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Showbiz Tonight
Showbiz Tonight for July 12, 2005, CNNHN
Aired July 12, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: I`m A.J. Hammer.
KARYN BRYAN, CO-HOST: I`m Karyn Bryant. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Brad Pitt`s in the hospital. What happened? How`s he doing? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest on Pitt`s pain.
HAMMER (voice-over): Also, drama at the cape. Tonight, the space shuttle about to fly again after its tragic last flight. How can you see it? When can you watch? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals the plans for the out-of-this-world coverage.
BRYANT: And Paul Anka, the `50s teen idol is back and taking on Bon Jovi, REM and Van Halen?
(MUSIC)
BRYANT: Paul Anka comes to us live in our special series, "Showbiz Flashback."
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE, ACTRESS: I`m Christina Applegate. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant.
Tonight, two big stories at the top of our show. Brad Pitt has been hospitalized. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT working the phones and monitoring that story closely. We`re going to have the latest for you in just a moment.
HAMMER: But first, drama on the launch pad. Just hours before millions of Americans will be watching their TVs to see the first space shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster, a big scare.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here live with the latest and what you can expect to see -- David.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Karyn and A.J., tonight NASA announcing that a window cover fell off the Space Shuttle Discovery as it sat on the launch pad. The mishap damaged some thermal tiles on the shuttle. At this time, we hear that NASA expects to fix the problem quickly and in time for tomorrow`s launch. That will come as a relief to millions of Americans who are making plans to be in front of their televisions to watch America`s return to space.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF SPAULDING, NASA: I`m happy to report, the vehicle is ready. The team`s ready. I think our nation`s ready.
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): The nation is ready, and we`ll be watching tomorrow live as the Space Shuttle Discovery launches into space for the first time since Columbia disintegrated over Texas two years ago, killing all seven astronauts on board. Now the U.S. is returning to space, and it`s going to be a full-fledged media spectacle.
TRACI WATSON, "USA TODAY": I think everyone`s attracted by the fact that there hasn`t been a shuttle launch for two and a half years. It`s become a rare event.
ANNOUNCER: CNN tomorrow, the return of the shuttle.
CNN is airing a one hour special tomorrow on the launch, which culminates on the scheduled liftoff at 3:51 p.m. Eastern Time. CNN Headline News is also covering the launch live.
If you`re a fan of "General Hospital" and if you`re on the East Coast, you`re out of luck. ABC and the other two big broadcast networks are breaking into the daytime dramas to cover this drama, and they`re breaking out the big guns. CBS`s Bob Schieffer, NBC`s Brian Williams and ABC`s Charlie Gibson will anchor their respective networks` coverage. They`ll all be supported by an army of media in the thousands that has descended on the Kennedy Space Center over the past few days to cover the launch.
WATSON: I would call the media presence here a hoard. There are almost 3,000 media personnel -- reporters, editors, producers, cameramen -- signed up to cover this launch. I`ve been to shuttle launches where not even half this number of media were here.
HAFFENREFFER: About a quarter of the media are from oversees. Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi and Australian born astronaut Andy Thomas are on Discovery`s crew and have drawn a lot of media attention from their home countries.
Space missions have always been big TV moments, be they historic firsts, like the moon landing in 1969...
NEIL ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT: That`s one small step for man, one giant leap for man kind.
HAFFENREFFER: ... tragedies like the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986 or the first shuttle flight two years after the Challenger explosion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As Discovery clears the tower...
HAFFENREFFER: Yes, that`s the same Discovery that will once again return the U.S. to space after a tragedy. And tomorrow a hopeful nation will be glued to their TVs, hoping four a safe launch.
WATSON: It`s also a kind of triumphant story, NASA`s recovery from a terrible tragedy. And it`s also a suspenseful story: can they safely launch the shuttle with an accident so recently behind them? It`s got a lot of emotional appeal to it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: And of course, get everybody safe home, as well.
In addition to possible equipment problems, something else is placing a big question mark over tomorrow`s planned launch, of course, the weather. At last check, NASA put the chances of acceptable weather tomorrow at about 60 percent. We`ll have to wait and see.
A.J., back to you.
HAMMER: We`ll be waiting. Thanks very much, David Haffenreffer.
Well, tonight`s "Showbiz In-Depth," what you need to know before you watch the shuttle launch tomorrow. Lou Dobbs joins us now live from the set of his CNN show, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT," in New York City. Lou, also the founder of Space.com. It`s the first multimedia company dedicated entirely to space related content.
