate source who helped uncover the scandal that led to the 1974 resignation of President Nixon. According to "Vanity Fair," Felt kept his secret all these years because he believed leaking the information was dishonorable.

The Georgia woman who bolted just before her wedding, today paid the city of Duluth just over $13,000 to help pay for the cost of searching for her. Jennifer Wilbanks still has criminal charges pending. Since returning to Georgia, Wilbanks has been receiving psychiatric treatment.

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins tomorrow, and new statistics out today show it maybe even more intense than previously thought. A report from Colorado State University researchers calls for 15 tropical storms with eight of those growing to hurricane strength.

That`s the news for now. Thank you for joining us. I`m Thomas Roberts. We`ll take you back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Sunrise showdown -- the duel at dawn is tighter than ever. Katie and Diane, who will rise and shine in the morning?

HAMMER: And "The "DVD Deal," our week-long series on everything DVDs. Tonight, online rentals, are they worth it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, everybody, I`m Eric.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I`m Jaret.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m Gary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m Kris. And we`re from the rock band Bowling for Soup...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...and if it happened today...

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

Christian Slater`s publicist is calling the actor`s arrest earlier this morning on sexual abuse a, quote, "misunderstanding," end quote. Slater allegedly grabbed a woman`s behind on the street in New York City. He did not enter a plea at his arraignment today, and was released on no bail.

Hilton getting hitched. Tonight, Paris Hilton is engaged to her boyfriend of five months, Paris Latsis. The Greek shipping heir proposed last Wednesday. Today the couple checked out rings at Cartier, Tiffany`s and Harry Winston, at least 10 to 15 carats in size.

BRYANT: Yowza!

Deep Throat revealed. This afternoon "The Washington Post" confirmed that W. Mark Felt, a former number two official at the FBI during the Watergate scandal, is in fact Deep Throat. His identity had been kept a secret for more than three decades.

HAMMER: And Deep Throat is our focus of the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question tonight. Deep Throat revealed: should he have kept the secret? (INAUDIBLE) voting by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. Send us your e- mails at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to share some of what you had to say in about 22 minutes.

BRYANT: Tonight, the numbers are out in the battle of the morning network shows. During the final week of sweeps, the period where advertising rates are set, Katie Couric`s "Today Show" topped Diane Sawyer`s "Good Morning America" for its 38th consecutive win. So, how are important Katie and Diane to the shows or to the shows, or do the shows` contents have more do with the ratings? "New York Magazine" went behind the scenes it find out. Now, joining us live in New York is "NEW York Magazine" contributing editor Meryl Gordon.

Now, Meryl, thank you for joining us. I want to know, is the rating`s gap closure -- you know, we focus so much on the women. Why are we focused on them and not just the show on the whole?

MERYL GORDON, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Well, one the reasons is these two women have been enormously important to their networks. As you may remember, when Katie Couric came in, NBC was in a free fall. They had fired Jane Pauley, replaced her with Deborah Norville. Ratings were completely collapsing. Katie came on suddenly, fresh-faced, incredibly appealing. Ratings went up, stayed up.

Similar with Diane; again, "Good Morning America" was in major trouble with the end of `89, at the point when Diane came on and Charlie Gibson returned. The very first week they were on the screen, ratings went up 25 percent. So, it`s been an enormous response to these women and what`s been interesting is, back when Diane and Charlie first took over, there was a three million viewer gap. "Today" had three million more viewers, and now it`s been down to as little as 40,000 viewers in recent weeks, so it`s an enormous swing.

BRYANT: And would you say that the successes at nighttime for ABC have really been helping the morning show there?

GORDON: Oh, enormously. There was tremendous cross promotion of "Desperate Housewives." They would do ads for "GMA" on "Desperate Housewives" and then they would have characters. They would do the scenes. But at the same time, as everybody points out, if you looks at CBS, number one in the prime-time ratings and still third in the morning time shows.

BRYANT: Morning shows not doing -- and obviously, NBC`s prime time has been faltering a little.

Now, I want to hear the story, something you found out when you were talking about -- or trying to find out about Tom Touche, who had been in charge of "The Today Show." You found a story about him, his dismissal, someone knowing, not knowing?

GORDON: Well, Katie has been very public. She said to "USA Today," she didn`t have much power in these changes. Everybody`s been curious about, why was Tom let go? Or, what was behind that? And on the day that he was fired, he went back to his office, and Katie called him on his cell phone there and she was pitching a story for the next day on the pope, and he told her he was sorry he wasn`t there going there to be produce this show. He had been let go, and she responded by saying, that wasn`t supposed to happen until Friday. There were a number of people in his office at that point, and he told people afterwards he was kind of stunned.

BRYANT: Wow.

And, we, of course, were the first to report that Tom Touche had been let go. We had that first live on the air. So, Meryl, last question, really quickly, do you think that, if ABC surpasses NBC, will they go on to have that long-term success as NBC has had?

GORDON: Many people think that once you`ve kind of got the edge up you can just keep going. Now NBC has the Olympics coming up in January -- or next winter. That could turn things around, but essentially once the momentum shifts, it pretty much stays with who`s ever running with it and it looks like "GMA" has the ball right now.

BRYANT: All right, well thank you. Meryl Gordon of "New York Magazine." And you can pick up the issue featuring Meryl`s article. It`s on newsstands now.

HAMMER: So, do you prefer to watch a DVD at home instead of going to the movie theaters? Well, you`ll want to be with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, all this week, for our special report -- "The DVD Deal." We`re going to tell you all you need to know about DVD`s from the latest technology, to the must- have collections.

Tonight -- renting DVDs online. Here`s the basic setup. For a monthly fee, you`re mailed two to eight movies or video games at a time. When you`re done, you simply mail them back in the pre-paid postage envelope that`s provided. The advantage here, no late fees and no time limits. You don`t have to go into a video store.

Joining us, now, live from Hollywood, to take us through the top online DVD rental sites, Paul Bond of the "Hollywood Reporter." Thanks for joining us, Paul. I am a recent convert. It certainly has made life a lot easier and I want to get right to the market leader in the DVD online rental business, Netflix.

Here`s the basic rundown with them: $17.99 is their basic costs. You get three at a time. They have over 30,000 titles, and fast delivery. So let`s get into this. What really sets Netflix apart, Paul?

PAUL BOND, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Well, Netflix created the industry about eight years ago, and they have 3 million subscribers. You know, it only took them about three-and-a-half years to get their first million subscribers, put that into perspective, and AOL took six years to get their first million subscribers. So it`s really hugely popular and what Netflix has over the competition is, first all a patent on the business model, which so far hasn`t come into play but it might in future years.

And they also have a huge selection, about -- well, more than 30,000 titles and they have a huge amount of each title. So basically, if subscribers get the movies they want when they want them, they`re not ever out of a movie.

HAMMER: OK, Paul, well, let`s move on to a company that, it only seemed natural that they would move to the online business, Blockbuster, of course, known throughout the country for their video stores. Here`s their online deal. It`s $14.99 for three movies at a time. They have 30,000 movie titles and you get in-store coupons as well. Tell me about the Blockbuster`s situation.

BOND: Blockbuster.com is basically Netflix`s only competition. Wal- Mart entered this space for a little bit, and then teamed up with Netflix. So you have basically Netflix on one side, and Blockbuster on the other nowadays. And what`s good about the blockbuster model is that they have these 10,000 stores. Netflix has no stores. And Blockbuster takes advantage of that advantage because they`ll give their subscribers a couple coupons that they can take to the store and basically rent a -- DVDs -- the old-fashioned way, by going into a store. And plus you`ll save a few bucks on Blockbuster.com over Netflix because it`s a little bit cheaper per month.

