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Showbiz Tonight
Showbiz Tonight for June 16, 2005, CNNHN
Aired June 16, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Can Batman save the box office?
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: And funny time with Robert Klein. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): Tonight, runaway cash. The runaway bride, Deep Throat selling their stories. Even Tom Hanks is involved. But should they be turning their ordeals into deals?
HAMMER: Also...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I love Paris in the summer.
HAMMER: More Paris porn? Some think Hilton is too hot for TV, but others are saying, "Come on, where`s the beef?" A "Showbiz Showdown" that won`t leave you hungry.
BRYANT: And power play. It`s the "Forbes Celebrity 100," and we just got the list. Who`s got the money and the muscle? Your first look at the super-rich movers and shakers, at the top.
BARRY MANILOW, MUSICIAN: I`m Barry Manilow, and if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, and you`re at the top of the show.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. You`re watching TV`s only live nightly entertainment news program.
HAMMER: So, will Tom Hanks become Deep Throat?
BRYANT: Tonight, we`re learning that the story of the man formerly known as Deep Throat may be seen on the big screen and may also become a really big book.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is live here with the latest.
What`s up, David?
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of activity going on behind the scenes.
Yes, two weeks ago, when Mark Felt revealed himself as Deep Throat, the mysterious source whose information about the Watergate investigation helped to end Richard Nixon`s presidency, everybody assumed a movie deal or a book deal was imminent. They were right. Both were announced today, and one of them involves a major movie star.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): One thing you can say about Mark Felt, he is a man of his word. Just two weeks ago, soon after Felt revealed that he was Deep Throat he told NBC cameras what he planned to do.
MARK FELT, DEEP THROAT: I`ll write a book or something and try to get all the money I can.
HAFFENREFFER: And the 91-year-old has done just that. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has found out from Universal Pictures that the studio and Tom Hanks` production company have bought the movie rights to Felt`s story. We don`t know if Hanks plans to play the former FBI agent, but he has played one before in the Steven Spielberg flick, "Catch Me if You Can."
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: FBI.
HAFFENREFFER: As for the book it will be co-written by the Felt family friend who wrote the "Vanity Fair" article where Deep Throat revealed his true identity. It will be published by New York based publisher, Public Affairs.
It just so happens that we talked to Public Affairs chief executive Peter Osnos two weeks ago when the Deep Throat story first broke. He told us at the time that he had some real doubts about a potential Felt book.
PETER OSNOS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS BOOKS: The great issue here is that Mark Felt, I gather, is very, very old and very, very, very in his failing, to put it kindly. And so the question is whether he can contribute to the book.
HAFFENREFFER: What a difference two weeks makes. Osnos sang a different tune today, now that Felt has signed on the dotted line.
OSNOS: I am now satisfied that the material is there. But the truth of the matter is, he has conveyed everything he needs to, to the right people and the right time about what happened. There`s a book there that is going to be absolutely fascinating to all readers.
HAFFENREFFER: A fascinating story is definitely what the man formerly known as Deep Throat has.
Not only was he the biggest mystery in the biggest political scandal of the last century, he was a star G-man during the FBI`s glory days during the J. Edgar Hoover era. He investigated the mafia and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and those stories will be in the book, as well.
But despite all that, it`s Watergate and all those unanswered questions about Felt that will probably fuel interest in a Mark Felt book or movie.
GLEN HARTLEY, LITERARY AGENT: Did he feel it was so crucial to our national interest that he just had to break what would seemingly be FBI protocol to go and snitch on the president? How he did learn about the events of Watergate to begin with?
HAFFENREFFER: And the answer is coming soon to a bookstore and maybe a movie theater near you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: And you know there is one more unanswered question. How much is Mark Felt getting paid for his new book and movie deals? The answer is we don`t actually know right now. No one is talking. But his new publisher is not known for giving out huge advances, so it may be a good bet that the new deals have not made Felt a multimillionaire -- Karyn.
BRYANT: Thank you very much, David Haffenreffer.
Well, from Deep Throat to deep pockets. Remember the runaway bride that split town before her wedding? Well, tonight, there`s word Jennifer Wilbanks has sold the rights to her story, for $500,000.
The "Washington Post" reports Regan Media wrote the check, acquiring all media rights to the, quote, "life stories" of Wilbanks and her fiance, John Mason. The paper says the package also included the first TV interview with the couple, one that went to NBC`s Katie Couric.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": I`ve never seen somebody buy the rights to a life story that specifically included a news interview, for the simple reason that with the exception of supermarket tabloids, news organizations don`t pay for interviews.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went to get some answers. NBC tells us it, quote, "has not, does not and never will pay for an interview," end quote. When we asked Regan Media, they backed up NBC, saying the peacock network didn`t pay them to get the Couric interview. Regan also had no comment on the $500,000 they reportedly paid Wilbanks for her story.
Well, it has got people talking, and now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: The runaway bride, should she be paid for her story? 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: There were some scary moments today for former first lady Nancy Reagan. Well, tonight, she is resting comfortably after being rushed to the hospital in London.
BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s on this story from the other side of the world. CNN`s Robyn Curnow is in London for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the very latest -- Robyn.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, A.J. and Karyn. Well, here`s what we know so far.
The former first lady, Nancy Reagan, is vacationing in London at the moment, and we know that she slipped in her hotel room. She was rushed to hospital, treated by doctors.
However, they say, nothing to be concerned about. She apparently is just feeling sore and might have some difficulty walking in the next few weeks. And at the moment we know that she`s resting back in her hotel room.
However, doctors have told her to perhaps lighten up her schedule over the next few weeks, but the former first lady, it seems, is not going to be listening to them. We do know that she fulfilled a few meetings that were in her diary today, both with the former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and also with Prince Charles and his new wife, formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall.
So that`s the latest from London. Back to you.
HAMMER: Thanks very much, Robyn. CNN`s Robyn Curnow in London for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BRYANT: One of the biggest blockbusters to hit Hollywood has been kept under wraps, literally, for years. Until today, that is.
Almost 30 years after his coming out party in America, the boy king is back. And King Tut`s taking Tinseltown by storm.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson is live from Hollywood, where mummy`s the word. But before we get to that, Brooke, we hear you had a bit of an earthquake scare today?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a bit, Karyn. Yes, King Tut shaking up the art world. We were literally getting shaken up here in L.A. for about five, 10 seconds, due to the earthquake here today. It felt much longer than five or 10 seconds, of course. The ceiling shook; the floor shook.
Initially the magnitude was reported as a 5.3. But it`s been downgraded now to a 4.9. The epicenter about 70 miles east of here in Caifa (ph). Luckily, no damage or injuries have been reported.
Moving now to the king of bling. A new exhibit featuring King Tut opened today in Los Angeles nearly 30 years after the boy king created Tut mania with its first U.S. museum tour.
And many people are excited about Tut 2. More than 200,000 advanced tickets were sold for this exhibit. Tonight we take you inside the pharaoh phenomenon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE MARTIN, MUSICIAN: Buried with a donkey.
ANDERSON (voice-over): You know you`ve made it big when they spoof you on "Saturday Night Live".
PATRICK POLK, UCLA FOLKLORIST: You can just say those three letters, Tut, and most of American knows who you`re talking about.
ANDERSON: Almost 30 years ago, The Treasures of Tutankhamen, a 55 piece exhibit, took the U.S. by storm. Tut mania seemed to spark interest in all things Egyptian, including movies and music.
THE BANGLES, MUSICIANS (singing): Walk like an Egyptian.
POLK: I think people are really enamored with just the mystique of the boy king, of this great archaeological discovery and then add on to the story, the notion of a curse.
Lots of things come together to make Tut a perfect kind of story for American popular culture and media.
ANDERSON: Tut became the pharaoh of Egypt at age 9 or 10 and died at 19. Scientists originally believed he`d been murdered. But new research shows it was more likely an injury that killed the young king of Egypt.
In 1922, his tomb was discovered relatively in tact. It may not be his life as much as his death that intrigues people the most.
POLK: It`s a whole new way of looking about how you approach a death. That these -- the pyramids, these fantastic tombs are really such an alien kind of sense of marking one`s presence, of marking`s one passage from life to death.
ANDERSON: Tut 2, the boy king`s latest incarnation, a four-city U.S. tour, kicks off in Los Angeles. This exhibit has 50 Tut related artifacts, but not some of the burial coffins and masks that traveled in the original tour.
NANCY THOMAS, L.A. COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART: It is great to have an exhibition where you have very high attendance, a lot of public interest and you expand the boundaries of the museum beyond your normal audience.
ANDERSON: The L.A. Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the show will bring in about $150 million to the city. Even small businesses like web retailer Delta Collections, which deals in Egyptian replicas, has seen sales rise 20 percent to 25 percent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The exhibit runs through mid-November here in Los Angeles. It will then travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Chicago and Philadelphia over the next two years. Karyn, ticket prices range from about $25 to $30.
BRYANT: All right. My mom is a huge Tut fan. I might have to get her a ticket. Thanks for that story, Brooke.
ANDERSON: It`s very fascinating.
BRYANT: Well, back in his day, King Tut probably would have made the "Forbes Celebrity 100 List." It just came out a few minutes ago, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has it first.
HAMMER: Also ahead, Paris Hilton is an "it" girl. But her new fast food ad is giving some a stomachache. Is her new ad too racy for prime time? Our hot debate in tonight`s "Showbiz Showdown."
BRYANT: And the former "Dark Angel" has a lot to say about devilish roles she`s getting. We`ve got the first look at Jessica Alba`s revealing interview.
HAMMER: Now tonight`s "Entertainment Tonight Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On which TV series has Reese Witherspoon not made a guest appearance? "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Friends" or "King of the Hill"? We`re coming straight back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back. So, again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On which TV series has Reese Witherspoon not made a guest appearance? "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Friends" or "King of the Hill"? Well, Reese has never spent any time hanging out with Kenny, Kyle and Cartman. So the answer, B, "South Park."