Nice to see you, Lou. Thanks for joining us.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Good to be with you, A.J.
HAMMER: So give viewers some perspective. As we were just talking about, millions of people will be watching tomorrow. The coverage is unprecedented in years. What do viewers need to keep in mind about exactly what`s at stake with this particular mission?
DOBBS: Well, obviously, the spirit of NASA itself is on the line here, coming as it does, after the Columbia disaster, A.J. All of us want this mission to be perfect. And failing perfect, we want it to be as successful as it possibly can be.
The representation of NASA is on the line. The hopes, the aspirations of millions of us for all that this country can accomplish in space are on the line, and certainly, NASA is keenly aware of it. You have to believe and understand that everyone involved in this mission has got their stomach knotted up tonight and certainly tomorrow.
The latest developments, in which we`ve had some tile damage, as Miles O`Brien has been reporting, could be a minor setback that could be easily fixed. Or it just simply may be something that will delay the launch. We`ll have to wait to see.
HAMMER: And whatever happens, Lou, of course, all eyes will be watching, as we said. You have been either a part of or around here at CNN for the space program coverage for a long time now.
DOBBS: A long time.
HAMMER: And how does what`s going on with this coverage compare to what you`ve seen in the past?
DOBBS: Well, there have been times in the past, A.J., as you know, in which this network and others have simply not covered a launch of the shuttle, becoming routine as it did for several years in the minds of many, and particularly programmers and television producers.
There is nothing ever routine about a space launch, this shuttle, as unfortunately, tragically, Columbia demonstrated. These heroic astronauts put their lives on the line with each launch, each mission, each return from space.
So one of the things that`s different is the heightened interest, of course. And as I said, all of us, our hopes and our concerns fly with these men and women. And Eileen O`Conner, the highly regarded, highly experienced commander of this shuttle mission, you know, we`re going to be cheering her and her entire crew.
HAMMER: We certainly will. And to that end, why do you think it is that the public fascination with the space program, with space travel, has waned so much throughout time? Is it because we`re not going to the moon anymore? It`s not new anymore?
DOBBS: I think that you may be correct, in that, after so many missions, over three decades, almost three decades of the space shuttle itself, the idea that we continue to go to low earth orbit.
Michael Griffin the new NASA administrator said we`re going beyond that, as has President Bush. The aspirations for travel back to moon and beyond to Mars in our -- in our Solar System are the kinds of things that kindle the human imagination and the stuff of -- the spirit of discovery that we hope will be rekindled.
That`s what the program needs, but first it needs success.
HAMMER: Right.
DOBBS: And we hope that is, of course, embodied in this launch tomorrow.
HAMMER: Well, certainly a heightened interest tomorrow, as well. And Lou Dobbs, thanks so much for joining us here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
DOBBS: Good to be with you, A.J.
HAMMER: Appreciate that.
And now we`d like to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The shuttle launch, are you planning to watch? You can vote by going to the web: CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You`ve got more to say, the e-mail address is ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of what you have to say later on in the show.
And now onto another big story. We mentioned at the top of the show a big Brad Pitt health mystery. Pitt checked himself into a hospital in Los Angeles, so what`s going on with all this? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson who was on the story all day. Give us the details, Brooke.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, A.J., Brad Pitt often plays the tough guy in movies like "Fight Club" and "Troy" and currently in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," but now he`s battling something new, and it`s landed him in the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: From California to the U.K. to Africa, Brad Pitt has been tripping across the globe. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has learned that his latest trip was to the hospital.
His publicist confirmed to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" star checked into a Los Angeles hospital last night. The actor was suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Flu-like symptoms, "like." What does that mean? According to the Centers for Disease Control, flu symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny nose or body aches.
Many are wondering, could all the travel be the reason for all the trouble? His recent globe trotting has been big news, probably because the trips often included his "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" costar, Angelina Jolie.
Here they are frolicking in England with Jolie`s son, Maddox. While the two have long denied romance rumors, they look quite the happy threesome in these pictures that appeared in "People" magazine.
Then it was off to the Live 8 charity concerts in England, where Pitt hit the stage in London to introduce Annie Lennox.
That was followed by a trip to Scotland, where Pitt and stars like U2 front man Bono and actor Georgia Clooney were on hand to put the pressure on world leaders at the G-8 summit in an effort to end African poverty.