HAMMER: So -- but it sounds like, if you don`t have a Blockbuster in your town, Netflix, Blockbuster -- it`s more or less the same sort of situation.

BOND: More or less the same situation. Netflix will probably get your movies a little bit quicker.

HAMMER: OK, well, let`s move onto DVD Avenue, one a lot of people haven`t heard of. $19.95 for three at a time. They`ve got about 16,000 titles, but they also have video games and adult titles available. Tell me more about DVD Avenue.

BOND: Yes, DVD Avenue is in that big category of the also-rans that you`ve got. You`ve got Netflix, Blockbuster and everybody else, and DVD Avenue is part of the everybody else. And you basically summed it up, neatly. What they have over Netflix and Blockbuster, you can get porn and you can get video games. So if you want "Deep Throat," which we`ve heard a lot about today, but I`m talking about the movie...

HAMMER: Right.

BOND: if you want "Deep Throat" and you`re a Netflix subscriber, you can`t get it. You can at DVD Avenue.

All right. OK, well, Paul I really appreciate your insight at this. Definitely a new medium and a new way to rent videos that`s going to be around for awhile. Paul Bond from `The Hollywood Reporter." And, tomorrow, our weeklong series will continue on "The DVD Deal." We`re going to take a little at the latest DVD technology for your home. Come on, you`ve got to have something to play all this stuff on. We`re going to show you what kind of players and recorders you might want to go out and buy right now.

So, what DVDs should you order from your online service, or wherever you get them? And Mr. Moviefone, Russ Leatherman, is here with his new picks for the week in the "Showbiz Guide," coming up.

BRYANT: And, a rapping cowboy who speaks a bunch of languages. Think you`ve heard it all? Well, stick around for Cowboy Troy -- he`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: A few minutes ago, we told you about one popular way to get DVDs though online services. Now we`re going to check out what`s new on DVD. It`s time for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where throughout the week, we help you decide where to best spend your dollars on movies, DVDs, music and more. And joining us live from Hollywood with the latest DVD releases is none other than Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman.

Russ, I want to get right into one of those movies that I said, well, maybe I will pass on it in the theater, but when it comes out on DVD, I will check out "Boogeyman." How is this package?

RUSS LEATHERMAN, MR. MOVIEFONE: Well, you know it`s bad times at the video store when the big release is "Boogeyman." And you may have made the right decision the first time.

This is one in a big string of horror flicks that we`ve had. What happens is poor Timmy, when he was 8 years old, he witnessed a monster steal his father from the bedroom. Well, now he`s all grown up, and he returns to his childhood home to confront the nightmare that has haunted him all his life.

Now, like I said, this is one of a recent string of horror flicks. It made about 50 million bucks at the box office, which is a lot of money for a movie with really no stars, and it`s really just evidence that we -- people will go see almost anything, as witnessed by the new Jane Fonda movie, "Monster-in-Law."

HAMMER: All right.

LEATHERMAN: That`s a whole another story.

HAMMER: That`s a whole another story that we`ll talk about when that comes out.

But let`s talk about "The Longest Yard," and not the one that just came out. Of course, it`s getting all the buzz. It was number three at the box office, with Adam Sandler over this past weekend.

The original came out 31 years ago. Is the DVD of that movie, that original, worth picking up?

LEATHERMAN: Well, you know, we`re talking about movies that made a lot of money. "The Longest Yard" made $60 million or something this weekend. I mean, it was huge. And frankly, I think the original is a whole lot better.

You have Burt Reynolds, who really has the swagger, the character to pull of a professional football player and take this team to victory. In Adam Sandler, you have a guy who`s, drr, I`m the water boy. I mean, that`s how you believe Adam Sandler. I didn`t think he was believable in this role, so you can go back, you can watch the original, if you haven`t already seen the theatrical release, and save yourself a whole bunch of money.

I like this original a lot. I thought it did a great job of building momentum towards the game, and definitely worth a rental. So I`ll give that a try.

HAMMER: And worth it just to hear your Adam Sandler impression.

LEATHERMAN: Probably not.

HAMMER: Let`s move on to one more. The James Dean collection is out. An absolute movie icon who, a lot of people now, as generations move on, are not all that familiar with. The entire collection is out on DVD.

LEATHERMAN: Well, here`s what`s really cool about this, is whether you like the James Dean movies or not -- and we`re talking about "East of Eden," "Giant," "Rebel Without a Cause" -- this is just a great set to put on your shelf when you have people come over. They look at your video collection; they see the James Dean collection, and all of a sudden you`re cooler than anybody they know.

Now, with that said, these are new transfers. So they look great. It includes vintage footage. Even includes the infamous "drive safely" commercial that he filmed right before he killed himself in a car crash. So this is just a cool set to have. So I`m in. I like this one.

HAMMER: So, Mr. Moviefone says get the James Dean set, even if you are not going to watch them, just to be cool.

LEATHERMAN: Just to be cool.

HAMMER: Russ Leatherman, thanks very much for your insight. Appreciate it.

And remember, you can see Russ` reviews and get the lowdown on new DVDs by checking out Moviefone.com.

Well, apparently women don`t think all those DVD`s special features, you know the stuff like deleted scenes and bloopers, are all that special. In a survey conducted by Paramount, women and men were asked, are DVD extras important to you? Well, here are the results. Less than half of the women surveyed think the extras are important. But two-thirds of men think they are. Age also played a factor. DVD extras are important to those younger than 40. So when you put all this together, males younger than 40 are most likely to be into DVDs because of the extras.

And by the way, the extra stuff DVD watchers were most into, those deleted scenes.

BRYANT: Tonight, a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" with Troy Coleman, also known as Cowboy Troy. He calls his sound hick-hop. That`s h-i-c-k-hop. It`s rap mixed with country music. Big & Rich helped him get his break. He rapped on their debut single, "Rollin`," and performed with them at the Country Music Awards. Now, Cowboy Troy is out with his own album. It is called "Loco Motive."

Troy Coleman, joining us live. Now, Troy...

TROY COLEMAN, "COWBOY TROY": Yes.

BRYANT: ... break this down for me. You`re 6`6``?

COLEMAN: Six-four-and-a-half, 6`5". It depends on if I got fluffy socks on.

BRYANT: OK. You`re black.

COLEMAN: Yes.

BRYANT: Wanted to let you know that.

COLEMAN: Yes, thanks. Appreciate that.

BRYANT: Sure.

COLEMAN: Well, it`s not coming off anytime soon.

BRYANT: That`s right. And you speak a lot of languages. You`re a well-studied, well-rounded guy, and you`re doing country music.

COLEMAN: Yes.

BRYANT: How did this come about?

COLEMAN: Growing up in Texas, listening to country music ever since I was a little kid. You know, it was one of those things where I really enjoyed listening to the music. You know, and as a kid, we didn`t know that it was called country music. We just knew that`s what mom and dad listened to when they were getting dressed for work in the mornings. So the older I got, I started getting into rock and rap a little more, and I figured, well, why not make some music that I like and my friends like, and just combine all three? And we have hick-hop today.

BRYANT: So tell me about the first time you got up and rapped over a country tune.

COLEMAN: Wow. A lot of question marks in people`s heads, you know, and first they were like, what are we seeing, number one? Is the guy really black? Is he really wearing a cowboy hat and wearing a big belt buckle and all that? And then, you know, as the song progressed, everybody was a little bit more relieved that they actually enjoyed the music, and everything was cool.

