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Showbiz Tonight

Media Provides Deluge of Hurricane Dennis Coverage; Director Reveals Secret Hollywood Efforts to Thwart Terrorism

Aired July 11, 2005 - 19:00   ET

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


KARYN BRYANT, CO-HOST: I`m Karyn Bryant.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And I`m A.J. Hammer. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT -- storm chasers!

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s falling apart. Get back! Get back!

HAMMER: The most dramatic scenes from Dennis the menace, the hurricane video that made us go "Wow!"

Plus, fascination with the weather. Tonight`s "Showbiz In-Depth." Why TV viewers can`t seem to get enough of it.

BRYANT (voice-over): Hollywood and September 11. A major movie director reveals to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT how the government came to him to help prevent the real-life terrorists from striking again.

HAMMER: Children behave, because we are kicking off "Showbiz Flashback Week" with Tiffany. Your favorite music icons, where have they been? What are they doing? It all starts tonight with Tiffany, live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

SEAN BEAN, ACTOR: I`m Sean Bean. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Hello, I`m Karyn Bryant

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer.

Tonight the drama of Dennis, the hurricane that created some unforgettable scenes. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the videotape that looks like scenes from a Hollywood thriller.

BRYANT: Deadly Dennis has come and gone, belting the southeast and in its wake, images that will stay with us. We`ve got the very latest now from SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Karyn and A.J., while Hurricane Dennis was coming ashore over the weekend, the television news operations were ramping up coverage, sending reporters into the storms, while residents did their best to pack up and get out.

Why do they do it? Well, it seems viewers just can`t seem to resist watching Mother Nature at work.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360:" Here it comes again. Look out here. You can feel it right now.

Look out! Get back! Get back!

HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): It was the most dramatic moment in a weekend of dramatic moments provided by Hurricane Dennis. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and CNN reporter John Zarrella, live on the air in Pensacola, Florida, as 120-mile-an-hour winds broke apart a 40-foot tall hotel sign nearby.

ZARRELLA: Get back!

COOPER: Look over there!

ZARRELLA: It`s coming apart. It`s coming apart.

COOPER: Look at that aluminum. That`s part of the sign.

ZARRELLA: Look, it`s all coming apart. The trees are coming down.

COOPER: Did you see that tree went down?

ZARRELLA: Big trees coming down. Big trees coming down.

COOPER: Be careful. Look at that sign.

ZARRELLA: Here comes the sign, it`s down. It`s falling apart. Get back! Get back! Get back!

COOPER: Unbelievable.

HAFFENREFFER: TV correspondents were all over Florida and Alabama this weekend, risking everything, dodging wind and debris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we`re experiencing here now is the storm surge.

HAFFENREFFER: And getting very, very wet.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s essentially the Gulf of Mexico that`s overtaken the land.

HAFFENREFFER: While studio weather casters went wild with eye popping graphics and technology.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let`s check out live Super Doppler 6000.

HAFFENREFFER: TV networks even enlisted amateur video from its viewers, now branded citizen journalists, all to provide a virtual torrent of coverage of Dennis` destructive arrival.

ZARRELLA: I would tell you we`re pretty close to hurricane force sustained winds now.

DENNIS MOORE, "USA TODAY": Now that you have cable, which is on 24 hours a day, what better way to fill those empty hours than by showing the destruction of a hurricane?

HAFFENREFFER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went down the hall to chat with our boss, John Klein, the president of CNN U.S. about the weekend`s hurricane coverage. He agrees that there is something special about putting TV reporters up close and personal with hurricanes.

JOEL KLEIN, PRESIDENT, CNN U.S.: There`s nothing like seeing a correspondent standing out there, getting blown around, to send a signal to the viewer at home who`s in the path of this storm, hey, stay put. Don`t take any chances. You`re much better off inside.

HAFFENREFFER: But reporters definitely didn`t stay inside during Dennis. CNN went so far as to put reporter Rick Sanchez in a mobile broadcasting unit called Hurricane One, where he literally chased the storm.

SANCHEZ: We have now doubled back. What we`re trying to do now is we got this report that there`s a roof collapse at a hotel in Crestview.

There it goes. There it goes. You know what? This looks a little scary. We`re going to back out of here.

MOORE: There`s just the natural appreciation for natural disasters that viewers have.

HAFFENREFFER: Audiences certainly cannot turn away from a disaster, especially when it involves the weather. That could be one reason why the movie "Twister" was such a big hit.

But even though there are rarely flying cows in real life storm coverage, the inherent drama of major weather events like Hurricane Dennis will always attract the attention of news stations and viewers.

KLEIN: Television`s all about a visceral experience, whether in a reality program, somebody eating bugs, or a news program showing the waves crashing and the winds shrieking, and signs plummeting 100 feet. That delivers that impact in a way that words never could.

HAFFENREFFER: And while meteorologists closely track developing storms in the Atlanta, you can bet news executives will closely monitor the ratings from their Hurricane Dennis coverage.

Back to you in the studio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Thank you very much, David Haffenreffer.