BRYANT: Tonight, Nicole Kidman is speaking out against the paparazzi, and she says it`s all about the golden rule. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was at the premiere of the movie "Bewitched" in New York on Monday when Kidman doubled back to take on a photographer after he reportedly booed her.
Today on "Live with Regis and Kelly," Kidman said her philosophy on run-ins with the paparazzi is really pretty simple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE KIDMAN, ACTRESS: I actually think if you treat people decently, they will do the same. There`s a small exception to that rule, but honestly, if you just say, "Please don`t yell too loud. Don`t swear at me." If you have some sort of criteria or -- and sometimes, I`ve been known to say, "You`re being rude." And I mean, you know, sometimes you just have to be that, I suppose, straight about it.
And -- and I would never -- I never sort of lose my temper or swear or do anything. I always try to maintain my cool.
REGIS PHILBIN, CO-HOST, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": Sure.
KIDMAN: So that you`ll receive the same treatment. And if you don`t, then it`s their problem.
PHILBIN: That`s right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: The paparazzi is something we`ll be talking about all next week. Tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for our special series, "Inside the Paparazzi: The Stories You Didn`t Know."
HAMMER: Tonight in our "Showbiz Showdown," Paris Hilton. She`s hot, all right. Some say just too hot for TV. Her steamy Carl`s Jr. hamburger commercial created controversy when it began airing on the West Coast. And now it`s hitting the airwaves for the very first time in the heartland, the Midwest and Southeast.
So joining us live from Washington, D.C., for the showdown, Melissa Caldwell. She`s director of research and publications for the Parents Television Council, which has been slamming the ad. Also, live from Chicago, Nancy Skinner. She`s the talk show host for WDTW in Detroit, who says there is nothing wrong with the commercial being on TV.
Now, you should know that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT did ask Carl`s Jr. to join us, too, tonight, but they declined.
So before we get into the "Showbiz Showdown," let`s take a look at the ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles. I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles. I love Paris every moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, Melissa, let`s start with you. We just played the ad. Give us your reaction.
MELISSA CALDWELL, PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL: Well, I stand by what I said in the beginning, which is that this commercial is basically soft core porn. It`s not sexiness; it`s pure eroticism.
HAMMER: Nancy, your response to that?
NANCY SKINNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Don`t we all wash our cars in bikinis?
No, you know what? Here`s the thing: whatever it is, it is. And what I guess bothers me the most is when a group, with all due respect, like the Parents Television Council, unelected, self-anointed, gets on and -- and tries to censor these things. We -- most Americans fear the censors more than the censored material, frankly.
CALDWELL: You know, but it`s not just us speaking out as an organization. Twenty, 30 people complaining about an ad, who cares? But we`re talking about tens of thousands of people who are upset and offended by this ad and think that it doesn`t belong on TV, especially during hours when children are watching television. And I don`t think that`s unreasonable. And I think they`re right to be concerned.
SKINNER: But you know...
HAMMER: Go ahead.
SKINNER: You say that those 10,000 people, during the Super Bowl there was an increase in complaints -- there were, but 95 percent of them were generated by the Parents Television Council.
CALDWELL: Well, actually that`s...
SKINNER: Your organization is causing so much ruckus out there. So you guys are getting your e-mail...
CALDWELL: It is not that 95 percent are being generated by the Parents Television Council. In fact, increasingly, people are becoming frustrated and feeling voiceless and powerless to control or stop the kind of raunch coming into their homes. And what we`ve done is we`ve tried to facilitate the process of filing complaints with the FCC.
HAMMER: OK, well, let`s -- let`s...
CALDWELL: But that`s not really what we`re here to talk about.
HAMMER: Yes, let`s talk about the ad for a moment. And let me read a bit from the statement that Carl`s Jr. restaurant has -- has issued about this ad, which has the created quite a bit of a stir.
They say that "the ad features an attractive celebrity actress-model in a one-piece bathing suit washing a car while eating a burger. It`s certainly racy, but not pornographic. This is just a fast food ad, not a cultural statement."
Makes sense to me, Melissa.
CALDWELL: What, that this is a hamburger ad? I mean, you see her eating a hamburger for all of maybe two seconds out of this entire commercial spot. And if you didn`t see that spot, you would probably assume she was selling a soft core porn video. I mean, this is not about selling hamburgers. This is about pushing the envelope and trying to be as controversial and racy as they can be.
HAMMER: Go ahead, Nancy.
SKINNER: I wonder if the Parents Television Council were around in the day of Marilyn Monroe, could she have walked all over that grate and saw her skirt blown up, or would we have 20,000 people complaining from the Parents Television Council.
CALDWELL: Paris is vastly different from Marilyn Monroe.
SKINNER: How? How?
CALDWELL: You know, the major difference is that if you wanted to see Marilyn Monroe in the "Seven Year Itch" or any other movie, you had to pay the price of admission to get into a movie theater to see it.
This is a commercial that`s running during primetime hours. It pops up unexpectedly. It`s not like tuning in to watch an episode of "Desperate Housewives." You can`t predict when it`s going to air.
HAMMER: But Melissa, let`s just do this. Let me ask you this. There are women in bathing suits on TV in primetime all the time. How is this different from "Baywatch?"
CALDWELL: Not writhing on the car, the way she is...
HAMMER: How about "Baywatch"?
CALDWELL: If you can`t see the difference. I mean, the way she`s holding the hose, the way she`s soaking herself with the sponge, everything about it is supposed to be suggestive. And the advertising agency and the people that are behind this ad have admitted as much. They know what they`re trying to do with it.
SKINNER: Then here`s your opportunity to tell your kids and teach them one on one. It`s personal responsibility. We live in a big world, and here is what you`re going to have to confront out there.
CALDWELL: But shouldn`t -- shouldn`t parents have the option of choosing when their child is old enough...
SKINNER: Instead of having you impose your view on everybody else.
HAMMER: OK. OK.
SKINNER: They do. Then turn of the TV.
CALDWELL: ... and grown enough to handle these...
HAMMER: We`re going to have to end it -- end it there, ladies. Thank you very much, both of you, Melissa Caldwell and Nancy Skinner, for joining us for the "Showbiz Showdown" tonight.
BRYANT: Well, tonight, actress Jessica Alba says she wants to be seen as more than just a sex symbol. But new pictures of her in "Rolling Stone" magazine may not do much to change any casting director`s mind.
We`re the first entertainment news program to show you these pictures.
The former "Dark Angel" star tells "Rolling Stone," quote, "The scripts I get are always for the whore or the motorcycle chick in leather or the horny maid." Also says she hopes to transition into someone like Diane Keaton or Goldie Hawn, women she admires for their kookiness in many of their roles.
"Rolling Stone," with Jessica Alba on the cover, comes out tomorrow.
HAMMER: So why did Kate Hudson really have to stay on her toes while growing up? We`re going to tell you in "Thursday InStyle." That`s coming up.
BRYANT: Plus, why Michael Caine had no clue what he was getting into when he read the "Batman Begins" script. That`s literally! Caine`s revelations to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are still to come.
HAMMER: Also, he is easily one of the funniest guys around. And we`ll also hear from Robert Klein, a stand-up guy who`s also saved lives. Robert Klein`s going to join us live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Time now for "Thursday InStyle." Tonight, on the cover with Kate Hudson. Her fashion, her family and her love life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: "InStyle" chose Kate Hudson for our July cove, because she`s one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood. She`s got a really amazing personal life, and, you know, she`s Hollywood royalty. Her mom is Goldie Hawn. What could be better than that?
Most people think that, given the fact that she`s married to a rock star, Chris Robinson, that he`s the sort of musical one in the family. When, in fact, Kate surprised our crew at her cover shoot by belting out a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace."
Kate Hudson has worked with a fabulous celebrity hairstylist, David Babai, for years. And it`s really interesting. He created those sort of voluminous, really bouncy curls with three different sizes of cheap curling irons.
I don`t know if a lot of people know this, but Kate Hudson actually grew up training as a ballerina. So, fittingly, we put her in all of these really sort of buoyant, amazing, wonderful ballerina-like ensembles, including this Jean Baptiste Valle dress. And it`s just got these layers and layers of exploding tulle, and her beautiful fish-netted stockings are sticking out of it. It`s really quite beautiful.
Kate also models this really unusual sort of modern and exciting outfit by Gianfranco Ferre. It starts out with this very sophisticated and ladylike collar attached to a button-down blouse, and then on the bottom, fittingly, you know, because she grew up studying ballet, it`s this exploding tutu of a skirt.
She`s really cute and refreshingly honest about her love life with Chris Robinson. She says that it`s a natural instinct for parents, when they have kids, to sort of let the idea of their child envelope their whole world. But she and Chris really do still find time for romance, whether it`s early in the morning or even if they go so far as to rent a hotel room to find some time for themselves. Interestingly, she says they always look for hotel rooms with big baths, whatever that means.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: For more about cover girl Kate Hudson, pick up a copy of July`s "InStyle" magazine. It`s on newsstands tomorrow.
HAMMER: Michael Jackson`s legal problems are all over, or are they? Why he might find himself back in court.
BRYANT: Also, something`s really bugging Pam Anderson fans. We`ll tell you what it is. That`s still to come.
HAMMER: And the list of the rich and famous. The "Forbes Celebrity 100" is hot off the presses. We here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT have your first look, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi there, friends. I`m Christi Paul. Here is your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
A small earthquake rattled southern California this afternoon. It was the third quake to hit the Golden State since Sunday. The 4.9 quake was centered east of Los Angeles. There have been no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
The jurors in the Michael Jackson trial were temporarily hung up on two alcohol counts. Just three hours before jurors agreed to acquit the pop star of all charges, they told the judge they could not reach a verdict on two misdemeanor counts of providing an alcohol to a minor. Those charges would have carried a sentence of up to six months in jail.