BRYANT: Now, I have to imagine that there would be a certain element that would be racist in country music. It perhaps is a stereotype, but you know, you kind of imagine that country music is guys with big belt buckles -- which you have -- looking good, by the way.

COLEMAN: Yeah, thanks.

BRYANT: But it just doesn`t seem that welcoming to African-American artists.

COLEMAN: Well, you know, the way I look at it is, you know, if you make the music and you enjoy it, sooner or later people will start coming along with it. You know, everybody that I`ve seen at shows and, you know, that have come up me, everybody`s been very welcoming to me and been very friendly. So I haven`t seen anything like that, you know, face-to-face now. Other than that, you know, I can`t speak for it.

BRYANT: Well, because I can imagine too, when the record first went out to radio, you know, I used to program a radio station. I know we would get things every now and then and be like, OK, I am going to throw this on the air and see what happens. Any -- any -- like, you know, initial feedback, just people thinking, what is this? Or who is this, or?

COLEMAN: For the most part, people are either really on board with it, or they`re maybe not so much. But after I while, you know, you know that there is at least some sort of discussion that`s happening about the music, and I think that`s what really helps a lot, is just the fact that people get to listen to it and decide for themselves whether or not they want to hear it or not.

BRYANT: So are you happier then if your music is played on, you know, BET or on CMT?

COLEMAN: Well, I`m a country boy. So if it`s played on CMT, I`m very much happy with the folks at CMT.

BRYANT: All right, that`s good then. They`ve been playing it, too, in fact.

COLEMAN: Yes, they have, and I thank them.

BRYANT: So now, you do speak five languages, is that correct?

COLEMAN: Yeah, English and Spanish fluently, and I kind of dabble in a couple of other languages. A little bit of Mandarin Chinese, just, you know, kind of as a -- as a -- you know, (INAUDIBLE) pastime, you know, I had free time, and I decided to take a seven-week course at one point, you know, and so...

BRYANT: So if you weren`t rapping and doing country music, what would you be doing instead?

COLEMAN: Probably would be an economist. I went to graduate school at one point, and stopped 12 hours shy of getting a masters of science in economics. But you know, hey.

BRYANT: All right. Well, at least you`ll know what to do with all those -- all the money you`re making from selling the record.

COLEMAN: Pay off my old debts, yes.

BRYANT: There you go. All right, Troy Coleman, Cowboy Troy, thanks for joining us.

COLEMAN: Thank you.

HAMMER: Time now to get your laugh on in "Laugh After Dark." As we do every night, we bring you those late-night laughs you might have missed.

Well, "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno was a repeat for the Memorial Day, but we see why it ran twice. Take a look at what happened when "Revenge of the Sith" star Ewan McGregor dueled with his former "Robots" co-star, Jay Leno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Now, look. You know something? You know something? You are so immature.

(LAUGHTER)

LENO: You got here early and hit that squirt there.

EWAN MCGREGOR, ACTOR: I know, I did. I did. I`m really...

(CROSSTALK

LENO: Fortunately, I am more immature than you are, so.

MCGREGOR: Are you talking to me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Cup of water always trumps the water game. Tonight on "The Tonight Show," "Crash" star Sandra Bullock and music from Amy Mann.

BRYANT: There`s still time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Deep Throat revealed. Should he have kept the secret?

HAMMER: You can vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight, or write us what you have to say at CNN.com. That`s showbiztonight@CNN.com. Some of your thoughts and e-mails coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Deep Throat revealed, should he have kept a secret?

Let`s take a look at how the vote`s been going so far. Thirty-two percent of you say yes, W. Mark Felt should have kept the secret. So 68 percent of you say no, he should not have. And we`ve gotten this e-mail on the subject as well.

Michael from California wrote in to say -- "Mr. Felt should have revealed his secret yesterday. If anyone deserved to be honored on Memorial Day, it`s him."

Remember, you can continue to vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight.

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

HAMMER: To do that, we take a look at the "SHOWBIZ Marquee" with the Marquee Guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow, tech support, without keeping you on hold. Everything you always wanted to know about DVD gadgets but were afraid to ask. Players, recorders, high-def TV. Our "DVD Deal" series continues, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALL & OATES (singing): I`m watching you...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we`re watching you, Hall and Oates. It`s a "SHOWBIZ Flashback." You know the songs. "Man Eater," "Sarah Smile," "Rich Girl," "Don`t Be Shy." Sing along with Hall & Oates live tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

This is the Marquee Guy. Got to go. I`m off to a Hall & Oates karaoke night. You don`t want to know.

HAMMER: You`re right, we don`t want to know.

BRYANT: I don`t want to know, but I want to meet him there.

HAMMER: Yes. And happy birthday to the Marquee Guy.

BRYANT: All right, Marquee Guy.

HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.

END


Aired May 31, 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: Christian Slater`s real-life legal drama.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And the commercial some say is too hot for TV.

I`m A.J. Hammer.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): Tonight, the mystery of Deep Throat. Is this the man behind history`s best-kept secret? And how did it stay a secret for so long?

BRYANT: Paris plus Paris. The shipping heir and the hotel heiress get ready for the big, "I do." But where`s the ring?

HAMMER: ABC`s of DVDs. Tonight in our weeklong series, we`ll help you sort out where to rent DVDs online.

Plus, Mr. Moviefone, Russ Leatherman, fills us in on what`s out now.

JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS: Hi, I`m Jessica Alba, and if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

BRYANT: Tonight, history unfolding on TV. Deep Throat, the mysterious source who helped undercover the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency, has been unveiled.

HAMMER: Just hours ago the "Washington Post" confirmed what has had America talking all day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": "Bob Woodward Confirms Mark Felt as Deep Throat." There it is. There`s the "Washington Post" Web site. It is now official.

HAMMER (voice-over): This is how America learned the news, on CNN, immediately after Bob Woodward confirmed on the "Washington Post" Web site that this man, 91-year-old W. Mark Felt, was indeed Deep Throat.

ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges, and you go step by step.

HAMMER: In the 1976 movie "All the President`s Men," it was Hal Holbrook who played the shadowy, mysterious source who leaked secret information to "Washington Post" reporter Carl Bernstein, played by Dustin Hoffman, and Bob Woodward, played by Robert Redford, secrets that would eventually bring down the president of the United States, forcing him to resign.

RICHARD M. NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort.

HAMMER: Felt`s name first came out this morning in a "Vanity Fair" article that shocked America, claiming that W. Mark Felt, second in command at the FBI at time of the Watergate scandal, was indeed Deep Throat.

The story, written by John D. O`Connor, says Felt confessed to friends and family that he was the guy who spilled the beans on the Watergate scandal. And just hours ago, Felt`s daughter confirmed the secret that has been tightly held for more than three decades.

JOAN FELT, W. MARK FELT`S DAUGHTER: And we`re all so proud of him. Not only for his role in history but for that, for the character that he is, the person that he is.

HAMMER: This afternoon, Felt`s grandson spoke to reporters in Santa Rosa, California, where his 91-year-old grandfather lives with his daughter.

NICK JONES, W. MARK FELT`S GRANDSON: My grandfather`s pleased that he`s being honored for his role as Deep Throat.

HAMMER: So who is W. Mark Felt? We know that Felt was indicted in 1978 for approving some other break-ins during Nixon`s administration. President Reagan later pardoned him for the 1978 indictment, and in 1999, Felt told "The Hartford Courant" he was not Deep Throat.

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: And good morning, everyone. Hope you had a great holiday weekend.