HAMMER: Well, as Hurricane Dennis has once again proven, we`re fascinating. But why? Well, that`s our focus right now. It`s "Showbiz In-Depth," and joining us live from Houston, Steve Wasserman. Steve is the vice president and general manager of WPRC-TV and a pioneer of aggressive weather coverage in local news.

Also joining us live tonight in Miami, Bryan Norcross. He`s the director of meteorology for WFOR-TV. And he`s somewhat of a local legend down there for his coverage of Hurricane Andrew.

Also, live from Atlanta, Stephanie Abrams, on camera meteorologist for the Weather Channel.

Steve, I`m like anybody else. Whether it comes on TV, whether it`s the hurricane coverage we just saw with Anderson Cooper or it`s just the forecast, the 5-day forecast of what`s going on, I`m glued in. What is the fascination that we have? Why are we so interested in weather on television?

STEVE WASSERMAN, VICE PRESIDENT/GENERAL MANAGER, WPRC-TV: Well, I`ve been known to say on more than one occasion, lead with breaking weather. Unless something better comes along; usually nothing better comes along. There`s no story that affects every viewer in the community other than weather. It crosses all sections, all counties, all communities.

HAMMER: Bryan, what`s your take on that?

BRYAN NORCROSS, DIRECTOR OF METEOROLOGY, WFOR-TV: I agree with Steve. It`s the thing that everybody has to deal with. And that`s why, especially when the weather is going bad, everybody is in the same boat.

HAMMER: And Stephanie, people will watch the Weather Channel for hours on end. Some people watch CNN for hours on end. Others will watch the Shopping Channel. But the Weather Channel, is people just glued in, watching areas of the country that have nothing to do with them. What`s the most common reason your viewers give you as to why they do that?

STEPHANIE ABRAMS, ON CAMERA METEOROLOGIST, THE WEATHER CHANNEL: Well, I have to say that people are just interested in the weather in general. Some people like baseball. Some people like golf. And some people genuinely just like the weather: why is it happening, what`s going on? And they also like to watch it to see what`s happening to their family and friends in other areas.

HAMMER: And what are some of the things that people are most interested in seeing? Stephanie, why don`t you answer that?

ABRAMS: Well, I think that people are amazed that Mother Nature can do such destruction. You know, most people associate water as a fun thing, a good thing. You go on vacation to the beach. The water is essentially nice to you in a way. And then when the water is so destructive, it`s so powerful, people really underestimate what water and wind can do. And I think they`re amazed to see what destruction Mother Nature can do.

HAMMER: Steve, let me pass that over to you, because we were hearing from our own John Klein a few minutes ago about that visceral experience. Nothing quite beats seeing those live images of weather in action. What is your sense of what people want to see most when it comes to weather on television?

WASSERMAN: Well, people want to stay safe. Whether they`re living in a hurricane section or Tornado Alley or a place where blizzards occur. They want to know how it`s going to impact their lives. And that`s why it`s the No. 1 reason people watch local television news.

HAMMER: And Bryan, you`re right in the thick of it in local television news down in Miami. What`s it like for you, covering these big storms in terms of, you know, what you`re trying to deliver to your viewers and what you think they want to see the most?

NORCROSS: Well, I`m going to disagree with your boss there, because I think that, especially for local television, our role has got nothing to do with visceral. Our role has got to do with public safety and conveying the government`s message when it comes to keeping the public safe.

Now that may not the case for CNN of the Weather Channel, because it`s a national network and having to appeal to people in Seattle and every place else across the country. But our role here is all about public safety, and so we work real hard with reporters in the field to not have them look silly and put themselves in danger and say, "It`s very dangerous here. I`m in a very dangerous place."

We do just the opposite. And when it gets to a certain point we will not put reporters out in the worst of the weather.

HAMMER: Which makes a lot of sense. And Stephanie, what`s your take on covering that on a national level?

ABRAMS: I have to agree with Bryan that, when it gets to a certain point, you have to go inside. I`m not going to risk my life to stand right on the ocean where you have huge waves crashing. There`s a point where you have to go inside and seek shelter.

We`re out for public safety, as well. We want to inform people when they need to evacuate and what they need to do to prepare for a storms. And we need to be safe as well, not stand out when there`s debris flying out. That`s not a good thing to do.

HAMMER: Let`s talk about calmer weather for just a moment, Bryan. I`m always curious, if it`s just a nice calm sunny day, you`ll still see the meteorologist or the forecaster talking about the ridge of high pressure or the tropic low pressure and the back door cold fronts.

Why is it that the viewers are interested, because obviously you wouldn`t do it if they weren`t, in seeing that kind of information when there`s really no major weather event going on?

WASSERMAN: I think it`s back to the first question you asked. People want to feel comfortable with their world around them, and the weather is their world around them. So understanding that on a daily basis, what`s going on around them, I think just is a comfort level for folks.

And we do a real short weather cast because a lot of news going on, people will feel cheated. And we`ll hear from them. I think that`s the bottom line.

HAMMER: Well, Steve, I want to ask you a little trade secret that I think we all know the answer to. But weather seems to -- while you may lead with it as a story, you`ll hold off on the five-day forecast or the big picture until the end of the newscast. Is it because that`s simply one of the things people will stick around for the longest?