And the European Union`s future has been put on hold. Today, E.U. leaders agreed to extend a deadline for ratifying their ambitious constitution. The treaty would unite all 25 nations under a single constitution, but so far only ten nations have approved it. E.U. leaders have called for a reflection period after the French and Dutch rejected the plan.
I`m Christi Paul. Let`s get back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for you now.
HAMMER: Tonight, Oprah suddenly has something in common with Paris Hilton. We`re going to explain, coming up live.
BRYANT: And comedian Robert Klein has a brand-new line for his resume. It`s author. Robert Klein is here live in the "Showbiz Sitdown."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.J. ABRAMS, DIRECTOR: Hi, I`m J.J. Abrams. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
BRYANT: Nancy Reagan is OK tonight after being treated at a hospital in London after falling in her hotel room. The 83-year-old former first lady is on vacation there. Her spokeswoman says Mrs. Reagan is a little sore but not badly hurt.
HAMMER: Well, we learned today that the man who has been revealed as Deep Throat has sold movie rights to his life story. Universal Pictures and Tom Hanks` production company bought the rights for an undisclosed amount of money. The publishing company, Public Affairs, has bought the book rights. And that book is scheduled to come out early next spring.
Another big deal today for the runaway bride. Regan Media has bought all of the rights to runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks` story and is planning a TV movie. A Georgia prosecutor who handled the case says he`s sort of disgusted by the whole thing.
And that leads us to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Runaway bride: Should she be paid for her story? You can continue to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. If you`ve got more to say, the e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com. And we`ll share some of what you had to say coming up at 54 past the hour.
BRYANT: Who are the richest and most famous celebrities on the planet? Well, "Forbes" magazine has the answer in its upcoming issue featuring its Celebrity 100 list. Tennis star Maria Sharapova is on the cover as the top paid female athlete of the year. She raked in over $18 million in the past 12 months.
Tonight in "The Show`s Biz," we have your first look at who else made the cut. And from "Forbes" magazine, Peter Kafka is here live to take us through it.
Thanks joining us, Peter.
PETER KAFKA, "FORBES" MAGAZINE: Hey, there.
BRYANT: So at number one, really not a huge surprise, Miss Winfrey.
KAFKA: She`s always at the top of our list, never been on top of the list. So that actually is a surprise this year. We sort of take her for granted, but this year she actually is number one.
BRYANT: Right. And we see here that she has earned $225 million in the past 12 months.
KAFKA: Pretty good year for her.
BRYANT: So obviously, it`s not just from the television, it`s from the magazine, it`s from...
KAFKA: You know what? Really, most of it`s from the television. I mean, the magazine doesn`t hurt. The other venues don`t hurt, but it`s really that show that makes her most of her money.
BRYANT: OK. I want to also talk about number two, Tiger Woods. He`s doing pretty well this week. $87 million this man took in last year.
KAFKA: Another guy you`re always seeing at the top of the list. His golf hasn`t been that good this year but he gets paid off the course very well, about $87 million.
BRYANT: He`s going to do well this week, though.
KAFKA: He may do well this week. It doesn`t matter. He`s still going to get paid.
BRYANT: That`s right. OK. Moving on. Mel Gibson. Last year, he was way, way up there. He`s still up near the top. He`s at number three with $185 million.
KAFKA: He likes DVDs. So do the moviegoers. They went and saw the movie last year. This year, they bought the DVD.
BRYANT: "The Passion of the Christ"?
KAFKA: Correct.
BRYANT: So this year, the DVD sales not doing too poorly for him.
George Lucas, speaking of selling movies, he`s in at number four this year. And his take, $290 million.
KAFKA: And counting.
BRYANT: Right.
KAFKA: Most of that`s actually from a DVD package he put on sale earlier this year. The new movie, we`re still counting. So he`ll be back on the list yet next year with totals from that.
BRYANT: Do you think he could take over Oprah`s spot next year?
KAFKA: I don`t think so. I think Oprah gets more buzz than George does. But he`s OK with it.
BRYANT: We`ll see. We`ll have you back here in a year.
Steven Spielberg, another filmmaker, he`s in at number six. $80 million last year.
KAFKA: Decent year for him. He makes about $60 million if he never gets out of bed. That`s just royalties, dollars from old movies. Last year, he made "Terminal." It did OK. This year, he`s making "War of the Worlds," probably which is going to do better.
BRYANT: OK. I want to move on to Will Farrell. Now, this guy has never been on your list before, right?
KAFKA: Right, first year.
BRYANT: And he`s in now at number 18, $40 million. Not bad.
KAFKA: It`s very tough to go from "Saturday Night Live" and become a big movie star. There`s only a handful of guys who did it. I don`t think you`d predict that Will Farrell would be one of them, but apparently he is.
BRYANT: Look, he also works a lot. I mean, if you make a decent amount of money for your movies, and you put out four or five movies a year, you`re going to do OK.
KAFKA: You know, you`re acting. How tough -- of course you should be working a lot, if you can.
BRYANT: Right. Right. Why not?
All right. Well, Bette Midler, now, she`s not necessarily in people`s eye line all the time, but she`s on the list at 34. She earns $31 million.
KAFKA: You`re not a Bette Midler fan?
BRYANT: I didn`t say I wasn`t a fan. I like Bette Midler. But you know, you don`t hear about her as much as some of these other people.
KAFKA: That`s right. And that`s why what we`re doing is looking at who is actually paying money to see these people perform. She`s making $100 a ticket, maybe about $31 million. Someone likes her.
BRYANT: Not bad.
And the last one we want to talk about, Dave Chappelle coming in at number 78 with a $12 million take last year.
KAFKA: Big tour himself, actually. Big DVD deal, and will probably be making more, if he actually shows up to work.
(CROSSTALK)
BRYANT: He`s coming back. He`s been doing some shows at stand-up clubs.
KAFKA: I`ve heard about that.
BRYANT: Well, thank you for joining us here, Peter Kafka, from "Forbes" magazine, and "Forbes`" Celebrity 100 issue hits newsstands tomorrow.
HAMMER: Well, the next time you get an e-mail with "Britney Spears" in the subject line, beware. An online security company says that Spears tops the list of celebrities whose names are used to trick people into loading viruses and spy-ware onto their computers. Bill Gates came in at number two, followed by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Osama bin Laden is number five. Michael Jackson, number six. Bill Clinton is at number seven, followed by Anna Kournikova and Paris Hilton. Pamela Anderson is number ten.
Well, tonight, Michael Jackson`s legal troubles may be far from over. He may have been acquitted in his child molestation trial, but he could still face a civil trial. So joining us live from Burbank, California, tonight to help us sort through this, Jane Velez-Mitchell from "Celebrity Justice."
Jane, brake it down for me. Does this mean that the accuser`s mother can actually take Michael Jackson to court and sue him for damages?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Well, you know, the prosecution has been saying from the very beginning, this family is not out for money. They never were. They never will be.
The defense, of course, has been saying from the very beginning that they are out for money, that they went to attorney Larry Feldman, who brokered the famous `93 deal with the `93 accuser for $20 million. And so why would they go to him long before they went to police if they didn`t have a civil suit in mind?
I do think it`s a very real possibility. The district attorney said he spoke to this accuser, this young boy. He was very, very upset about the not guilty verdicts. What better way to channel your anger than to file a civil suit?
HAMMER: For people who may not understand exactly what this is all about, and they`re thinking, "Well, he was just acquitted," explain why is she able to do this? Why is she able to take him to court even though he was acquitted?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the standard of proof for a civil suit is lower. It`s just preponderance of evidence and not guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Now, a lot of the jurors in this case walked out after the verdict and they did say, a number of them, they felt in their gut that something wrong had gone on but they didn`t see evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
So this lower standard of proof may be just what this family needs in order to bring a civil case. I think the big question is when. There is so much talk of Michael Jackson possibly leaving the country, they may have to act very quickly.
HAMMER: It had been alleged back in 1993 when he did settle out of court that the number was somewhere around $20 or $25 million. Any sense of what kind of dollars this family might go after?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, there was another accuser who settled for about $2.5 million. That was the son of the Neverland housekeeper who testified. And then, of course, $20 million with the famous `93 case. I think it could be anywhere in the middle of that.
HAMMER: OK. I want to follow up with one last question on a development from today. The judge of the trial announced that he`ll be releasing sealed evidence from the criminal trial. So can we expect any bombshells when that`s released?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re also seeing some. The papers have started flowing. He is going to unleash a slew of information. We have already seen some questions and notes from the jurors.
And just a couple of hours before they announced that they had a verdict, they were locked in a fierce debate over whether or not to give Michael Jackson -- convict him of the lesser included count of simply furnishing alcohol to a minor, which would have been a misdemeanor, a fine, possibly no jail time, but it would have sent a message. And a lot of people, observers, were quite shocked that they didn`t do that.
HAMMER: All right. Well, the story is not going to die as quickly as some people might have thought. Jane Velez-Mitchell of "Celebrity Justice," thank you very much for joining us tonight.
Holy new beginnings, Batman! It`s a plot to save the box office. And this time, it`s personal. How the stars of "Batman Begins" agreed to try and revive the franchise. That`s coming up.
BRYANT: Plus, Robert Klein looks back in laughter. He`s here to tell us about his new book. He`s live in the "Showbiz Sitdown," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: The "Batman" franchise has returned to the big screen with "Batman Begins," telling the story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. The film is chockfull of stars who were eager to work with director Chris Nolan.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sat down with the stars to get the scoop.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): Moviegoers are flocking into theaters to see what all the fuss is about. And for a summer movie season that has seen a bust in box office ticket sales, movie pundits are looking for "Batman Begins" to be the light in these dark times. They`re banking the season`s rebound on "Batman Begins," complete with an a-list cast and visionary director, Chris Nolan.
CHRISTIAN BALE, ACTOR: I`m using this monster to help other people, just like my father did.