HAMMER: For years, "Good Morning America" host Diane Sawyer has been on the list of names being tossed around as being Deep Throat. She worked in the White House press office during the Nixon years.

Another name on the short list? Former Nixon White House aide and TV pundit David Gergen.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER NIXON WHITE HOUSE AIDE: Whoever he was, Deep Throat had to have access to a lot of investigatory information, and Mark Felt was right at the vortex of all of the information from the FBI. All of the reports from investigatory units came straight through him on the way to the directory. He was number two in the agency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Now "Showbiz In-Depth," Deep Throat, the news media and Watergate.

Joining me live here in New York, CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield. Hey, there.

And live in Washington, D.C., Howard Kurtz, writer for the "Washington Post."

And Howard, I`m going to start with you. Is there any significance to the fact that the story came out in "Vanity Fair" and not in your own newspaper?

HOWARD KURTZ, WRITER, "WASHINGTON POST": Yes, the significance is the "Washington Post" must be awfully embarrassed. They protected this secret for more than 30 years, and then to get scooped on it by a magazine, and then only belatedly, a couple of hours ago, to have Bob Woodward confirm that Mark Felt, who decided at the age of 91 to come forward with -- to solve Washington`s longest mystery, is an interesting turn of events, to put it mildly.

BRYANT: Jeff, what do you think about that? We here at CNN, we should have been all over this. What happened?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: What happened was I don`t think this is all that surprising. Look, the story remained a secret for 30 years, a not entirely well-kept secret, because Mark Felt was at the top of an awful lot of lists for the reasons that Dave Gergen just explained.

But there were -- there were four people who knew: Woodward, presumably Bernstein, Ben Bradlee and now Mark Felt, and if they decided not to talk, it isn`t as if this was in a memo that hundreds of people had access to.

BRYANT: Well, I want to talk about the idea, though, that it may or may not have been ethically correct for Woodward to come out and confirm this today. Jeff, what do you think of that?

GREENFIELD: No, I don`t think there`s any problem. He has always said he would not confirm who this person was until this person died, which in fact led some people, some of Woodward`s critics, to say there was no Deep Throat, that it was a composite, that he basically made it up for dramatic reasons.

But once the person says, "it was me," I don`t really see what the ethical problem is in saying, "I`m not going to say it." Once Woodward found out that Mark Felt was, indeed, doing this, which is presumably what happened, I can`t -- maybe Howard, who is a sharp-eyed journalistic critic, can figure out some ethical problem. I can`t.

BRYANT: Yes, pipe in on that, Howard. Do you think it`s OK that Bob came out today and said, "Yes, in fact, that is the man"?

KURTZ: Well, having made promises of confidentiality to many anonymous sources over my career, you do get released from that pledge if the person decides to come forward publicly.

I was surprised that it took Woodward all day to acknowledge. After all, Felt was finally telling the world this. So I -- no ethical issue there.

BRYANT: Now, Howard, in today`s climate, with 24-hour news media, blogs, you know, everybody, all information all the time, do you think a secret like this could be -- could be kept anymore?

KURTZ: I think it`s certainly possible, because you have for example, the Valerie Plame case. We don`t know who leaked that information to a columnist, Bob Novak. We have two reporters who may go to jail over this.

Anonymous sources are very much in the news now, but the climate has shifted dramatically since the days of Watergate, whereas at that time, journalists were seen as heroes, and Deep Throat was seen as Hal Holbrook - - you showed that clip at the top. Nowadays, journalists are seen as, and in my view do often overuse and abuse unnamed sources, often sources who have partisan axes to grind.

So I think the secret could hold, but I think the public attitude toward those who keep these secrets has shifted very much so since the early 1970s.

BRYANT: Yes. Jeff, that does bring to mind "Newsweek." I mean, the idea of naming your sources. How many source is enough to really back up a story? This has definitely changed.

GREENFIELD: Yes, one thing I just think is important, because a lot of these big stories get -- get cemented in the past. What really broke Watergate, to take nothing away from Woodward and Bernstein and the "Washington Post" and the importance of Mark Felt, was in the spring of 1973 when a very hard-nosed federal judge took the Watergate burglars and sentenced them to huge and long prison terms saying, "Something is going on here."

One of the burglars came into Judge Sirica`s courtroom, gave him a letter and said, "Judge, you`re right. There`s stuff going on here." So what really blew this story sky high was a -- was a particular person.

That said, I think Howard`s right. It`s a lazy journalistic habit to rely excessively on anonymous sources, because you don`t know what their motivations are, and the reader really can`t judge for himself or herself whether there`s a hidden reason why that source is talking.

I do think that -- I do think that the heroism, the heroics that surrounded journalism in the wake of Watergate did lead the press to a kind of behavior where they would take a source -- and for years the suffix "gate" was attached to virtually every story. There was "Korea-gate."

BRYANT: Right, right.

GREENFIELD: And "Land-gate" and "Iran-gate," and there was this notion that the way to glory in the journalism business was to expose something like another "gate."

KURTZ: That`s because everybody wanted to be played by Robert Redford or Dustin Hoffman in the next movie. There was that aura about it. And it did lead to a lot of sloppy and, in sometimes cases, inaccurate journalism.

But the case of Deep Throat, it now reminds us that there are instances where really important stories cannot be reported any other way if somebody insists on having his name attached. That`s the positive side to using unnamed sources, and as we have learned in the case of "Newsweek" and others, there`s also quite a negative side or at least quite a risk.

GREENFIELD: Brad Pitt is going to play Howard Kurtz in the movie.

BRYANT: Excellent. Great casting.

GREENFIELD: This is a showbiz show. I thought I would reveal this scoop.

BRYANT: Fantastic. Well, Howard Kurtz in Los Angeles, thank you. And Jeff Greenfield, thank you. We`ll work on your casting, OK? Just for the part of the reporter.

GREENFIELD: Let`s not push it.

BRYANT: We want to know your thoughts at home. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Deep Throat revealed: Should he have kept the secret? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Or if you want to tell us more, e-mail us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll share some of what you had to say later in the show.

HAMMER: It`s time now for the "Legal Lowdown."

Tonight actor Christian Slater is charged with third-degree sexual abuse. Slater was in court in New York today. He was arrested early this morning after a woman claimed he grabbed her.

Slater did not enter a plea in court today. His next court date is July 14th.

Slater`s publicist tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "We believe the situation is the result of a misunderstanding, and we are hopeful that this will be resolved shortly."

Slater is in New York, starring in "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway and is performing tonight in the show.

Closing arguments could start as soon as tomorrow in the Michael Jackson molestation case. Lawyers were in court today talking about jury instructions. The jury could start deliberations by Thursday.

BRYANT: Paris Hilton is getting hitched, to Paris. Coming up, how the groom to be popped the question. And a ring fit for an heiress.

HAMMER: Plus, is prime-time TV ready for condom commercials? That`s coming up in the "Showbiz Showdown."

BRYANT: Also our special report on DVDs, renting DVDs from the comfort of your own home. There are plenty of Web sites to go to. We`ll sort it out, coming up in "The DVD Deal."

HAMMER: Here comes tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which cartoon character helped inspire Johnny Depp`s performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean"? Mighty Mouse, Speedy Gonzales, Pepe Le Pew or Goofy? The answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Once tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which cartoon character helped inspire Johnny Depp`s performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean?" Mighty Mouse; Speedy Gonzales; Pepe Le Pew or Goofy? The answer, C, Pepe Le Pew.