WASSERMAN: Well, that`s true. But we give the forecast up front, too. So we`re not -- we`re not playing games with the audience. But we do want them to stick around, because the good meteorologist, like Bryan Norcross or Frank Billingsly here at KPRC, they really do explain the weather very well, and it`s very compelling television.

HAMMER: All right. Well, there are some stations that do fool with us as far as that`s concerned. Steve Wasserman, Bryan Norcross and Stephanie Abrams, thank you all for joining us on "Showbiz In-Depth" tonight.

ABRAMS: Thank you.

BRYANT: Well, the man accused of plotting to abduct David Letterman`s son will be going to jail. In Montana today, Kelly Frank pleaded to lesser charges as part of a deal with prosecutors. Under the deal, Frank will get 15 years in jail when he`s formally sentenced in September.

Frank once worked on Letterman`s Montana ranch and was arrested after a friend reported he talked about using the child to extort $5 million. Frank`s defense attorney says he, quote, "feels badly for the anxiety he`s caused."

HAMMER: A top movie director reveals how the government called on him to fight terrorism. And he tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT what happened. That`s coming up next.

BRYANT: Plus a fantastic performance. But do the "Fantastic Four" have the power to rescue the summer movie season?

HAMMER: And our "Showbiz Flashback" series gets under way tonight with Tiffany. She was the Britney Spears of her day. But what`s she up to these days? Tiffany is going to join us live on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming up.

BRYANT: Now, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which Alfred Hitchcock film is viewed by characters in "Twelve Monkeys?" That`s a Brad Pitt movie there. Was it "Rear Window," "North by Northwest," "Vertigo" or "Psycho"? We will be right back with the answer. I like this music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Which Alfred Hitchcock film is viewed by characters in "Twelve monkeys"? Is it "Rear Window," "North by Northwest," "Vertigo," or "Psycho"? The answer is C, "Vertigo."

HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.

So tonight for the first time, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you someone who knows about a top secret plan to get Hollywood to fight terrorism. After 9/11, the Pentagon went to Hollywood for some help. Hollywood, because it`s really that out of the box thinking that could help the Pentagon prevent the next terrorist attack.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson joins us live in Hollywood -- Brooke.

BROOKS ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., a number of films, including "True Lies," "The Siege," "Air Force One" and "The Rock," have all had a terrorist thread running through them. So it`s no surprise the government has tapped into the creative minds of Hollywood to avert future attacks.

Tonight we bring you details of a hush-hush government summit which utilized Tinseltown and some of its top thinkers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): It`s scenes like this from the movie "The Rock" that terrified movie goers. It`s all Hollywood fiction, but some are worried that it could be just a little too real.

The director of that film, Michael Bay, has now come forward to say he was part of a top secret government terror summit. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the first to uncover the details of that summit, which asked the top creative Hollywood minds to dream up terror scenarios that seem scary on the scene but are not too far from real life.

MICHAEL BAY, DIRECTOR: There`s so many easy targets. I mean, being a film director of action movies, I can come up with so many scenarios. And you know, it`s funny because they keep releasing stuff in the news. I mean, they give them a lot of clues. It`s just like on and on and on.

ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has uncovered that Bay was one of about seven directors the government went to. And it`s no surprise he was tapped. His movie, "Armageddon," showed an invasion of New York City.

Bay told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT some targets are obvious.

BAY: It`s kind of weird during the September 11 attacks. They said - - I`ve heard several say it looked like a Michael Bay movie, in "Armageddon," where he used -- I actually had the world trade towers hit by asteroids. And it shocking to cue the image up that night of the attacks and see, literally, right where the planes hit, there was an asteroid through both of them. It is not a hard concept to figure out, if you figure it out.

And you think, New York, what`s big? What`s the icon? I mean, that`s them.

ANDERSON: But now a real live tower movie is being made, and it`s big news. As we reported Friday on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the first major movie about 9/11 is in the works. The announcement came from Paramount Pictures right on the heels of last week`s London bombings. Three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone will direct Nicolas Cage in the film about the 9/11 rescue of two Port Authority police officers.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked New York cable news channel New York One`s John Schiumo for his take on the film. He covered the story of the two officers.

JOHN SCHIUMO, NEW YORK ONE: These stories tend to be so dramatic that the film versions and the play versions and the TV versions rub some of the 9/11 victims` family members the wrong way. Why dramatize an already dramatic event? So it will be very interesting to see how it takes place.

ANDERSON: The two Port Authority police officers have endorsed the film. But Schiumo told us he`s not sure how it will be received. He said while it`s been four years since the events of 9/11, for some families it still feels like four days -- A.J.

HAMMER: All right, sure does. Thanks very much, Brooke Anderson, live in Hollywood.

And that brings up a debate that`s really been circling around lately. And now we`d like to hear from you about it. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The 9/11 movie: is it too soon? You can vote by going to CNN.com/showbiz tonight. Or send us your thoughts by e-mailing us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. And we`ll share some of what you had to say later on in the show.