Next came the big news. Pitt jetted off to Africa with Jolie and Maddox, where Angelina adopted an orphan baby from Ethiopia.
Then it was back to Los Angeles, where Pitt attended a race event over the weekend.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about half of all Americans traveling internationally get sick or injured during their trips. So could this be more serious? Pitt`s people are being very tight-lipped, with no word on how or when Pitt came down with the symptoms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT spoke with Pitt`s publicist, Cindy Guagenti. She downplayed his stay, telling us, quote, "This is really not a big deal, really."
You can be sure we`ll keep you updated on his hospital stay -- Karyn.
BRYANT: Thank you very much, Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
So coming up, Harry Potter says, what box office slump? How the series has kept its box office magic going.
HAMMER: Plus a big deal, AOL and XM Radio are teaming up, and it could change the way you watch concerts. We`re going to tell you what they have up their digital sleeves.
BRYANT: And our "Showbiz Flashback" continues tonight. Fifties teen idol Paul Anka, live. He`s putting his spin on some favorite rock `n` roll hits. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: But first, it is time for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On which series has soap opera veteran Marcia Cross not appeared? "Guiding Light," "One Life to Live," "Knots Landing" or "Another World"? The answer coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On which series has soap opera veteran Marcia Cross not appeared? "Guiding Light," "One Life to Live," "Knots Landing" or "Another World"? Well, of course, currently, you know her as Bree Van De Kamp on "Desperate Housewives," but Marcia Cross has never appeared on "Guiding Light."
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.
Tonight, Tom Cruise has a new mission in life, and it has nothing to do with Scientology. Cruise starting shooting scenes for "Mission: Impossible 3" in Rome today. Cruise whizzed by cameras, but fans had to look on from a distance. Traffic was closed down along -- closed down, rather, along the historic river Khyber all day.
Before stepping onto a speed boat, Cruise kissed and embraced his new fiancee, actress Katie Holmes. The two did get engaged last month. And "Mission: Impossible 3" is not set to open until next May.
HAMMER: Well, we`re now just four months away from the next Harry Potter movie, the fourth one. But we`re just days away from the release of the next Harry Potter book, the sixth one.
The Potter books have had a remarkable track record of being made into blockbuster movies. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looks into what`s been keeping that old Harry Potter magic going at the box office.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBBIE COLTRANE, ACTOR: You`re a wizard, Harry.
HAMMER: The series` sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," releases this Friday at midnight. And by 12:01, the author, J.K. Rowling, her publisher and the movie studio Warner Brothers are anticipating a windfall of profits.
THOM GEIER, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": There will be more money made from the release of the new Harry Potter book than most Hollywood movies this week.
HAMMER: "Entertainment Weekly`s" senior editor, Thom Geier, told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the Harry Potter movies have done so well because the movies have delivered what the readers were dying to see.
GEIER: I think it`s some combination of luck and just really paying attention to what the fans were looking for that has made these films fare better than others.
HAMMER: It`s not the first time Hollywood has pounced on a successful book series. Just last year, Paramount Pictures took a gamble, releasing the film version of "Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events," starting Jim Carrey, and unfortunately, it didn`t fare so well at the box office.
So what is Harry`s secret of success?
GEIER: I mean, I think the people did a really good job of finding the elements of the book that were the most visual, like Quidditch and adapting them with the technology that`s available today, and really making it work on screen, really making the magic of Harry Potter translate onto film.
HAMMER: Check out these numbers. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer`s Stone" pulled in close to $1 billion. The second installment, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," made close to $900 million. And "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" topped out at close to $800 million. Magical numbers for a wizard.
So while "Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince" remain top secret until Friday at midnight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has uncovered these details about the fourth movie. Ready?
GEIER: Harry and his pal, Ron, are discovering the opposite sex for the first time in this series. And in addition you`ll see the usual of fire breathing dragons, and underwater rescue and a killer maze involving hedges. So, plus you see the introduction of Ralph Fiennes as the evil Lord Voldemort, who is the arch-nemesis of Harry Potter.
HAMMER: And as for the book coming out in three days? Somebody give us a hint.
GEIER: I`m afraid not. You know, we keep begging, and asking and pleading. And so far we`re going to wait for the book Saturday morning, just as everyone else is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Sounds like big fun for Harry and Ron in the next movie. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is set for release on November 18 -- Karyn.
BRYANT: Very nice.
Tonight in "The Show`s Biz," big news about how you may be turning your -- to your computer for even more video, entertainment, that is. Video entertainment.