BRYANT: Christian Bale, who plays Bruce Wayne -- and of course, Batman -- told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it was Nolan, the man behind hits "Memento" and "Insomnia," who made him believe a reinvention of the Batman franchise was even possible.
BALE: When I knew that Chris Nolan was involved in it, I knew that he was not going to be doing something that was repetitive. He was going to be reinventing the whole franchise.
BRYANT: And reinventing is just what Nolan had to do. The past "Batman" films fell out of favor with fans, who saw the franchise go from fantastic to fat with star power, minus a good storyline. Nolan`s biggest challenge was convincing the stars that it wasn`t going to be just another rehash.
One of those stars was Gary Oldman, who plays Lieutenant Gordon. He tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that, at first, he thought, "What? Another `Batman` movie?"
GARY OLDMAN, ACTOR: He must obviously see something here that none of us can see anymore. He`s raised the Titanic.
BRYANT: And he raised Caine.
MICHAEL CAINE, ACTOR: For Thomas Wayne, helping others wasn`t about proving anything to anyone.
BRYANT: Actor Michael Caine`s interest, that is. Nolan went over to his house pitching him the role of Wayne`s loyal butler. Only Nolan never told Caine it was for a "Batman" movie.
CAINE: He came over to the house, because he wanted to give me the script, read it, and then he took it away. He was so security conscious about this script, it wasn`t even called "Batman." It was called "The Intimidation Game."
Right the way through the movie, it was called "The Intimidation Game." And he just didn`t want anybody to know anything about it. And when you see the movie you realize why, because it`s a complete surprise.
BRYANT: And surprising to this actor, who has two Oscars on his mantel already, is his awakening of sorts to the perks that come with a franchise.
CAINE: It`s fantastic. You feel like a starlet, sort of like a young starlet with blonde hair and big boobs. I mean, you know, it`s great. I got a three-picture deal. I didn`t even have to sleep with the producer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: Well, "Batman Begins" is now showing in more than 3,700 theaters. It raked in $15 million on its opening night.
HAMMER: It`s time now for a "Showbiz Sitdown" with Robert Klein. Before his role as "Big Al" on the NBC show "Sisters" back in the `90s, before his eight stand-up specials for comedy on HBO, and his classic comedy album, "Child of the Fifties," comedian Robert Klein was just a kid coming of age in New York.
Now, Klein`s written a hilarious memoir all about -- or is it "an hilarious" memoir? I`m not sure. It`s all about his early days called "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue." Robert Klein joins us now, live in New York where it all started.
It`s good to meet you, Robert.
ROBERT KLEIN, COMEDIAN: Where it all started.
HAMMER: Thanks for being with us.
(CROSSTALK)
KLEIN: Yes. It begins when I`m eight and ends when I`m 25, this book.
HAMMER: You`ve had this very rich life as an actor, as a comedian, as a writer. Is there like a rule that at some point you`re just supposed to write a book?
KLEIN: That`s right. Everyone has to write a book. I didn`t want to until I had a good book inside me. Mark Conference (ph) with Simon and Schuster had been after me for a while to write a book. And they were very patient. But I think they got a good book. There are no pop-ups. It`s a real book, you know?
HAMMER: There`s some great old black-and-white pictures of you and some of the people that have been around you in your life.
KLEIN: There`s a wonderful -- Rodney Dangerfield, who was my stand-up mentor. He was like my Yale Drama school of comedy. There is an incident in the book, that`s where I saved his life, which is a true story. We were in Cape Cod together. He wasn`t well-known yet. He was working a hotel.
Forty knot winds outside. He goes, "I`ll tell you, man. Let`s take out a sailboat." I said, "What do you know about sailing?" "What`s there to know, it`s the wind, you know?"
So he gives the boat boy $20. "Rodney, this is the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)." "Never mind that, just give me the keys. I`ll know what to do." Well, I`m telling you, you could have water-skied behind this sailboat. This was getting frightening, two Jews on a sailboat, a very bad saga here.
HAMMER: And about how old are you at the time?
KLEIN: I`m 20s. Rodney is in his 40s. And in about ten seconds, we`re 900 yards from shore. He goes, "I`ll tell you. I`m going take a swim." "Rodney!"
He jumps off, and I -- there he is with his son on my shoulders. And, you know, he becomes this speck. I don`t know how to change a sail. So I just push the rudder to one side to make a nice, tight turn. I`m six miles, by the time Rodney -- a speck becomes Rodney Dangerfield.
He estimated he had about six seconds left to live. He was two packs a day of Marlboros. You know what I mean? And when he -- even drowning, he sounded like Rodney Dangerfield drowning. "I`ll tell you..." (GURGLES)
HAMMER: So he was actually going down?
KLEIN: He was going down. He was exhausted. It was 68 degrees in the water. And it was one of those quirks, thank goodness. It happened, but he was -- I learned so much from him. And the early days at The Improv, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, but it`s not a big showbiz, this memoir. It`s really more personal, about when sex was new, and my baseball glove was new, my textbooks. It was an exciting and yet scary time.
HAMMER: And it was not uncommon for kids growing up your age in New York, whether they were in high school or in college or in med school, to go to the Catskills and work as a busboy, which is what you did, and part of the name of your book.
KLEIN: I worked as a busboy. It was very hard work. We were middle- class children. We lived like, you know, like in Dickensian London in 1850. We ate scraps from the day before. I mean, it was a wild life.
But I also was a lifeguard there. It was also where I was exposed to stand-up comedy, these comedians. So everything counted. There is stuff about college, how I got involved in drama. And I think, you know, how I bring a German girl from Munich home to meet my Jewish parents in the Bronx...
HAMMER: How did that go?
KLEIN: Actually in the end, it`s a wonderful story. It`s hilarious, but it`s heart-warming. I said, "We want to make her feel at home, Pop." He goes, "Want me to make her feel at home? I`ll show her pictures of Auschwitz. She`ll feel at home."
HAMMER: Oh, boy.
KLEIN: But she won him over with her graciousness, and there is a lot of good stuff in here. I`m sort of proud of it.
HAMMER: Well, you should be. It`s a terrific read, and it`s a great Father`s Day gift. And it`s really a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for coming by.
KLEIN: Thanks. Thanks so much.
HAMMER: And once again, the book is called "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue." It is in bookstores now -- Karyn?
BRYANT: It`s time to get your laugh on in "Laughter Dark." Every night, we bring you the late-night laughs you may have missed.
Well, runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks was probably relieved to get out of the public eye when the Jackson verdict came along. But as we told you earlier on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, she has put herself back in the spotlight with an upcoming special with Katie Couric.
And alas, here comes the wrath of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": The runaway bride is potentially the most famous new face in the news this year. She will break her silence on Tuesday night when she sits down with Katie Couric on "Dateline NBC." NBC, of course, already promoting the hell out of it. Look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tuesday, the interview everyone is talking about is on NBC. The runaway bride, with the groom she left behind, for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question is a very simple one: Why are your eyes so buggity?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only on NBC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, the times they are a-changing. A Bob Dylan concert, but there are no tickets for sale. We`re going to explain, coming up.
BRYANT: And there`s still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The runaway bride: Should she be paid for her story? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Time now for "The Show`s Biz." The folks who work at Amazon.com are feeling pretty lucky tonight. We learned today that Bob Dylan and Nora Jones will perform at a 10th anniversary concert for an online retailer, and only employees can get into the show. The event is called "A Show of Thanks," and is set for July 16th in Seattle.
But fear not, non-Amazon employee. You will be able to watch online at, where else, Amazon.com.
HAMMER: Well, throughout tonight`s show, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Runaway bride: Should she be paid for her story?
Let`s take a look at how the vote`s going so far. Fifteen percent of you think she should get the money and be paid for the story.
BRYANT: Take the money and run.
HAMMER: And runaway. Eighty-five percent say no, she should not.
A few e-mails on the subject, as well. From Ann (ph) in Canada we heard, "I would hope that, if she made a deal, she would consider donating it. She should not be rewarded for her actions."
And Tom (ph) writes, "Why shouldn`t she be paid? After all, it is her story. Everyone else gets compensation. And she is no different."
Remember, still time to vote. Simply go to the Web, cnn.com/showbiztonight is the address.
BRYANT: It is time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
HAMMER: The SHOWBIZ Marquee Guy. I think he`s going away for a few days, though, so enjoy this.
Take it away, Marquee Guy.
MARQUEE GUY: She`s one of the most famous, most beautiful, most intriguing women in the world. And we have an in-depth look into her life. The side of Angelina Jolie you haven`t seen, 100 percent guaranteed or your money back, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, you can call him Al. He has a real Roker-face. And just in time for Father`s Day, he wrote the book on fatherhood. "The Today Show`s" Al Roker, in our neck of the woods, not today, but tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
This is the Marquee Guy, but you can call me dad.
HAMMER: Marquee Guy, when is all of that happening, one more time?
MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow!
HAMMER: I thought so. Al Roker is reportedly as nice a guy as you would think he is.
BRYANT: Well, we will soon find out.
HAMMER: Looking forward to it. If not, you know, we`ll let him know about it.
That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I`m Christi Paul. Let`s get you right into your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
Another earthquake has rattled the West coast. A 4.9 quake was centered near San Bernardino and was felt throughout much of southern California. So far, there are no reports of injuries or damage. Today`s trembler was the third significant quake to hit California since Sunday.
And a federal grand jury in California has indicted a Muslim father and son for allegedly lying to the FBI. The Justice Department says the two lied about the son`s attendance at a Pakistani terrorist training camp. Both are U.S. citizens. If convicted, they face a maximum eight years in prison on each of three charges.
And funeral arrangements are being made for the little boy who died on a Disney World ride. Four-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye died Monday after riding Mission: Space. The family will hold a funeral Saturday in its hometown of Sellersville, Pennsylvania. There were no signs of trauma on the boy, and it could take up to a month for autopsy results.
That`s the news.