BRYANT: "Fantastic Four" is the new super hero of the big screen. The movie made $56 million at the weekend box office in final numbers just out today. And some are saying it could be the end of the slump at the box office.

Last week`s No. 1 movie, "War of the Worlds" dropped to second place, earning $30 million. "Batman Begins" came in third with a $10 million take. Followed by the new film, "Dark Water," starring Jennifer Connolly. And Brad Pitt and Angelina`s "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was in fifth place.

So it was a fantastic weekend at the box office. But can we really say that the summer doldrums are over? Well, let`s ask Paul Dergarabedian. Paul is the president of Exhibitor Relations, a company which tracks the studio numbers. And Paul is joining us live from Los Angeles.

Good to see you, Paul.

PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, EXHIBITOR RELATIONS: Good to see you.

BRYANT: And what did "Fantastic Four" have that no other picture has had to date? Why did they break the slump?

DERGARABEDIAN: Well, I think it broke a slump because, you know, at $56 million, you`ve got to say a lot of people were very interested in this film.

It was not a dark movie. This was more of a fun, light-hearted comic book action movie. And I think that appealed to a very broad base of people. I don`t think anyone expected this. You know, I think the early estimates for the weekend were somewhere in the mid 30s. And here it does $56 million. So that certainly helped us, along with "War of the Worlds," to break out of this slump.

BRYANT: I certainly do believe that the feel good element of that movie, the fact that you could take your children to it, I think that definitely had a lot to do with it. But is this...

DERGARABEDIAN: That was a big part of it.

BRYANT: But is this -- Yes, do you think this is going to continue, though, now? Or are we going back to a slump this coming weekend?

DERGARABEDIAN: Well, you know, it`s funny. We saw that we broke out of the slump. We really just ended this streak of down weekends. This would have been the 20th down weekend in a row.

But keep in mind, when the final numbers came in, it was so close. This weekend was up .43 percent, versus the comparable weekend a year ago. So it broke the streak. We`ll take that victory. We`re happy to see that happen. But now we have our work cut out for us. We have "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Wedding Crashers" opening this upcoming weekend.

A year ago "I, Robot" opened with over $52 million, so the comparisons are very tough yet to come.

BRYANT: OK. So this weekend, we have those two to look forward to. Another picture people are talking about, "Dukes of Hazzard." We`re curious, is this going to make Jessica a superstar? Is this building buzz already to be a big hit?

DERGARABEDIAN: Well, I think so. I think "Dukes of Hazzard" is another one of those movies upcoming that people are talking about. I think it`s going to bring in a younger audience, has a great marketing campaign.

And who knows, these films that are coming up, like "The Island" and "Dukes of Hazzard" and some of the films in August and the late summer, maybe those will come along and save the day in what is typically the slowest part of the summer. So we`re just hoping that "Fantastic Four" is a positive indicator of things to come.

BRYANT: All right. Well, thank you very much for joining us once again. Paul Dergarabedian in Los Angeles.

Well, another movie hoping to get in on the action, and there is a premier going on right now here in New York. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes you live to the premier of Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson`s latest movie. We`ve got that coming up.

HAMMER: Plus, you remember her hit, "I Think We`re Alone Now." But what is Tiffany up to now? Tiffany joins us live as we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT roll back to the clock for you with a special series, "The Showbiz Flashback."

BRYANT: And Missy Elliot`s latest record? Does she work it? Is it worth it? We`ll flip it and reverse it. Coming up.

And "People" magazine`s picks and pans.

HAMMER: Well done, Karyn.

BRYANT: Well, thank you very much, A.J.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Well, "American Idol" is giving more people than ever a shot at fame. Today, we learned for season six, the show will audition hopefuls in 50 cities, in front of a live audience of friends and family. Well, the ones who make it will win a trip to one of the main audition cities.

Producers said they wanted to give more people a chance to try out, after the incidents like the one we all saw where the woman sold her wedding ring to pay for her trip to the audition.

BRYANT: It is time now for the "Showbiz Guide," where throughout the week, we help you decide where to spend your money on movies, music, DVDs and more. Tonight in "People`s Picks and Pans," new music.

Joining us live from "People" magazine is senior editor, Julie Dam.

Julie, we`re going to get right to it. Missy Elliott is back. Her album is called "The Cook Book." She was nominated for album of the year in 2002, but how if this one. Is it as good?

JULIE DAM, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: It`s good; it`s not great. That`s the thing. You expect more from her when songs like -- like...

BRYANT: "Work It"?

DAM: "Work It."

BRYANT: OK.

DAM: But you know, "Lose Control" is a good song, but it lacks the kind of crazy energy that she`s known for.

BRYANT: OK. So maybe wait a little while until we hear some more tracks on the radio or something.

Esthero. She is sort of a -- an eclectic pop singer. The album is called "Wicked Little Girl."

DAM: Right. And she`s not a complete newbie. Her first album came out in `98, and this is her second album, seven years later. But it`s a little bit of Pink, a little Nelly Furtado, a little Sade. It`s really eclectic, but it`s good.