Well, the one-time wild child Paris Hilton is planning to settle down with yet another Paris. Tonight she is engaged.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood right now with the details.

Brooke, what`s the story?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, A.J., Paris Hilton, you know, she`s been linked to many hot Hollywood men, but now she`s found herself a wealthy Greek shipping heir, and she`s saying it`s for keeps.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): They`re both young, rich, have the same name and are now engaged to be married. Yes it`s true. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned Paris Hilton got engaged to boyfriend of five months Paris Latsis last Wednesday. Yes, his name is Paris, too.

The 27-year-old Greek shipping heir proposed right after Hilton returned from promoting her latest flick, "The House of Wax," in Europe.

We`ve known about him for a while. Paris Hilton told me all about her new love when I talked to her about her new film.

(on camera): Your boyfriend, Paris, is it fun going out with somebody with the same name?

PARIS HILTON, HEIRESS: I love it. It`s a lot of fun. It`s cool that I got to meet someone with my name.

ANDERSON: Where do you see your relationship with him going in the future, marriage?

HILTON: Yes, we`re very serious. We live together. And we actually met eight years ago and then got reunited again this year on his birthday. And we`ve been inseparable ever since. And he`s just the best guy in the world, and I couldn`t be happier.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Now here`s what SHOWBIZ TONIGHT knows.

Latsis asked Paris` parents, Kathy and Rick, for permission before popping the question. He took them out to dinner at this L.A. hot spot, Coy. And the couple announced their engagement in front of 75 friends and family at a Sunday barbecue at their Beverly Hills home.

And the ring. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned that Latsis hired a vintage antiques dealer to show them rare diamond rings, and the couple spent today checking out other options at Cartier, Tiffany and Harry Winston in Los Angeles. How big? Ten to 15 carats or more. Price tag? Of course, money is no option.

So what do we know about this guy? Sit down, you`ll like this. In March, "Forbes" magazine`s ranking of the world`s richest people listed his Latsis family at No. 54, with a combined wealth of $7.5 billion. That`s with a "b." He`s worth much more than Paris. We`re being told they don`t need each other`s money.

The engagement comes at a time when Paris could use some good press. She recently caused controversy with her provocative ad for the Carl`s Jr. hamburger chain.

Hilton`s childhood friend and former "Simple Life" co-star Nicole Richie is also engaged, to D.J. Adam Goldstein.

But don`t expect to see either as bridesmaids for each other. The two have had a falling out. We went to "People" magazine senior editor Albert Kim, and he told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Paris will definitely outdo her former friend on the big day.

ALBERT KIM, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: They haven`t announced any date or wedding plans yet, but knowing Paris Hilton, it`s probably going to be a pretty large affair. She doesn`t go halfway on anything, so expect a big show.

Paris and Nicole, as we all know, aren`t friends anymore. So I wouldn`t put it past either one of them to be -- to have a little bit of a rivalry here and see who gets married first. So we don`t know anything about their wedding dates, but you know, I wouldn`t be surprised if Paris decided to one-up Nicole a little bit and get out there first.

ANDERSON: Hilton`s younger sister, Nicky, was already a bride. Was quickie Vegas wedding to Todd Andrew Meister was annulled after less than three months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Paris told me that she`s through with the party girl lifestyle. She said Paris Latsis hates going out, so they spend time watching DVDs, going to movies. She even told me that she cooks.

A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: You all right, Brooke, thanks very much. Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood -- Karyn.

BRYANT: Time for the "Showbiz Showdown." Tonight, condom ads in prime-time television.

This evening, NBC and the WB will be the first to run a Trojan condom ad in prime-time. NBC will air it sometime after 10 p.m. during the movie "Traffic," and the WB will air theirs after 9 p.m. during "The Gilmore Girls."

The spot focuses on the health issues concerning unprotected sex, and in the past, condom ads haven`t run earlier than 11:30 p.m. on network TV. So what`s the big deal?

Joining us live from Los Angeles is syndicated radio host and entertainment news editor at KSWB, Ross Crystal. And live in Washington, WMAL syndicated radio host Michael Graham.

Now, Michael, first I will start with you. You say they should not be airing these condom ads, correct?

MICHAEL GRAHAM, SYNDICATED RADIO HOT: Look, I want to say right up front, I`m a right-wing nut job. I believe in the free markets. I don`t want the government to step in.

But I am also the father of four kids 12 and younger. And this is all theoretical anyway, because let`s face it, nobody watches NBC during prime time, and if they did, please don`t do this to me.

I sit down with my 10-year old daughter. My mother-in-law is in the room, and I`ve got erectile dysfunction flying at me. I`ve got Paris Hilton humping a burger. I`ve got -- it`s just this nonstop barrage. It`s a message from my TV that it is an enemy in my own home.

This isn`t about First Amendment rights. This is about sensibilities. Is there any space in America for families to just get together and not have to worry about leaping up from the television because you`re listening to an ad about softening your stools? I just -- why do I have to have this in my life?

BRYANT: Well, it`s about big business, and it`s about advertising. I want to get to some of the specifics of what you said in a moment. But Ross, I want to have you pipe in. Do you think it`s OK for these ads to start running earlier in the evening?

ROSS CRYSTAL, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST: Of course it`s OK. It`s about time, in fact. You`re talking about a situation here where you`ve got a product that can help reduce the incidence of AIDS, sexually transmitted disease.

And this is a little different than a burger. It`s a little different than some of the things that -- I do agree, Michael, you`re out there. Way out there! But in this case, this product is a good product that is there for a reason. And my gosh, its time has come.

And did you see -- and did you see the spot, Michael?

BRYANT: Well, we`re going to run it right now, actually. If you guys can pause for one second. We`ve got -- we`ve got the ad?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

GRAPHIC: Forty percent of people who know they are HIV positive do not tell their partners.

ANNOUNCER: Trojan: pleasure you want, protection you trust.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Now, Michael, to me that`s a lot better than some of these Cialis ads that talk about things for four hours that men might have. That`s a bit much.

GRAHAM: And something to brag about, personally.

But, anyway, look, this is my point. That ad, a message for HIV people and the people who might be involved with them sexually is so specific, so narrow you could target that ad through magazines, for example, and in regions where it matters, where it has an impact.

Just to throw it out at 10 p.m. prime time for the 99.9 -- well, 95 percent of America, that means nothing. That`s one step.

And then the second point is. We know it starts here with the tasteful, let`s be careful ads. Within the year, I`m going to have Tommy the Trojan chasing people around on my TV. That`s where TV goes. It goes down to the lowest common denominator.

BRYANT: Ross, what do you think of that? Is it a slippery slope?

CRYSTAL: No, it`s not a slippery -- the slope is already -- you`ve slipped down the slope already. Listen to television.

I was just listening to the Oprah show out here. It`s early, at 3 p.m. They just ran the Oprah show on some makeovers. They`re talking about sexuality and sensuality. In just a few minutes, they`re going to talk, perhaps, if they sold the spot the right way, they`ll talk about the -- the patch for women instead of the pill and remembering it all.

You`ve got to be kidding, Michael. The slope is gone. It`s time to have ads. An ad -- it`s 10 p.m. at night.

Now, you could tell your child -- first of all, what`s he doing up at that hour? Or what`s she doing up at that hour? And second of all, as you saw the voice-over, there was music in there. "Hey, go get me a glass of water."

It was tastefully done, I think.

BRYANT: All right. Gentlemen, we`re going to -- we`re going to end it there, and I`m certain this debate will rage on between the two of you, after we cut away from you. Thank you, Ross Crystal and Michael Graham, for joining us.