END
Aired June 16, 2005 - 19:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Can Batman save the box office?
KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: And funny time with Robert Klein. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): Tonight, runaway cash. The runaway bride, Deep Throat selling their stories. Even Tom Hanks is involved. But should they be turning their ordeals into deals?
HAMMER: Also...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I love Paris in the summer.
HAMMER: More Paris porn? Some think Hilton is too hot for TV, but others are saying, "Come on, where`s the beef?" A "Showbiz Showdown" that won`t leave you hungry.
BRYANT: And power play. It`s the "Forbes Celebrity 100," and we just got the list. Who`s got the money and the muscle? Your first look at the super-rich movers and shakers, at the top.
BARRY MANILOW, MUSICIAN: I`m Barry Manilow, and if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, and you`re at the top of the show.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. You`re watching TV`s only live nightly entertainment news program.
HAMMER: So, will Tom Hanks become Deep Throat?
BRYANT: Tonight, we`re learning that the story of the man formerly known as Deep Throat may be seen on the big screen and may also become a really big book.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is live here with the latest.
What`s up, David?
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of activity going on behind the scenes.
Yes, two weeks ago, when Mark Felt revealed himself as Deep Throat, the mysterious source whose information about the Watergate investigation helped to end Richard Nixon`s presidency, everybody assumed a movie deal or a book deal was imminent. They were right. Both were announced today, and one of them involves a major movie star.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): One thing you can say about Mark Felt, he is a man of his word. Just two weeks ago, soon after Felt revealed that he was Deep Throat he told NBC cameras what he planned to do.
MARK FELT, DEEP THROAT: I`ll write a book or something and try to get all the money I can.
HAFFENREFFER: And the 91-year-old has done just that. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has found out from Universal Pictures that the studio and Tom Hanks` production company have bought the movie rights to Felt`s story. We don`t know if Hanks plans to play the former FBI agent, but he has played one before in the Steven Spielberg flick, "Catch Me if You Can."
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: FBI.
HAFFENREFFER: As for the book it will be co-written by the Felt family friend who wrote the "Vanity Fair" article where Deep Throat revealed his true identity. It will be published by New York based publisher, Public Affairs.
It just so happens that we talked to Public Affairs chief executive Peter Osnos two weeks ago when the Deep Throat story first broke. He told us at the time that he had some real doubts about a potential Felt book.
PETER OSNOS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS BOOKS: The great issue here is that Mark Felt, I gather, is very, very old and very, very, very in his failing, to put it kindly. And so the question is whether he can contribute to the book.
HAFFENREFFER: What a difference two weeks makes. Osnos sang a different tune today, now that Felt has signed on the dotted line.
OSNOS: I am now satisfied that the material is there. But the truth of the matter is, he has conveyed everything he needs to, to the right people and the right time about what happened. There`s a book there that is going to be absolutely fascinating to all readers.
HAFFENREFFER: A fascinating story is definitely what the man formerly known as Deep Throat has.
Not only was he the biggest mystery in the biggest political scandal of the last century, he was a star G-man during the FBI`s glory days during the J. Edgar Hoover era. He investigated the mafia and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and those stories will be in the book, as well.
But despite all that, it`s Watergate and all those unanswered questions about Felt that will probably fuel interest in a Mark Felt book or movie.
GLEN HARTLEY, LITERARY AGENT: Did he feel it was so crucial to our national interest that he just had to break what would seemingly be FBI protocol to go and snitch on the president? How he did learn about the events of Watergate to begin with?
HAFFENREFFER: And the answer is coming soon to a bookstore and maybe a movie theater near you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: And you know there is one more unanswered question. How much is Mark Felt getting paid for his new book and movie deals? The answer is we don`t actually know right now. No one is talking. But his new publisher is not known for giving out huge advances, so it may be a good bet that the new deals have not made Felt a multimillionaire -- Karyn.
BRYANT: Thank you very much, David Haffenreffer.
Well, from Deep Throat to deep pockets. Remember the runaway bride that split town before her wedding? Well, tonight, there`s word Jennifer Wilbanks has sold the rights to her story, for $500,000.
The "Washington Post" reports Regan Media wrote the check, acquiring all media rights to the, quote, "life stories" of Wilbanks and her fiance, John Mason. The paper says the package also included the first TV interview with the couple, one that went to NBC`s Katie Couric.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": I`ve never seen somebody buy the rights to a life story that specifically included a news interview, for the simple reason that with the exception of supermarket tabloids, news organizations don`t pay for interviews.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went to get some answers. NBC tells us it, quote, "has not, does not and never will pay for an interview," end quote. When we asked Regan Media, they backed up NBC, saying the peacock network didn`t pay them to get the Couric interview. Regan also had no comment on the $500,000 they reportedly paid Wilbanks for her story.
Well, it has got people talking, and now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: The runaway bride, should she be paid for her story? 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: There were some scary moments today for former first lady Nancy Reagan. Well, tonight, she is resting comfortably after being rushed to the hospital in London.
BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s on this story from the other side of the world. CNN`s Robyn Curnow is in London for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the very latest -- Robyn.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, A.J. and Karyn. Well, here`s what we know so far.
The former first lady, Nancy Reagan, is vacationing in London at the moment, and we know that she slipped in her hotel room. She was rushed to hospital, treated by doctors.
However, they say, nothing to be concerned about. She apparently is just feeling sore and might have some difficulty walking in the next few weeks. And at the moment we know that she`s resting back in her hotel room.
However, doctors have told her to perhaps lighten up her schedule over the next few weeks, but the former first lady, it seems, is not going to be listening to them. We do know that she fulfilled a few meetings that were in her diary today, both with the former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and also with Prince Charles and his new wife, formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall.
So that`s the latest from London. Back to you.
HAMMER: Thanks very much, Robyn. CNN`s Robyn Curnow in London for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BRYANT: One of the biggest blockbusters to hit Hollywood has been kept under wraps, literally, for years. Until today, that is.
Almost 30 years after his coming out party in America, the boy king is back. And King Tut`s taking Tinseltown by storm.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson is live from Hollywood, where mummy`s the word. But before we get to that, Brooke, we hear you had a bit of an earthquake scare today?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a bit, Karyn. Yes, King Tut shaking up the art world. We were literally getting shaken up here in L.A. for about five, 10 seconds, due to the earthquake here today. It felt much longer than five or 10 seconds, of course. The ceiling shook; the floor shook.
Initially the magnitude was reported as a 5.3. But it`s been downgraded now to a 4.9. The epicenter about 70 miles east of here in Caifa (ph). Luckily, no damage or injuries have been reported.
Moving now to the king of bling. A new exhibit featuring King Tut opened today in Los Angeles nearly 30 years after the boy king created Tut mania with its first U.S. museum tour.
And many people are excited about Tut 2. More than 200,000 advanced tickets were sold for this exhibit. Tonight we take you inside the pharaoh phenomenon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE MARTIN, MUSICIAN: Buried with a donkey.
ANDERSON (voice-over): You know you`ve made it big when they spoof you on "Saturday Night Live".
PATRICK POLK, UCLA FOLKLORIST: You can just say those three letters, Tut, and most of American knows who you`re talking about.
ANDERSON: Almost 30 years ago, The Treasures of Tutankhamen, a 55 piece exhibit, took the U.S. by storm. Tut mania seemed to spark interest in all things Egyptian, including movies and music.
THE BANGLES, MUSICIANS (singing): Walk like an Egyptian.
POLK: I think people are really enamored with just the mystique of the boy king, of this great archaeological discovery and then add on to the story, the notion of a curse.
Lots of things come together to make Tut a perfect kind of story for American popular culture and media.
ANDERSON: Tut became the pharaoh of Egypt at age 9 or 10 and died at 19. Scientists originally believed he`d been murdered. But new research shows it was more likely an injury that killed the young king of Egypt.
In 1922, his tomb was discovered relatively in tact. It may not be his life as much as his death that intrigues people the most.
POLK: It`s a whole new way of looking about how you approach a death. That these -- the pyramids, these fantastic tombs are really such an alien kind of sense of marking one`s presence, of marking`s one passage from life to death.
ANDERSON: Tut 2, the boy king`s latest incarnation, a four-city U.S. tour, kicks off in Los Angeles. This exhibit has 50 Tut related artifacts, but not some of the burial coffins and masks that traveled in the original tour.
NANCY THOMAS, L.A. COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART: It is great to have an exhibition where you have very high attendance, a lot of public interest and you expand the boundaries of the museum beyond your normal audience.
ANDERSON: The L.A. Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the show will bring in about $150 million to the city. Even small businesses like web retailer Delta Collections, which deals in Egyptian replicas, has seen sales rise 20 percent to 25 percent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The exhibit runs through mid-November here in Los Angeles. It will then travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Chicago and Philadelphia over the next two years. Karyn, ticket prices range from about $25 to $30.
BRYANT: All right. My mom is a huge Tut fan. I might have to get her a ticket. Thanks for that story, Brooke.
ANDERSON: It`s very fascinating.
BRYANT: Well, back in his day, King Tut probably would have made the "Forbes Celebrity 100 List." It just came out a few minutes ago, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has it first.
HAMMER: Also ahead, Paris Hilton is an "it" girl. But her new fast food ad is giving some a stomachache. Is her new ad too racy for prime time? Our hot debate in tonight`s "Showbiz Showdown."
BRYANT: And the former "Dark Angel" has a lot to say about devilish roles she`s getting. We`ve got the first look at Jessica Alba`s revealing interview.
HAMMER: Now tonight`s "Entertainment Tonight Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On which TV series has Reese Witherspoon not made a guest appearance? "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Friends" or "King of the Hill"? We`re coming straight back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back. So, again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On which TV series has Reese Witherspoon not made a guest appearance? "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Friends" or "King of the Hill"? Well, Reese has never spent any time hanging out with Kenny, Kyle and Cartman. So the answer, B, "South Park."