BRYANT: And is somebody like Esthero hearable on the radio? I mean, where would you go to discover her?

DAM: Get the album.

BRYANT: OK. Just go to the store and get the album. Now, Harry Connick, Jr., was in on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT not too long ago. He`s got a new album out. It is called "Occasion: Connick on Piano, Volume Two."

DAM: Right.

BRYANT: What are your thoughts on this?

DAM: Well, this is like this is not the Harry that most people know, you know, the crooner from "When Harry Met Sally" or the actor on "Will and Grace." This is going back to his roots in New Orleans when he is on the piano. And he`s with Branford Marsalis on saxophone. So it`s just sort of like this great jazz jam.

BRYANT: And so it`s a completely musical album, right?

DAM: Exactly. Instrumental.

BRYANT: All right. Instrumental album. So would you say that`s your favorite out of the three?

DAM: Yes it is. It`s our critic`s choice.

BRYANT: Oh, critic`s choice.

Thank you for correcting me. Well, Julie, thanks for joining us here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

And for more picks and pans, you can pick up a copy of "People" magazine. It is on newsstands now.

HAMMER: Well, I think we`re alone now. There doesn`t seem to be anyone around. But that`s actually going to change when Tiffany joins us live. That`s coming up as we kick off our "Showbiz Flashback" series tonight.

Plus, everyone is just wild about Harry Potter. Tonight, of course, the countdown is on. There`s a lot of secrets to "The Half Blood Prince." We`re going to try to unlock some of those secrets, coming up a bit later on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

And of all people, a very pregnant Britney Spears, as you`re seeing right there. Was that the very pregnant version? Well, she stole the spotlight at the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" premier. You`ll see some more of that, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I`m Thomas Roberts. And here`s your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

President Bush says the U.S. stands firmly beside Britain after last week`s terror attacks that killed at least 52 people. Today, the president vowed that the United States will never retreat in the fight against terror. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department says one American citizen is missing and is thought to be among the dead.

They`re surveying the damage in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Dennis. The storm is now a tropical depression bringing heavy rain to the southeast and the Ohio River Valley. The storm wasn`t as fierce as predicted, but hundreds of thousands of people are without power and could be weeks without power before the lights are back on.

The remains of 9-year-old Dylan Groene have been identified, ending his family`s hope that he had survived a kidnapping ordeal. Dylan and his sister, Shasta, were declared missing in May after police found the bodies of their mom, brother, and mom`s boyfriend. Shasta was found alive and is now back with her family.

That is the news for now. Thanks for joining us. I`m Thomas Roberts. We take you back for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

BRYANT: Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, dust off and dance. Former teen queen singing sensation Tiffany joins us for a "Showbiz Flashback," as part of our week-long series.

HAMMER: We`re live at "The Island" premiere. It`s all about warped reality and human clones. But apparently the real David Haffenreffer is standing by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN, ACTOR: My name is Michael Clarke Duncan. And if it handed today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. It`s 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer.

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Here are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."

David Letterman`s former Montana ranch hand is headed to the big house. Kelly Frank struck a plea deal today with prosecutors in a plot to kidnap Letterman`s young son. Investigators say Frank told an acquaintance he wanted to hold the child and his nanny for ransom. The kidnapping charge was dropped in exchange for guilty pleas on three other charges.

HAMMER: Hollywood is helping fight the war on terror. "The Island" and "Armageddon" director Michael Bay tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he was one of seven filmmakers asked to drum up terror scenarios for the government. The top-secret meeting was designed to give authorities ideas about where and how terrorists could strike next.

We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The 9/11 movie: Is it just too soon? You can keep voting by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. And you can write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. Your e-mails, coming up at 54 past the hour.

BRYANT: Right now, we are going live to the premiere of the new movie, "The Island." It`s here in New York City. It is the latest from action/thriller director Michael Bay, whom we were just talking about. It does star Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Now, the stars are making their way through what looks like it may be a black carpet instead of Hollywood`s traditional red.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is live there right now. David, what`s going on?

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Karyn. The stars are showing up at this hour. And "The Island" is a film that takes place 20 years in the future. And it`s all about cloning.

But this film is about cloning from the clone`s perspective. And one of the stars joining us now is Scarlett Johansson here on the red carpet, as she walks away from us here on the red carpet.

We can tell you a little bit about her character and McGregor`s characters -- do their best to sort of pull the curtain on the realities of the institute where the clones are grown. And that helps to bring some of the institute itself to a crashing halt by the end of the film.

Anyway, Scarlett Johansson is here. So are some of the other film stars, Steve Buscemi. And we caught up with him a little bit earlier on the red carpet, basically talking about what a thought-provoker this film is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BUSCEMI, ACTOR: Well, I don`t think we should ever, you know, fully clone the human being, you know, to harvest for body parts. That would be ridiculous. But I do, you know, feel strongly that stem-cell research should be funded, and supported, and continued.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAFFENREFFER: And this film opens, "The Island," back on July 22nd. Back from the black carpet, back to you in the studio.

BRYANT: All right. Thanks very much, David Haffenreffer. And he is out live at "The Island" premiere.