HAMMER: Well, still ahead, the best places for you to get DVDs delivered right to your home.

Plus, at home with Cheryl Hines. When she`s not curbing her enthusiasm, where does she hang her hat? That`s coming up in "Tuesday InStyle."

BRYANT: Also, the battle lines are drawn in the morning TV show wars. We get the inside story on the battle between Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric. They are fighting for the number one spot. Got that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: It`s time now for "Tuesday InStyle." Tonight, at home with Cheryl Hines. Of course, you know her from HBO`s hit comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Now, a more intimate look at the actress and her L.A. home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUBIRA SHAW, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: Cheryl lives with her husband Paul and young daughter, Catherine, in a ranch-style home in the Hollywood hills. It`s got a nice mix of texture and color. It`s got a lot of light and picture windows. And Cheryl says she loves the way it feels, because you feel like you`re tucked away from the city.

Cheryl and Paul`s home is very kid-friendly. Cheryl loves giving her baby baths right in the kitchen sink, because there`s warm sunlight filtering through.

CHERYL HINES, ACTRESS: Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

SHAW: Cheryl is definitely, definitely excited about being a mother. She says being with her baby is like a love affair.

The den is a perfect place for Cheryl to pore over scripts. It`s got a fireplace, a clock that tells time in all 24 time zones, a leather chair and ottoman. And pocket doors so that she could close them when she needs to concentrate.

The living room has a lot of interesting elements, such as the custom made sofa by a store called Pompa in Los Angeles. There`s also a set of two dark chocolate chairs in the living room. And Cheryl and Paul love this shade. They`ve used it throughout the home, because it`s rich, and it lends a natural feeling, but at the same time, it`s not too heavy for the home, which is very light and airy.

Every six weeks, Cheryl and Paul host poker night at their house and their friend Kevin Nealon, the comedian, it says it`s one of the bigger poker nights he`s been to.

They`ve got two tables going with eight people each, and their bar is perfectly appointed for that purpose. It`s got chips, cards, liquor, two great chairs from Cost-Plus World Market and a vintage western sign that says, "Come on in!"

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: And for more on Cheryl Hines and her L.A. home, you can just pick up a copy of June`s "InStyle" magazine. It`s on newsstands now.

BRYANT: Whether your home is in the Hollywood hills or on Main Street, USA, these days, you can get DVDs delivered right to your door. We`ll check out the different rental Web sites, coming up in our special report, "The DVD Deal."

HAMMER: Plus, he`s a little bit country, a little bit rap. And believe it or not, that isn`t even the most surprising thing about Cowboy Troy. Cowboy Troy joins us live, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. Here`s your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

True identity of Deep Throat is no longer a mystery. W. Mark Felt, the former number two man at FBI, says he was "The Washington Post" Watergate source who helped uncover the scandal that led to the 1974 resignation of President Nixon. According to "Vanity Fair," Felt kept his secret all these years because he believed leaking the information was dishonorable.

The Georgia woman who bolted just before her wedding, today paid the city of Duluth just over $13,000 to help pay for the cost of searching for her. Jennifer Wilbanks still has criminal charges pending. Since returning to Georgia, Wilbanks has been receiving psychiatric treatment.

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins tomorrow, and new statistics out today show it maybe even more intense than previously thought. A report from Colorado State University researchers calls for 15 tropical storms with eight of those growing to hurricane strength.

That`s the news for now. Thank you for joining us. I`m Thomas Roberts. We`ll take you back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Sunrise showdown -- the duel at dawn is tighter than ever. Katie and Diane, who will rise and shine in the morning?

HAMMER: And "The "DVD Deal," our week-long series on everything DVDs. Tonight, online rentals, are they worth it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, everybody, I`m Eric.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I`m Jaret.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m Gary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m Kris. And we`re from the rock band Bowling for Soup...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...and if it happened today...

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

Christian Slater`s publicist is calling the actor`s arrest earlier this morning on sexual abuse a, quote, "misunderstanding," end quote. Slater allegedly grabbed a woman`s behind on the street in New York City. He did not enter a plea at his arraignment today, and was released on no bail.

Hilton getting hitched. Tonight, Paris Hilton is engaged to her boyfriend of five months, Paris Latsis. The Greek shipping heir proposed last Wednesday. Today the couple checked out rings at Cartier, Tiffany`s and Harry Winston, at least 10 to 15 carats in size.

BRYANT: Yowza!

Deep Throat revealed. This afternoon "The Washington Post" confirmed that W. Mark Felt, a former number two official at the FBI during the Watergate scandal, is in fact Deep Throat. His identity had been kept a secret for more than three decades.

HAMMER: And Deep Throat is our focus of the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question tonight. Deep Throat revealed: should he have kept the secret? (INAUDIBLE) voting by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. Send us your e- mails at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to share some of what you had to say in about 22 minutes.

BRYANT: Tonight, the numbers are out in the battle of the morning network shows. During the final week of sweeps, the period where advertising rates are set, Katie Couric`s "Today Show" topped Diane Sawyer`s "Good Morning America" for its 38th consecutive win. So, how are important Katie and Diane to the shows or to the shows, or do the shows` contents have more do with the ratings? "New York Magazine" went behind the scenes it find out. Now, joining us live in New York is "NEW York Magazine" contributing editor Meryl Gordon.

Now, Meryl, thank you for joining us. I want to know, is the rating`s gap closure -- you know, we focus so much on the women. Why are we focused on them and not just the show on the whole?

MERYL GORDON, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: Well, one the reasons is these two women have been enormously important to their networks. As you may remember, when Katie Couric came in, NBC was in a free fall. They had fired Jane Pauley, replaced her with Deborah Norville. Ratings were completely collapsing. Katie came on suddenly, fresh-faced, incredibly appealing. Ratings went up, stayed up.

Similar with Diane; again, "Good Morning America" was in major trouble with the end of `89, at the point when Diane came on and Charlie Gibson returned. The very first week they were on the screen, ratings went up 25 percent. So, it`s been an enormous response to these women and what`s been interesting is, back when Diane and Charlie first took over, there was a three million viewer gap. "Today" had three million more viewers, and now it`s been down to as little as 40,000 viewers in recent weeks, so it`s an enormous swing.

BRYANT: And would you say that the successes at nighttime for ABC have really been helping the morning show there?

GORDON: Oh, enormously. There was tremendous cross promotion of "Desperate Housewives." They would do ads for "GMA" on "Desperate Housewives" and then they would have characters. They would do the scenes. But at the same time, as everybody points out, if you looks at CBS, number one in the prime-time ratings and still third in the morning time shows.

BRYANT: Morning shows not doing -- and obviously, NBC`s prime time has been faltering a little.

Now, I want to hear the story, something you found out when you were talking about -- or trying to find out about Tom Touche, who had been in charge of "The Today Show." You found a story about him, his dismissal, someone knowing, not knowing?

GORDON: Well, Katie has been very public. She said to "USA Today," she didn`t have much power in these changes. Everybody`s been curious about, why was Tom let go? Or, what was behind that? And on the day that he was fired, he went back to his office, and Katie called him on his cell phone there and she was pitching a story for the next day on the pope, and he told her he was sorry he wasn`t there going there to be produce this show. He had been let go, and she responded by saying, that wasn`t supposed to happen until Friday. There were a number of people in his office at that point, and he told people afterwards he was kind of stunned.

BRYANT: Wow.

And, we, of course, were the first to report that Tom Touche had been let go. We had that first live on the air. So, Meryl, last question, really quickly, do you think that, if ABC surpasses NBC, will they go on to have that long-term success as NBC has had?