BRYANT: Tonight, Nicole Kidman is speaking out against the paparazzi, and she says it`s all about the golden rule. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was at the premiere of the movie "Bewitched" in New York on Monday when Kidman doubled back to take on a photographer after he reportedly booed her.
Today on "Live with Regis and Kelly," Kidman said her philosophy on run-ins with the paparazzi is really pretty simple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE KIDMAN, ACTRESS: I actually think if you treat people decently, they will do the same. There`s a small exception to that rule, but honestly, if you just say, "Please don`t yell too loud. Don`t swear at me." If you have some sort of criteria or -- and sometimes, I`ve been known to say, "You`re being rude." And I mean, you know, sometimes you just have to be that, I suppose, straight about it.
And -- and I would never -- I never sort of lose my temper or swear or do anything. I always try to maintain my cool.
REGIS PHILBIN, CO-HOST, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": Sure.
KIDMAN: So that you`ll receive the same treatment. And if you don`t, then it`s their problem.
PHILBIN: That`s right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: The paparazzi is something we`ll be talking about all next week. Tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for our special series, "Inside the Paparazzi: The Stories You Didn`t Know."
HAMMER: Tonight in our "Showbiz Showdown," Paris Hilton. She`s hot, all right. Some say just too hot for TV. Her steamy Carl`s Jr. hamburger commercial created controversy when it began airing on the West Coast. And now it`s hitting the airwaves for the very first time in the heartland, the Midwest and Southeast.
So joining us live from Washington, D.C., for the showdown, Melissa Caldwell. She`s director of research and publications for the Parents Television Council, which has been slamming the ad. Also, live from Chicago, Nancy Skinner. She`s the talk show host for WDTW in Detroit, who says there is nothing wrong with the commercial being on TV.
Now, you should know that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT did ask Carl`s Jr. to join us, too, tonight, but they declined.
So before we get into the "Showbiz Showdown," let`s take a look at the ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles. I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles. I love Paris every moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, Melissa, let`s start with you. We just played the ad. Give us your reaction.
MELISSA CALDWELL, PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL: Well, I stand by what I said in the beginning, which is that this commercial is basically soft core porn. It`s not sexiness; it`s pure eroticism.
HAMMER: Nancy, your response to that?
NANCY SKINNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Don`t we all wash our cars in bikinis?
No, you know what? Here`s the thing: whatever it is, it is. And what I guess bothers me the most is when a group, with all due respect, like the Parents Television Council, unelected, self-anointed, gets on and -- and tries to censor these things. We -- most Americans fear the censors more than the censored material, frankly.
CALDWELL: You know, but it`s not just us speaking out as an organization. Twenty, 30 people complaining about an ad, who cares? But we`re talking about tens of thousands of people who are upset and offended by this ad and think that it doesn`t belong on TV, especially during hours when children are watching television. And I don`t think that`s unreasonable. And I think they`re right to be concerned.
SKINNER: But you know...
HAMMER: Go ahead.
SKINNER: You say that those 10,000 people, during the Super Bowl there was an increase in complaints -- there were, but 95 percent of them were generated by the Parents Television Council.
CALDWELL: Well, actually that`s...
SKINNER: Your organization is causing so much ruckus out there. So you guys are getting your e-mail...
CALDWELL: It is not that 95 percent are being generated by the Parents Television Council. In fact, increasingly, people are becoming frustrated and feeling voiceless and powerless to control or stop the kind of raunch coming into their homes. And what we`ve done is we`ve tried to facilitate the process of filing complaints with the FCC.
HAMMER: OK, well, let`s -- let`s...
CALDWELL: But that`s not really what we`re here to talk about.
HAMMER: Yes, let`s talk about the ad for a moment. And let me read a bit from the statement that Carl`s Jr. restaurant has -- has issued about this ad, which has the created quite a bit of a stir.
They say that "the ad features an attractive celebrity actress-model in a one-piece bathing suit washing a car while eating a burger. It`s certainly racy, but not pornographic. This is just a fast food ad, not a cultural statement."
Makes sense to me, Melissa.
CALDWELL: What, that this is a hamburger ad? I mean, you see her eating a hamburger for all of maybe two seconds out of this entire commercial spot. And if you didn`t see that spot, you would probably assume she was selling a soft core porn video. I mean, this is not about selling hamburgers. This is about pushing the envelope and trying to be as controversial and racy as they can be.
HAMMER: Go ahead, Nancy.
SKINNER: I wonder if the Parents Television Council were around in the day of Marilyn Monroe, could she have walked all over that grate and saw her skirt blown up, or would we have 20,000 people complaining from the Parents Television Council.
CALDWELL: Paris is vastly different from Marilyn Monroe.
SKINNER: How? How?
CALDWELL: You know, the major difference is that if you wanted to see Marilyn Monroe in the "Seven Year Itch" or any other movie, you had to pay the price of admission to get into a movie theater to see it.
This is a commercial that`s running during primetime hours. It pops up unexpectedly. It`s not like tuning in to watch an episode of "Desperate Housewives." You can`t predict when it`s going to air.
HAMMER: But Melissa, let`s just do this. Let me ask you this. There are women in bathing suits on TV in primetime all the time. How is this different from "Baywatch?"
CALDWELL: Not writhing on the car, the way she is...
HAMMER: How about "Baywatch"?
CALDWELL: If you can`t see the difference. I mean, the way she`s holding the hose, the way she`s soaking herself with the sponge, everything about it is supposed to be suggestive. And the advertising agency and the people that are behind this ad have admitted as much. They know what they`re trying to do with it.
SKINNER: Then here`s your opportunity to tell your kids and teach them one on one. It`s personal responsibility. We live in a big world, and here is what you`re going to have to confront out there.
CALDWELL: But shouldn`t -- shouldn`t parents have the option of choosing when their child is old enough...
SKINNER: Instead of having you impose your view on everybody else.
HAMMER: OK. OK.
SKINNER: They do. Then turn of the TV.
CALDWELL: ... and grown enough to handle these...
HAMMER: We`re going to have to end it -- end it there, ladies. Thank you very much, both of you, Melissa Caldwell and Nancy Skinner, for joining us for the "Showbiz Showdown" tonight.
BRYANT: Well, tonight, actress Jessica Alba says she wants to be seen as more than just a sex symbol. But new pictures of her in "Rolling Stone" magazine may not do much to change any casting director`s mind.
We`re the first entertainment news program to show you these pictures.
The former "Dark Angel" star tells "Rolling Stone," quote, "The scripts I get are always for the whore or the motorcycle chick in leather or the horny maid." Also says she hopes to transition into someone like Diane Keaton or Goldie Hawn, women she admires for their kookiness in many of their roles.
"Rolling Stone," with Jessica Alba on the cover, comes out tomorrow.
HAMMER: So why did Kate Hudson really have to stay on her toes while growing up? We`re going to tell you in "Thursday InStyle." That`s coming up.
BRYANT: Plus, why Michael Caine had no clue what he was getting into when he read the "Batman Begins" script. That`s literally! Caine`s revelations to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are still to come.
HAMMER: Also, he is easily one of the funniest guys around. And we`ll also hear from Robert Klein, a stand-up guy who`s also saved lives. Robert Klein`s going to join us live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Time now for "Thursday InStyle." Tonight, on the cover with Kate Hudson. Her fashion, her family and her love life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: "InStyle" chose Kate Hudson for our July cove, because she`s one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood. She`s got a really amazing personal life, and, you know, she`s Hollywood royalty. Her mom is Goldie Hawn. What could be better than that?
Most people think that, given the fact that she`s married to a rock star, Chris Robinson, that he`s the sort of musical one in the family. When, in fact, Kate surprised our crew at her cover shoot by belting out a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace."
Kate Hudson has worked with a fabulous celebrity hairstylist, David Babai, for years. And it`s really interesting. He created those sort of voluminous, really bouncy curls with three different sizes of cheap curling irons.
I don`t know if a lot of people know this, but Kate Hudson actually grew up training as a ballerina. So, fittingly, we put her in all of these really sort of buoyant, amazing, wonderful ballerina-like ensembles, including this Jean Baptiste Valle dress. And it`s just got these layers and layers of exploding tulle, and her beautiful fish-netted stockings are sticking out of it. It`s really quite beautiful.
Kate also models this really unusual sort of modern and exciting outfit by Gianfranco Ferre. It starts out with this very sophisticated and ladylike collar attached to a button-down blouse, and then on the bottom, fittingly, you know, because she grew up studying ballet, it`s this exploding tutu of a skirt.
She`s really cute and refreshingly honest about her love life with Chris Robinson. She says that it`s a natural instinct for parents, when they have kids, to sort of let the idea of their child envelope their whole world. But she and Chris really do still find time for romance, whether it`s early in the morning or even if they go so far as to rent a hotel room to find some time for themselves. Interestingly, she says they always look for hotel rooms with big baths, whatever that means.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: For more about cover girl Kate Hudson, pick up a copy of July`s "InStyle" magazine. It`s on newsstands tomorrow.
HAMMER: Michael Jackson`s legal problems are all over, or are they? Why he might find himself back in court.
BRYANT: Also, something`s really bugging Pam Anderson fans. We`ll tell you what it is. That`s still to come.
HAMMER: And the list of the rich and famous. The "Forbes Celebrity 100" is hot off the presses. We here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT have your first look, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi there, friends. I`m Christi Paul. Here is your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
A small earthquake rattled southern California this afternoon. It was the third quake to hit the Golden State since Sunday. The 4.9 quake was centered east of Los Angeles. There have been no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
The jurors in the Michael Jackson trial were temporarily hung up on two alcohol counts. Just three hours before jurors agreed to acquit the pop star of all charges, they told the judge they could not reach a verdict on two misdemeanor counts of providing an alcohol to a minor. Those charges would have carried a sentence of up to six months in jail.