Now, life is sweet for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT had the golden ticket to last night`s Hollywood premiere. All eyes on the red carpet zeroed in on mother-to-be Britney Spears. The pop singer sported a tank top tribute to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

It read "I Have the Golden Ticket," with an arrow pointing to her belly. Now, elsewhere on the red carpet, Melanie Griffith and CNN`s Larry King, they brought their families to the movie.

And of course, the star of the show, Johnny Depp, clad in a chocolate brown suit. Depp told us how he cooked up the eccentric candy maker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: I was kind of part sort of a game show host, and it was part children`s show host. And we took that idea, and then, you know, locked him in a closet for about 10 or 15 years.

TIM BURTON, DIRECTOR: I didn`t even have to say his name. The studio said it first. So I thought, well, that`s really nice. For the first time, you know, I didn`t even have to bring it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: And at Depp`s request, proceeds from the premiere will go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.

HAMMER: Well, they didn`t quite arrive on broomsticks or in flying cars, but the latest volume of J.K. Rowling`s "Harry Potter" series did make it to bookstores today. Yes, the sixth installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," already has presale orders of more than 10 million copies.

Although the stores have books on hand tonight, nope, they`re not going to be available to the public until Saturday. Well, tonight, the "Show`s Biz," I went directly to the publishers to try and unlock the secrets of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): We`ve gone straight to the top to uncover the secrets of the next "Harry Potter" book. Here, at the publishing company`s own book store, we tracked down the publisher of installment number six, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." The magic trick we tried to perform is to get even a hint of what`s in the story.

HAMMER (on-screen): Have you read the book?

BARBARA A. MARCUS, PUBLISHER, "HARRY POTTER": I`m not at liberty to tell.

HAMMER: You`re not at liberty to tell me if you`ve read the book?

MARCUS: No, I`m not at liberty to tell.

HAMMER: Security pretty tight around here.

(voice-over): The editor wasn`t much help, either.

(on-screen): Does anyone die in the next "Harry Potter" book?

ARTHUR LEVINE, U.S. EDITOR, "HARRY POTTER": I can`t tell you that.

HAMMER: OK. I can see where this is going to go. Do Ron and Hermione actually get together, finally? There`s been sort of this, you know, little tension between them? Are they...

LEVINE: You know, it`s interesting that you should ask that, because I can`t tell you that.

HAMMER: Hmm, OK. Well, here`s one for sure you can tell me. Who is the new minister of magic?

LEVINE: I can`t tell you that.

HAMMER (voice-over): There are some facts out there. The sixth book in the series releases July 16th worldwide. And preorders for the book have already put it at the top of Barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com`s best- seller lists.

It has been two years since the fifth book, which has sold more than 16 million dollar copies in this country alone. And just like the last time, bookstores are planning parties and events to handle the crowd.

MARCUS: Last time, book sellers sold 5 million books over the first weekend. We right now have 10.8 million copies that are going to be coming off the press and being sent to bookstores, because we know that there are millions and millions of families and children waiting to read the next "Harry Potter."

HAMMER: But as for what`s in that book...

LEVINE: Well, I can tell you that there is a new character named McClaggan.

HAMMER (on-screen): We got a little something.

LEVINE: You got a little something-something.

HAMMER: And McClaggan is?

LEVINE: I`m not going to tell you that.

HAMMER (voice-over): In this case, fans of the story will just have to read all about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: I tried, I tried. I tried magic spells. I tried to be charming. I needed to bring something back to my niece and nephew, but I couldn`t get the execs to talk.

This book is so well-guarded, by the way, the publishers actually obtained a court injunction so they can keep anyone from leaking the ending or story information outside of their own press releases.

However, there are folks at one store near Vancouver, Canada, that may have already gotten a little sneak peek, because clerks briefly there put the books on sale last week. And I`m not sure if they still have their jobs or not.

Publishers hope the promise of an autograph from author J.K. Rowling is enough magic to keep the secrets under wrap. But fear not, muggles, at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, the wait will, at long last, be over.

BRYANT: Well, we`ve got more of the "Show`s Biz." Your next online order could bring you face-to-face with a star. Amazon.com is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a little star power. The company has enlisted celebrities to deliver items to randomly selected customers.

Jason Alexander, Anna Kournikova, and Don Cheadle have all taken part. Actor Michael J. Fox rang a doorbell in Massachusetts, surprising the homeowner with a signed copy of his memoir, "Lucky Man." And Nick Lachey landed on a California stoop dropping off copies of the first, second, and third seasons of "Newlyweds" DVDs. Amazon is offering its special delivery program through Saturday.

HAMMER: Ah, the `80s. Big hair, hair bands, and Tiffany, of course. She went from shopping malls to pop royalty in just an instant. We`re going to chat with the signing sensation in tonight`s "Showbiz Flashback."

BRYANT: Another Tiffany (INAUDIBLE) we`ll tell you about her big day, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABRIELLE UNION, ACTRESS: I`m Gabrielle Union. And what I`m watching, aside from "America`s Next Top Model," "American Idol," is "Desperate Housewives." And I`m watching "The Comeback," Lisa Kudrow. I`m a little frightened, because I don`t ever want to be that character, but that`s what I`m watching. And I`m (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.