GORDON: Many people think that once you`ve kind of got the edge up you can just keep going. Now NBC has the Olympics coming up in January -- or next winter. That could turn things around, but essentially once the momentum shifts, it pretty much stays with who`s ever running with it and it looks like "GMA" has the ball right now.

BRYANT: All right, well thank you. Meryl Gordon of "New York Magazine." And you can pick up the issue featuring Meryl`s article. It`s on newsstands now.

HAMMER: So, do you prefer to watch a DVD at home instead of going to the movie theaters? Well, you`ll want to be with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, all this week, for our special report -- "The DVD Deal." We`re going to tell you all you need to know about DVD`s from the latest technology, to the must- have collections.

Tonight -- renting DVDs online. Here`s the basic setup. For a monthly fee, you`re mailed two to eight movies or video games at a time. When you`re done, you simply mail them back in the pre-paid postage envelope that`s provided. The advantage here, no late fees and no time limits. You don`t have to go into a video store.

Joining us, now, live from Hollywood, to take us through the top online DVD rental sites, Paul Bond of the "Hollywood Reporter." Thanks for joining us, Paul. I am a recent convert. It certainly has made life a lot easier and I want to get right to the market leader in the DVD online rental business, Netflix.

Here`s the basic rundown with them: $17.99 is their basic costs. You get three at a time. They have over 30,000 titles, and fast delivery. So let`s get into this. What really sets Netflix apart, Paul?

PAUL BOND, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Well, Netflix created the industry about eight years ago, and they have 3 million subscribers. You know, it only took them about three-and-a-half years to get their first million subscribers, put that into perspective, and AOL took six years to get their first million subscribers. So it`s really hugely popular and what Netflix has over the competition is, first all a patent on the business model, which so far hasn`t come into play but it might in future years.

And they also have a huge selection, about -- well, more than 30,000 titles and they have a huge amount of each title. So basically, if subscribers get the movies they want when they want them, they`re not ever out of a movie.

HAMMER: OK, Paul, well, let`s move on to a company that, it only seemed natural that they would move to the online business, Blockbuster, of course, known throughout the country for their video stores. Here`s their online deal. It`s $14.99 for three movies at a time. They have 30,000 movie titles and you get in-store coupons as well. Tell me about the Blockbuster`s situation.

BOND: Blockbuster.com is basically Netflix`s only competition. Wal- Mart entered this space for a little bit, and then teamed up with Netflix. So you have basically Netflix on one side, and Blockbuster on the other nowadays. And what`s good about the blockbuster model is that they have these 10,000 stores. Netflix has no stores. And Blockbuster takes advantage of that advantage because they`ll give their subscribers a couple coupons that they can take to the store and basically rent a -- DVDs -- the old-fashioned way, by going into a store. And plus you`ll save a few bucks on Blockbuster.com over Netflix because it`s a little bit cheaper per month.

HAMMER: So -- but it sounds like, if you don`t have a Blockbuster in your town, Netflix, Blockbuster -- it`s more or less the same sort of situation.

BOND: More or less the same situation. Netflix will probably get your movies a little bit quicker.

HAMMER: OK, well, let`s move onto DVD Avenue, one a lot of people haven`t heard of. $19.95 for three at a time. They`ve got about 16,000 titles, but they also have video games and adult titles available. Tell me more about DVD Avenue.

BOND: Yes, DVD Avenue is in that big category of the also-rans that you`ve got. You`ve got Netflix, Blockbuster and everybody else, and DVD Avenue is part of the everybody else. And you basically summed it up, neatly. What they have over Netflix and Blockbuster, you can get porn and you can get video games. So if you want "Deep Throat," which we`ve heard a lot about today, but I`m talking about the movie...

HAMMER: Right.

BOND: if you want "Deep Throat" and you`re a Netflix subscriber, you can`t get it. You can at DVD Avenue.

All right. OK, well, Paul I really appreciate your insight at this. Definitely a new medium and a new way to rent videos that`s going to be around for awhile. Paul Bond from `The Hollywood Reporter." And, tomorrow, our weeklong series will continue on "The DVD Deal." We`re going to take a little at the latest DVD technology for your home. Come on, you`ve got to have something to play all this stuff on. We`re going to show you what kind of players and recorders you might want to go out and buy right now.

So, what DVDs should you order from your online service, or wherever you get them? And Mr. Moviefone, Russ Leatherman, is here with his new picks for the week in the "Showbiz Guide," coming up.

BRYANT: And, a rapping cowboy who speaks a bunch of languages. Think you`ve heard it all? Well, stick around for Cowboy Troy -- he`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: A few minutes ago, we told you about one popular way to get DVDs though online services. Now we`re going to check out what`s new on DVD. It`s time for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where throughout the week, we help you decide where to best spend your dollars on movies, DVDs, music and more. And joining us live from Hollywood with the latest DVD releases is none other than Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman.

Russ, I want to get right into one of those movies that I said, well, maybe I will pass on it in the theater, but when it comes out on DVD, I will check out "Boogeyman." How is this package?

RUSS LEATHERMAN, MR. MOVIEFONE: Well, you know it`s bad times at the video store when the big release is "Boogeyman." And you may have made the right decision the first time.

This is one in a big string of horror flicks that we`ve had. What happens is poor Timmy, when he was 8 years old, he witnessed a monster steal his father from the bedroom. Well, now he`s all grown up, and he returns to his childhood home to confront the nightmare that has haunted him all his life.

Now, like I said, this is one of a recent string of horror flicks. It made about 50 million bucks at the box office, which is a lot of money for a movie with really no stars, and it`s really just evidence that we -- people will go see almost anything, as witnessed by the new Jane Fonda movie, "Monster-in-Law."

HAMMER: All right.

LEATHERMAN: That`s a whole another story.

HAMMER: That`s a whole another story that we`ll talk about when that comes out.

But let`s talk about "The Longest Yard," and not the one that just came out. Of course, it`s getting all the buzz. It was number three at the box office, with Adam Sandler over this past weekend.

The original came out 31 years ago. Is the DVD of that movie, that original, worth picking up?

LEATHERMAN: Well, you know, we`re talking about movies that made a lot of money. "The Longest Yard" made $60 million or something this weekend. I mean, it was huge. And frankly, I think the original is a whole lot better.

You have Burt Reynolds, who really has the swagger, the character to pull of a professional football player and take this team to victory. In Adam Sandler, you have a guy who`s, drr, I`m the water boy. I mean, that`s how you believe Adam Sandler. I didn`t think he was believable in this role, so you can go back, you can watch the original, if you haven`t already seen the theatrical release, and save yourself a whole bunch of money.

I like this original a lot. I thought it did a great job of building momentum towards the game, and definitely worth a rental. So I`ll give that a try.

HAMMER: And worth it just to hear your Adam Sandler impression.

LEATHERMAN: Probably not.

HAMMER: Let`s move on to one more. The James Dean collection is out. An absolute movie icon who, a lot of people now, as generations move on, are not all that familiar with. The entire collection is out on DVD.

LEATHERMAN: Well, here`s what`s really cool about this, is whether you like the James Dean movies or not -- and we`re talking about "East of Eden," "Giant," "Rebel Without a Cause" -- this is just a great set to put on your shelf when you have people come over. They look at your video collection; they see the James Dean collection, and all of a sudden you`re cooler than anybody they know.

Now, with that said, these are new transfers. So they look great. It includes vintage footage. Even includes the infamous "drive safely" commercial that he filmed right before he killed himself in a car crash. So this is just a cool set to have. So I`m in. I like this one.