And the European Union`s future has been put on hold. Today, E.U. leaders agreed to extend a deadline for ratifying their ambitious constitution. The treaty would unite all 25 nations under a single constitution, but so far only ten nations have approved it. E.U. leaders have called for a reflection period after the French and Dutch rejected the plan.
I`m Christi Paul. Let`s get back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for you now.
HAMMER: Tonight, Oprah suddenly has something in common with Paris Hilton. We`re going to explain, coming up live.
BRYANT: And comedian Robert Klein has a brand-new line for his resume. It`s author. Robert Klein is here live in the "Showbiz Sitdown."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.J. ABRAMS, DIRECTOR: Hi, I`m J.J. Abrams. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
BRYANT: Nancy Reagan is OK tonight after being treated at a hospital in London after falling in her hotel room. The 83-year-old former first lady is on vacation there. Her spokeswoman says Mrs. Reagan is a little sore but not badly hurt.
HAMMER: Well, we learned today that the man who has been revealed as Deep Throat has sold movie rights to his life story. Universal Pictures and Tom Hanks` production company bought the rights for an undisclosed amount of money. The publishing company, Public Affairs, has bought the book rights. And that book is scheduled to come out early next spring.
Another big deal today for the runaway bride. Regan Media has bought all of the rights to runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks` story and is planning a TV movie. A Georgia prosecutor who handled the case says he`s sort of disgusted by the whole thing.
And that leads us to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Runaway bride: Should she be paid for her story? You can continue to vote by going to cnn.com/showbiztonight. If you`ve got more to say, the e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com. And we`ll share some of what you had to say coming up at 54 past the hour.
BRYANT: Who are the richest and most famous celebrities on the planet? Well, "Forbes" magazine has the answer in its upcoming issue featuring its Celebrity 100 list. Tennis star Maria Sharapova is on the cover as the top paid female athlete of the year. She raked in over $18 million in the past 12 months.
Tonight in "The Show`s Biz," we have your first look at who else made the cut. And from "Forbes" magazine, Peter Kafka is here live to take us through it.
Thanks joining us, Peter.
PETER KAFKA, "FORBES" MAGAZINE: Hey, there.
BRYANT: So at number one, really not a huge surprise, Miss Winfrey.
KAFKA: She`s always at the top of our list, never been on top of the list. So that actually is a surprise this year. We sort of take her for granted, but this year she actually is number one.
BRYANT: Right. And we see here that she has earned $225 million in the past 12 months.
KAFKA: Pretty good year for her.
BRYANT: So obviously, it`s not just from the television, it`s from the magazine, it`s from...
KAFKA: You know what? Really, most of it`s from the television. I mean, the magazine doesn`t hurt. The other venues don`t hurt, but it`s really that show that makes her most of her money.
BRYANT: OK. I want to also talk about number two, Tiger Woods. He`s doing pretty well this week. $87 million this man took in last year.
KAFKA: Another guy you`re always seeing at the top of the list. His golf hasn`t been that good this year but he gets paid off the course very well, about $87 million.
BRYANT: He`s going to do well this week, though.
KAFKA: He may do well this week. It doesn`t matter. He`s still going to get paid.
BRYANT: That`s right. OK. Moving on. Mel Gibson. Last year, he was way, way up there. He`s still up near the top. He`s at number three with $185 million.
KAFKA: He likes DVDs. So do the moviegoers. They went and saw the movie last year. This year, they bought the DVD.
BRYANT: "The Passion of the Christ"?
KAFKA: Correct.
BRYANT: So this year, the DVD sales not doing too poorly for him.
George Lucas, speaking of selling movies, he`s in at number four this year. And his take, $290 million.
KAFKA: And counting.
BRYANT: Right.
KAFKA: Most of that`s actually from a DVD package he put on sale earlier this year. The new movie, we`re still counting. So he`ll be back on the list yet next year with totals from that.
BRYANT: Do you think he could take over Oprah`s spot next year?
KAFKA: I don`t think so. I think Oprah gets more buzz than George does. But he`s OK with it.
BRYANT: We`ll see. We`ll have you back here in a year.
Steven Spielberg, another filmmaker, he`s in at number six. $80 million last year.
KAFKA: Decent year for him. He makes about $60 million if he never gets out of bed. That`s just royalties, dollars from old movies. Last year, he made "Terminal." It did OK. This year, he`s making "War of the Worlds," probably which is going to do better.
BRYANT: OK. I want to move on to Will Farrell. Now, this guy has never been on your list before, right?
KAFKA: Right, first year.
BRYANT: And he`s in now at number 18, $40 million. Not bad.
KAFKA: It`s very tough to go from "Saturday Night Live" and become a big movie star. There`s only a handful of guys who did it. I don`t think you`d predict that Will Farrell would be one of them, but apparently he is.
BRYANT: Look, he also works a lot. I mean, if you make a decent amount of money for your movies, and you put out four or five movies a year, you`re going to do OK.
KAFKA: You know, you`re acting. How tough -- of course you should be working a lot, if you can.
BRYANT: Right. Right. Why not?
All right. Well, Bette Midler, now, she`s not necessarily in people`s eye line all the time, but she`s on the list at 34. She earns $31 million.
KAFKA: You`re not a Bette Midler fan?
BRYANT: I didn`t say I wasn`t a fan. I like Bette Midler. But you know, you don`t hear about her as much as some of these other people.
KAFKA: That`s right. And that`s why what we`re doing is looking at who is actually paying money to see these people perform. She`s making $100 a ticket, maybe about $31 million. Someone likes her.
BRYANT: Not bad.
And the last one we want to talk about, Dave Chappelle coming in at number 78 with a $12 million take last year.
KAFKA: Big tour himself, actually. Big DVD deal, and will probably be making more, if he actually shows up to work.
(CROSSTALK)
BRYANT: He`s coming back. He`s been doing some shows at stand-up clubs.
KAFKA: I`ve heard about that.
BRYANT: Well, thank you for joining us here, Peter Kafka, from "Forbes" magazine, and "Forbes`" Celebrity 100 issue hits newsstands tomorrow.
HAMMER: Well, the next time you get an e-mail with "Britney Spears" in the subject line, beware. An online security company says that Spears tops the list of celebrities whose names are used to trick people into loading viruses and spy-ware onto their computers. Bill Gates came in at number two, followed by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Osama bin Laden is number five. Michael Jackson, number six. Bill Clinton is at number seven, followed by Anna Kournikova and Paris Hilton. Pamela Anderson is number ten.
Well, tonight, Michael Jackson`s legal troubles may be far from over. He may have been acquitted in his child molestation trial, but he could still face a civil trial. So joining us live from Burbank, California, tonight to help us sort through this, Jane Velez-Mitchell from "Celebrity Justice."
Jane, brake it down for me. Does this mean that the accuser`s mother can actually take Michael Jackson to court and sue him for damages?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Well, you know, the prosecution has been saying from the very beginning, this family is not out for money. They never were. They never will be.
The defense, of course, has been saying from the very beginning that they are out for money, that they went to attorney Larry Feldman, who brokered the famous `93 deal with the `93 accuser for $20 million. And so why would they go to him long before they went to police if they didn`t have a civil suit in mind?
I do think it`s a very real possibility. The district attorney said he spoke to this accuser, this young boy. He was very, very upset about the not guilty verdicts. What better way to channel your anger than to file a civil suit?
HAMMER: For people who may not understand exactly what this is all about, and they`re thinking, "Well, he was just acquitted," explain why is she able to do this? Why is she able to take him to court even though he was acquitted?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the standard of proof for a civil suit is lower. It`s just preponderance of evidence and not guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Now, a lot of the jurors in this case walked out after the verdict and they did say, a number of them, they felt in their gut that something wrong had gone on but they didn`t see evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
So this lower standard of proof may be just what this family needs in order to bring a civil case. I think the big question is when. There is so much talk of Michael Jackson possibly leaving the country, they may have to act very quickly.
HAMMER: It had been alleged back in 1993 when he did settle out of court that the number was somewhere around $20 or $25 million. Any sense of what kind of dollars this family might go after?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, there was another accuser who settled for about $2.5 million. That was the son of the Neverland housekeeper who testified. And then, of course, $20 million with the famous `93 case. I think it could be anywhere in the middle of that.
HAMMER: OK. I want to follow up with one last question on a development from today. The judge of the trial announced that he`ll be releasing sealed evidence from the criminal trial. So can we expect any bombshells when that`s released?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re also seeing some. The papers have started flowing. He is going to unleash a slew of information. We have already seen some questions and notes from the jurors.
And just a couple of hours before they announced that they had a verdict, they were locked in a fierce debate over whether or not to give Michael Jackson -- convict him of the lesser included count of simply furnishing alcohol to a minor, which would have been a misdemeanor, a fine, possibly no jail time, but it would have sent a message. And a lot of people, observers, were quite shocked that they didn`t do that.
HAMMER: All right. Well, the story is not going to die as quickly as some people might have thought. Jane Velez-Mitchell of "Celebrity Justice," thank you very much for joining us tonight.
Holy new beginnings, Batman! It`s a plot to save the box office. And this time, it`s personal. How the stars of "Batman Begins" agreed to try and revive the franchise. That`s coming up.
BRYANT: Plus, Robert Klein looks back in laughter. He`s here to tell us about his new book. He`s live in the "Showbiz Sitdown," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: The "Batman" franchise has returned to the big screen with "Batman Begins," telling the story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. The film is chockfull of stars who were eager to work with director Chris Nolan.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sat down with the stars to get the scoop.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): Moviegoers are flocking into theaters to see what all the fuss is about. And for a summer movie season that has seen a bust in box office ticket sales, movie pundits are looking for "Batman Begins" to be the light in these dark times. They`re banking the season`s rebound on "Batman Begins," complete with an a-list cast and visionary director, Chris Nolan.
CHRISTIAN BALE, ACTOR: I`m using this monster to help other people, just like my father did.