Tonight, we kick off "Showbiz Flashback Week." All this week, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you interviews with some of your favorite music icons. We`re going to hear what they`re up to today, their thoughts on the music business, how it is now, and of course, we`ll have a little fun, too.

Tonight, Tiffany. Nice to see you, Tiffany.

TIFFANY, SINGER: Thank you.

HAMMER: We`re going to be with you. We`ve got a lot to talk about in just a second. But first, let`s flashback.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER (voice-over): Christina, Britney and Jessica may be today`s pop royalty, but they couldn`t have made it without the help of this `80s teen queen.

TIFFANY (singing): I think we`re alone now. There doesn`t seem to be anyone around.

HAMMER: Oh, but there were. California-born Tiffany Darwish took that 1967 classic, "I Think We`re Alone Now," to number one in 1987. She brought her self- titled CD to malls everywhere. And teens went wild for her bubble-gum pop.

Tiffany sold more than 4 million copies of her debut album, when she recorded when she was just 15. The teen queen reigned supreme, cranking out other top singles, touring with New Kids on the Block, and even reworking a Beatles track.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And she`s sitting with us live in Hollywood. All right, Tiffany, let`s get into it.

We mentioned at the beginning there, as we were setting all of this up, how -- and this is often said, when people are talking about you, you kind of paved the way. You were among the original teen pop female sensations.

And we were talking about Britney, and Christina, and the people who are out there now. What do you make of the scene that`s going on right now in pop music?

TIFFANY: It`s totally different. I mean, now I look at people like Christina or Britney. And you know, I look at all the fun they`re having with the fashion and the hair. And back when I was doing my thing, I mean, it really was being simple, it was the girl next door.

And I was 14, so I really wasn`t into so much fashion. I was singing with bands and just wanted to be a vocalist and get out there and show my talent. So when the opportunity was there, really it was just jeans, and big earrings, and funky hair. So now I look back at a lot of that stuff and I go, "What was I thinking?"

But I think the industry is so changed, because it is really a lot about what you look like, and a lot of the videos, and you know, really portraying the whole package this time around.

HAMMER: And would you do it now, knowing what you know about what it`s like now? You know, as you said, back then it was simple. And you really did have this sort of humble, wholesome attitude. Big earrings and big hair, you know, it was wild and large. But do you think you would be interested in doing it now?

TIFFANY: Well, I mean, I`m still doing it. I`m out doing my music. I have a new album out called "Dust Off and Dance." But I`m doing it my way, I think, more than anything, you know?

There`s artists like J-Lo, and Madonna, and Britney, who are out there doing their style. And I think they`re doing an amazing job. So obviously, I kind of flip and look at what they`re doing. But you know, I have to be sincere and true to myself.

And I`m a tom boy. And I`ve never been like a fashion diva. So you know, for me, it`s always been really about my voice, and going out there, and hoping that people at the end of the day go, "Wow, she can really sing. You know, I`m amazed by her talent."

And I think that`s something that I learned early on, being 14, was I also wanted to prove that I was always singing live and that I really could sing, and it wasn`t a producer back there flipping knobs, like, making me sound good. So I think I`ve always kind of stuck behind my voice more than anything.

HAMMER: Well, when you and I first met, we threw a pizza party for some radio listeners of mine just outside of Connecticut where I was working at the time when you had first really landed on the charts. I`m curious what your dreams were back then.

You were pretty young. Were you dreaming that you were going to be, you know, the next Madonna, or the next huge sensation, or were you just going day to day and taking it all as it came?

TIFFANY: Well, I think that I was taking it day to day. You know, I was just a little girl from Norwalk, California, who wanted to sing. And all of a sudden, to have a number-one record, to be touring all over the world, and people, you know, screaming and loving my music, it was a lot for me to take in, but I love it.

You know, I really hands-down enjoy when people do love my music. It`s an amazing feeling. But I think back then I was just really -- my dreams were to be a singer. I think I have more dreams and goals now, being a mom. I have a 12-year-old boy.

So you know, I have a lot on my plate now. I have all these -- and I always have these high expectations of myself. So I think it gets more complicated as you stay in the business and get older.

HAMMER: I was always curious, because we were talking a little earlier about that wholesome representation that you had back then. Now that all the time has passed, is there a story you can very quickly tell us about something that happened back then that you really, you know, couldn`t tell us back then or we wouldn`t have seen in the magazines? There has to be something.

TIFFANY: Well, I had tattoos that nobody knew about.

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: See, and if people knew you had the tattoos, that probably would have thrown a bunch of your fan base.

TIFFANY: I did. Well, I think, you know, for myself, you know, it was something that I did way before, I think, tattoos were kind of trendy. And just a lot of the girls in my neighborhood were getting them, so I went and got a tattoo, and then had to proceed to hide it for two years. I always had a Band-Aid on my ankle. And people just thought I was really clumsy in the shower shaving.