HAMMER: So, Mr. Moviefone says get the James Dean set, even if you are not going to watch them, just to be cool.

LEATHERMAN: Just to be cool.

HAMMER: Russ Leatherman, thanks very much for your insight. Appreciate it.

And remember, you can see Russ` reviews and get the lowdown on new DVDs by checking out Moviefone.com.

Well, apparently women don`t think all those DVD`s special features, you know the stuff like deleted scenes and bloopers, are all that special. In a survey conducted by Paramount, women and men were asked, are DVD extras important to you? Well, here are the results. Less than half of the women surveyed think the extras are important. But two-thirds of men think they are. Age also played a factor. DVD extras are important to those younger than 40. So when you put all this together, males younger than 40 are most likely to be into DVDs because of the extras.

And by the way, the extra stuff DVD watchers were most into, those deleted scenes.

BRYANT: Tonight, a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" with Troy Coleman, also known as Cowboy Troy. He calls his sound hick-hop. That`s h-i-c-k-hop. It`s rap mixed with country music. Big & Rich helped him get his break. He rapped on their debut single, "Rollin`," and performed with them at the Country Music Awards. Now, Cowboy Troy is out with his own album. It is called "Loco Motive."

Troy Coleman, joining us live. Now, Troy...

TROY COLEMAN, "COWBOY TROY": Yes.

BRYANT: ... break this down for me. You`re 6`6``?

COLEMAN: Six-four-and-a-half, 6`5". It depends on if I got fluffy socks on.

BRYANT: OK. You`re black.

COLEMAN: Yes.

BRYANT: Wanted to let you know that.

COLEMAN: Yes, thanks. Appreciate that.

BRYANT: Sure.

COLEMAN: Well, it`s not coming off anytime soon.

BRYANT: That`s right. And you speak a lot of languages. You`re a well-studied, well-rounded guy, and you`re doing country music.

COLEMAN: Yes.

BRYANT: How did this come about?

COLEMAN: Growing up in Texas, listening to country music ever since I was a little kid. You know, it was one of those things where I really enjoyed listening to the music. You know, and as a kid, we didn`t know that it was called country music. We just knew that`s what mom and dad listened to when they were getting dressed for work in the mornings. So the older I got, I started getting into rock and rap a little more, and I figured, well, why not make some music that I like and my friends like, and just combine all three? And we have hick-hop today.

BRYANT: So tell me about the first time you got up and rapped over a country tune.

COLEMAN: Wow. A lot of question marks in people`s heads, you know, and first they were like, what are we seeing, number one? Is the guy really black? Is he really wearing a cowboy hat and wearing a big belt buckle and all that? And then, you know, as the song progressed, everybody was a little bit more relieved that they actually enjoyed the music, and everything was cool.

BRYANT: Now, I have to imagine that there would be a certain element that would be racist in country music. It perhaps is a stereotype, but you know, you kind of imagine that country music is guys with big belt buckles -- which you have -- looking good, by the way.

COLEMAN: Yeah, thanks.

BRYANT: But it just doesn`t seem that welcoming to African-American artists.

COLEMAN: Well, you know, the way I look at it is, you know, if you make the music and you enjoy it, sooner or later people will start coming along with it. You know, everybody that I`ve seen at shows and, you know, that have come up me, everybody`s been very welcoming to me and been very friendly. So I haven`t seen anything like that, you know, face-to-face now. Other than that, you know, I can`t speak for it.

BRYANT: Well, because I can imagine too, when the record first went out to radio, you know, I used to program a radio station. I know we would get things every now and then and be like, OK, I am going to throw this on the air and see what happens. Any -- any -- like, you know, initial feedback, just people thinking, what is this? Or who is this, or?

COLEMAN: For the most part, people are either really on board with it, or they`re maybe not so much. But after I while, you know, you know that there is at least some sort of discussion that`s happening about the music, and I think that`s what really helps a lot, is just the fact that people get to listen to it and decide for themselves whether or not they want to hear it or not.

BRYANT: So are you happier then if your music is played on, you know, BET or on CMT?

COLEMAN: Well, I`m a country boy. So if it`s played on CMT, I`m very much happy with the folks at CMT.

BRYANT: All right, that`s good then. They`ve been playing it, too, in fact.

COLEMAN: Yes, they have, and I thank them.

BRYANT: So now, you do speak five languages, is that correct?

COLEMAN: Yeah, English and Spanish fluently, and I kind of dabble in a couple of other languages. A little bit of Mandarin Chinese, just, you know, kind of as a -- as a -- you know, (INAUDIBLE) pastime, you know, I had free time, and I decided to take a seven-week course at one point, you know, and so...

BRYANT: So if you weren`t rapping and doing country music, what would you be doing instead?

COLEMAN: Probably would be an economist. I went to graduate school at one point, and stopped 12 hours shy of getting a masters of science in economics. But you know, hey.

BRYANT: All right. Well, at least you`ll know what to do with all those -- all the money you`re making from selling the record.

COLEMAN: Pay off my old debts, yes.

BRYANT: There you go. All right, Troy Coleman, Cowboy Troy, thanks for joining us.

COLEMAN: Thank you.

HAMMER: Time now to get your laugh on in "Laugh After Dark." As we do every night, we bring you those late-night laughs you might have missed.

Well, "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno was a repeat for the Memorial Day, but we see why it ran twice. Take a look at what happened when "Revenge of the Sith" star Ewan McGregor dueled with his former "Robots" co-star, Jay Leno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Now, look. You know something? You know something? You are so immature.

(LAUGHTER)

LENO: You got here early and hit that squirt there.

EWAN MCGREGOR, ACTOR: I know, I did. I did. I`m really...

(CROSSTALK

LENO: Fortunately, I am more immature than you are, so.

MCGREGOR: Are you talking to me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Cup of water always trumps the water game. Tonight on "The Tonight Show," "Crash" star Sandra Bullock and music from Amy Mann.

BRYANT: There`s still time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Deep Throat revealed. Should he have kept the secret?

HAMMER: You can vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight, or write us what you have to say at CNN.com. That`s showbiztonight@CNN.com. Some of your thoughts and e-mails coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Deep Throat revealed, should he have kept a secret?

Let`s take a look at how the vote`s been going so far. Thirty-two percent of you say yes, W. Mark Felt should have kept the secret. So 68 percent of you say no, he should not have. And we`ve gotten this e-mail on the subject as well.

Michael from California wrote in to say -- "Mr. Felt should have revealed his secret yesterday. If anyone deserved to be honored on Memorial Day, it`s him."

Remember, you can continue to vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight.

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

HAMMER: To do that, we take a look at the "SHOWBIZ Marquee" with the Marquee Guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow, tech support, without keeping you on hold. Everything you always wanted to know about DVD gadgets but were afraid to ask. Players, recorders, high-def TV. Our "DVD Deal" series continues, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALL & OATES (singing): I`m watching you...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we`re watching you, Hall and Oates. It`s a "SHOWBIZ Flashback." You know the songs. "Man Eater," "Sarah Smile," "Rich Girl," "Don`t Be Shy." Sing along with Hall & Oates live tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

This is the Marquee Guy. Got to go. I`m off to a Hall & Oates karaoke night. You don`t want to know.

HAMMER: You`re right, we don`t want to know.

BRYANT: I don`t want to know, but I want to meet him there.

HAMMER: Yes. And happy birthday to the Marquee Guy.

BRYANT: All right, Marquee Guy.

HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN HEADLINE NEWS.

END