BRYANT: Christian Bale, who plays Bruce Wayne -- and of course, Batman -- told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, it was Nolan, the man behind hits "Memento" and "Insomnia," who made him believe a reinvention of the Batman franchise was even possible.
BALE: When I knew that Chris Nolan was involved in it, I knew that he was not going to be doing something that was repetitive. He was going to be reinventing the whole franchise.
BRYANT: And reinventing is just what Nolan had to do. The past "Batman" films fell out of favor with fans, who saw the franchise go from fantastic to fat with star power, minus a good storyline. Nolan`s biggest challenge was convincing the stars that it wasn`t going to be just another rehash.
One of those stars was Gary Oldman, who plays Lieutenant Gordon. He tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that, at first, he thought, "What? Another `Batman` movie?"
GARY OLDMAN, ACTOR: He must obviously see something here that none of us can see anymore. He`s raised the Titanic.
BRYANT: And he raised Caine.
MICHAEL CAINE, ACTOR: For Thomas Wayne, helping others wasn`t about proving anything to anyone.
BRYANT: Actor Michael Caine`s interest, that is. Nolan went over to his house pitching him the role of Wayne`s loyal butler. Only Nolan never told Caine it was for a "Batman" movie.
CAINE: He came over to the house, because he wanted to give me the script, read it, and then he took it away. He was so security conscious about this script, it wasn`t even called "Batman." It was called "The Intimidation Game."
Right the way through the movie, it was called "The Intimidation Game." And he just didn`t want anybody to know anything about it. And when you see the movie you realize why, because it`s a complete surprise.
BRYANT: And surprising to this actor, who has two Oscars on his mantel already, is his awakening of sorts to the perks that come with a franchise.
CAINE: It`s fantastic. You feel like a starlet, sort of like a young starlet with blonde hair and big boobs. I mean, you know, it`s great. I got a three-picture deal. I didn`t even have to sleep with the producer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: Well, "Batman Begins" is now showing in more than 3,700 theaters. It raked in $15 million on its opening night.
HAMMER: It`s time now for a "Showbiz Sitdown" with Robert Klein. Before his role as "Big Al" on the NBC show "Sisters" back in the `90s, before his eight stand-up specials for comedy on HBO, and his classic comedy album, "Child of the Fifties," comedian Robert Klein was just a kid coming of age in New York.
Now, Klein`s written a hilarious memoir all about -- or is it "an hilarious" memoir? I`m not sure. It`s all about his early days called "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue." Robert Klein joins us now, live in New York where it all started.
It`s good to meet you, Robert.
ROBERT KLEIN, COMEDIAN: Where it all started.
HAMMER: Thanks for being with us.
(CROSSTALK)
KLEIN: Yes. It begins when I`m eight and ends when I`m 25, this book.
HAMMER: You`ve had this very rich life as an actor, as a comedian, as a writer. Is there like a rule that at some point you`re just supposed to write a book?
KLEIN: That`s right. Everyone has to write a book. I didn`t want to until I had a good book inside me. Mark Conference (ph) with Simon and Schuster had been after me for a while to write a book. And they were very patient. But I think they got a good book. There are no pop-ups. It`s a real book, you know?
HAMMER: There`s some great old black-and-white pictures of you and some of the people that have been around you in your life.
KLEIN: There`s a wonderful -- Rodney Dangerfield, who was my stand-up mentor. He was like my Yale Drama school of comedy. There is an incident in the book, that`s where I saved his life, which is a true story. We were in Cape Cod together. He wasn`t well-known yet. He was working a hotel.
Forty knot winds outside. He goes, "I`ll tell you, man. Let`s take out a sailboat." I said, "What do you know about sailing?" "What`s there to know, it`s the wind, you know?"
So he gives the boat boy $20. "Rodney, this is the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)." "Never mind that, just give me the keys. I`ll know what to do." Well, I`m telling you, you could have water-skied behind this sailboat. This was getting frightening, two Jews on a sailboat, a very bad saga here.
HAMMER: And about how old are you at the time?
KLEIN: I`m 20s. Rodney is in his 40s. And in about ten seconds, we`re 900 yards from shore. He goes, "I`ll tell you. I`m going take a swim." "Rodney!"
He jumps off, and I -- there he is with his son on my shoulders. And, you know, he becomes this speck. I don`t know how to change a sail. So I just push the rudder to one side to make a nice, tight turn. I`m six miles, by the time Rodney -- a speck becomes Rodney Dangerfield.
He estimated he had about six seconds left to live. He was two packs a day of Marlboros. You know what I mean? And when he -- even drowning, he sounded like Rodney Dangerfield drowning. "I`ll tell you..." (GURGLES)
HAMMER: So he was actually going down?
KLEIN: He was going down. He was exhausted. It was 68 degrees in the water. And it was one of those quirks, thank goodness. It happened, but he was -- I learned so much from him. And the early days at The Improv, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, but it`s not a big showbiz, this memoir. It`s really more personal, about when sex was new, and my baseball glove was new, my textbooks. It was an exciting and yet scary time.
HAMMER: And it was not uncommon for kids growing up your age in New York, whether they were in high school or in college or in med school, to go to the Catskills and work as a busboy, which is what you did, and part of the name of your book.
KLEIN: I worked as a busboy. It was very hard work. We were middle- class children. We lived like, you know, like in Dickensian London in 1850. We ate scraps from the day before. I mean, it was a wild life.
But I also was a lifeguard there. It was also where I was exposed to stand-up comedy, these comedians. So everything counted. There is stuff about college, how I got involved in drama. And I think, you know, how I bring a German girl from Munich home to meet my Jewish parents in the Bronx...
HAMMER: How did that go?
KLEIN: Actually in the end, it`s a wonderful story. It`s hilarious, but it`s heart-warming. I said, "We want to make her feel at home, Pop." He goes, "Want me to make her feel at home? I`ll show her pictures of Auschwitz. She`ll feel at home."
HAMMER: Oh, boy.
KLEIN: But she won him over with her graciousness, and there is a lot of good stuff in here. I`m sort of proud of it.
HAMMER: Well, you should be. It`s a terrific read, and it`s a great Father`s Day gift. And it`s really a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for coming by.
KLEIN: Thanks. Thanks so much.
HAMMER: And once again, the book is called "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue." It is in bookstores now -- Karyn?
BRYANT: It`s time to get your laugh on in "Laughter Dark." Every night, we bring you the late-night laughs you may have missed.
Well, runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks was probably relieved to get out of the public eye when the Jackson verdict came along. But as we told you earlier on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, she has put herself back in the spotlight with an upcoming special with Katie Couric.
And alas, here comes the wrath of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": The runaway bride is potentially the most famous new face in the news this year. She will break her silence on Tuesday night when she sits down with Katie Couric on "Dateline NBC." NBC, of course, already promoting the hell out of it. Look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tuesday, the interview everyone is talking about is on NBC. The runaway bride, with the groom she left behind, for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question is a very simple one: Why are your eyes so buggity?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only on NBC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, the times they are a-changing. A Bob Dylan concert, but there are no tickets for sale. We`re going to explain, coming up.
BRYANT: And there`s still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The runaway bride: Should she be paid for her story? You can vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight or write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Time now for "The Show`s Biz." The folks who work at Amazon.com are feeling pretty lucky tonight. We learned today that Bob Dylan and Nora Jones will perform at a 10th anniversary concert for an online retailer, and only employees can get into the show. The event is called "A Show of Thanks," and is set for July 16th in Seattle.
But fear not, non-Amazon employee. You will be able to watch online at, where else, Amazon.com.
HAMMER: Well, throughout tonight`s show, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Runaway bride: Should she be paid for her story?
Let`s take a look at how the vote`s going so far. Fifteen percent of you think she should get the money and be paid for the story.
BRYANT: Take the money and run.
HAMMER: And runaway. Eighty-five percent say no, she should not.
A few e-mails on the subject, as well. From Ann (ph) in Canada we heard, "I would hope that, if she made a deal, she would consider donating it. She should not be rewarded for her actions."
And Tom (ph) writes, "Why shouldn`t she be paid? After all, it is her story. Everyone else gets compensation. And she is no different."
Remember, still time to vote. Simply go to the Web, cnn.com/showbiztonight is the address.
BRYANT: It is time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
HAMMER: The SHOWBIZ Marquee Guy. I think he`s going away for a few days, though, so enjoy this.
Take it away, Marquee Guy.
MARQUEE GUY: She`s one of the most famous, most beautiful, most intriguing women in the world. And we have an in-depth look into her life. The side of Angelina Jolie you haven`t seen, 100 percent guaranteed or your money back, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, you can call him Al. He has a real Roker-face. And just in time for Father`s Day, he wrote the book on fatherhood. "The Today Show`s" Al Roker, in our neck of the woods, not today, but tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
This is the Marquee Guy, but you can call me dad.
HAMMER: Marquee Guy, when is all of that happening, one more time?
MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow!
HAMMER: I thought so. Al Roker is reportedly as nice a guy as you would think he is.
BRYANT: Well, we will soon find out.
HAMMER: Looking forward to it. If not, you know, we`ll let him know about it.
That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I`m Christi Paul. Let`s get you right into your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
Another earthquake has rattled the West coast. A 4.9 quake was centered near San Bernardino and was felt throughout much of southern California. So far, there are no reports of injuries or damage. Today`s trembler was the third significant quake to hit California since Sunday.
And a federal grand jury in California has indicted a Muslim father and son for allegedly lying to the FBI. The Justice Department says the two lied about the son`s attendance at a Pakistani terrorist training camp. Both are U.S. citizens. If convicted, they face a maximum eight years in prison on each of three charges.
And funeral arrangements are being made for the little boy who died on a Disney World ride. Four-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye died Monday after riding Mission: Space. The family will hold a funeral Saturday in its hometown of Sellersville, Pennsylvania. There were no signs of trauma on the boy, and it could take up to a month for autopsy results.
That`s the news.
END