HAMMER: All right, so it`s on your ankle.

TIFFANY: So you know, I couldn`t let anybody know that.

HAMMER: It`s on your ankle. That`d be difficult to show us right now.

TIFFANY: It`s on my ankle.

HAMMER: You can try if you`d like.

TIFFANY: No, I actually have one on my wrist, too.

HAMMER: OK, that`s easier, much easier.

TIFFANY: I`ve acquired a few more since then.

HAMMER: Well, it`s nice to see you again. And good luck with this album that`s out. And we look forward to more in the future. Thanks for joining us, Tiffany.

TIFFANY: Thank you.

HAMMER: The album is called "Dust Off and Dance." It is in stores now. And remember, watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT each night all week long.

It`s our "Showbiz Flashback" series. We`re going to continue tomorrow with `50s teen idol Paul Anka. He takes on Bon Jovi and REM? What`s that about? Wednesday, we`re going to ask Rick Springfield if he`s still after "Jessie`s Girl." And Thursday, Jefferson Starship`s Grace Slick paints a new picture. On Friday, Donny Osmond, all grown up.

BRYANT: Another wedding in the "90210" family. "People" magazine reports actress Tiffani Thiessen tied the knot with actor Brady Smith. The couple exchanged vows on a private estate in Montecito, California. Thiessen wore a Vera Wang gown to the garden party affair.

The newlyweds and their guests dined on a French feast and champagne. Sounds very nice. The happy couple then headed off to Santa Barbara. Smith`s credits include appearances on "E.R.," "CSI: Miami," and "Judging Amy." And of course, Thiessen is best known for her turn as Valerie on "90210" and Kelly on "Saved by the Bell."

HAMMER: Well, it`s time now to get your laugh on in "Laughter Dark." As we do every night, bringing you the late-night laughs you just might have missed.

Romantic pairings in Hollywood often leave people wondering, but leave it to "Late Night with Conan O`Brien" to find out what would happen if your favorite stars mated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O`BRIEN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": Teri Hatcher and lead singer Adam Duritz, tabloids say they`re dating. That gives us the right, nay, the duty, to find out what would happen if these two had a child. Let`s find out right now. I`m just curious. Let`s see.

(LAUGHTER)

Scarlett Johansson, beautiful, and Josh Hartnett, he`s one of those steamy hunks people are always talking about. Let`s find out what would happen if they had a child.

(LAUGHTER)

John Stamos, Heather Graham. They`re an attractive couple. I`m sure they`ll have an attractive child. Let`s talk a look right now. I`m just curious.

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, oh, my god. It`s Cornelius from "Planet of the Apes."

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: On "Late Night" tonight, Conan welcomes "Dark Water`s" John C. Reilly.

Well, Owen Wilson, who`s the star of the upcoming movie, "The Wedding Crashers," stopped by "The Tonight Show." In the movie, Wilson plays a bachelor who lies his way to a girl`s heart. Well, as it turns out, Jay is actually all-too-familiar with that technique.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OWEN WILSON, ACTOR: Well, I try to -- it`s hard, like, you know, what am I going to say to, like, a girl that, like, you know -- "I lived all the way through `Anaconda` and `Armageddon.`" They can go rent the movie and see that I didn`t. So I can`t really...

(LAUGHTER)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": You know what I used to do?

WILSON: What?

LENO: I used to put catnip on my buttons. So when you go to a girl`s apartment, the cat goes -- "Oh, your cat. Oh, he`s licking my face." "I can`t believe this. He doesn`t like anyone." "Really, he`s so friendly!" Well, that works.

WILSON: That`s a good one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Tonight, Jay`s going to welcome "Happy Endings" star Tom Arnold.

BRYANT: There is still time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The 9/11 movie: Is it too soon? You can vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight. You can also write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We will read some of your e-mails live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: We`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The 9/11 movie: Is it too soon? The vote so far, 66 percent of you saying yes, it is too soon, 34 percent of you saying it is not too soon for the movie.

We`ve also gotten some e-mails. Britta (ph) from California writes, "Though we will never forget what happened on 9/11, we should let open wounds heal before anyone makes a movie."

Chris from Indiana disagrees, "I don`t think it`s too soon to release a film about the events. Most Americans really pulled together after 9/11."

And Jas (ph) from Michigan says, "It`s not appropriate to ever have a 9/11 movie. We certainly don`t need a movie to remind us what a tragedy it was."

Now, you can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.

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

BRYANT: Let`s take a look at the "Showbiz Marquee." Marquee Guy, take it away.

MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, we go way back in the "Showbiz Flashback" series to the late `50s and teen idol Paul Anka. His new album puts an old twist on modern rock. Anka takes on Nirvana, Eric Clapton, and Bon Jovi. It`s true. Would the Marquee Guy lie? He joins us live, tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, this is no "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." Actress Jane Seymour plays naughty in "The Wedding Crashers." She`s live in our studios tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

This is the Marquee Guy. And you know what they say about weddings. Always a bridesmaid, but never a Marquee Guy.

BRYANT: That does it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News. I missed that.

END