America Online today announced it`s creating Network Live. It is partnering up with XM Satellite Radio and an entertainment group called AEG. Now in a nutshell, you will be able to watch even more live events online, just like millions of people did when they watched the Live 8 concerts live on AOL. An estimated five million people watched at least some of it.
The Live 8 coverage was a very big hit for AOL, which, by the way, is part of the Time Warner Company, just like us.
So what is ahead? What can you expect? Well, joining us live from Hollywood is Xeni Jardin. My goodness, Xeni. I`m sorry about your name there. You of course, are the editor of the weblog BoingBoing.net.
Xeni, it was a big hit for AOL with their live coverage. They`ve done it quickly, cheaply. They got lots of viewers. They`re really moving it to the next level. Put it in perspective. How big a deal is this?
XENI JARDIN, BOINGBOING.NET: Well, it`s a big deal, because it points it something even broader: how we`re going to get our entertainment in the years to come.
I mean, I don`t know about you, but I can still remember the first AOL CD I got years ago. And I probably have millions of them now stacked up. I`m dating myself.
But you know, AOL has been having some challenges in recent years just making money as an Internet service provider. So now they`re looking to ways to package and produce their original entertainment as a new way of making money.
So just as we watch live concerts, live events on cable TV or video on demand, now we`re going to be able to watch them on cell phones, on our laptops and on next generation mobile entertainment devices, maybe, like the PlayStation Portable, or PSP, that`s so popular these days.
Last year AOL earned some $1 billion in ad revenue. And that`s only about a third of what one of its top rivals, Yahoo!, earned. So it`s having to sort of rethink how it makes money, stacking up to against competitors like Google and Yahoo!
BRYANT: Now for some of us, it seems like years since we first heard, "Oh, you`ll be able to watch television on your computer." What changed, technology-wise, to make this possible?
JARDIN: Yes. Well, more of us are accessing the Internet with broadband. We have high speed cable, or DSL connections, and a lot of us are using wireless Internet, and that means that we have fatter pipes, as they say. We have more speed. So it`s easier for us to download video, to download live audio streams. And that makes things that weren`t possible a few years ago possible.
So, let`s say back in, you know, `98 or `97 when more of us were just plugging in a phone line and it took forever for images to download, now we can kind of pop in a cable or log onto a wireless connection. And it`s easy to have video that`s almost as good as what you would have on TV.
BRYANT: Right.
JARDIN: Or maybe even a movie theater.
BRYANT: All right. Well, we`ll obviously keep our eyes on this. Xeni Jardin of BoingBoing.net, thanks very much for joining us.
JARDIN: Thank you.
HAMMER: All right. Coming up, we get friendly with a former "Friend," a "Tuesday In-Style" look at some of the more personal moments of Courteney Cox`s life.
BRYANT: Also, a prince comes into power and might look to Hollywood for a princess bride. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your front seat to a royal ruckus.
HAMMER: And, he might have been a lonely boy, but he`s sure one popular guy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is going to take you back with Paul Anka live as our "Showbiz Flashback" series continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, where it is now time for "Tuesday InStyle." Courteney Cox Arquette is on the cover of August`s Tuesday InStyle -- or "InStyle" magazine.
BRYANT: That`s right. And tonight, we take a walk down memory with the former "Friends" star, as she shares some very personal photos taken during some very important times in her life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARISA FOX, "INSTYLE MAGAZINE": There`s a great photo of Courteney at the Golden Globes with Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. And it was their first time. You know, first time "Friends" went to the Golden Globes. It was in 1995. And she said, "Look at us. We just look like a bunch of teenagers." And they do. They just look like such babies.
There`s a really nice shot of Courteney and David dancing at their wedding. She does admit that they were a little hung over in that photo. They had what she called an Alabama Oscars the night before. She`s from Alabama, and so a lot of her relatives came up from Alabama. And they partied hard.
There`s a great shot of Courteney and David swimming with a dolphin in Hawaii. She does admit that in the photo, you know, she`s really kind of smiling. Underneath the smile, she`s saying, "Get away, dolphin."
There`s also a great shot of Courteney at "The Good Girl" premier with Jennifer Aniston, who appeared in the film and Jake Gyllenhaal. And she talks about how Jake is just so cute and how she was blown away by Jennifer`s performance in the film. And she was probably congratulating her. They just look so close, you know? Their friendship just seems so genuine.
There`s a shot of Courteney, her first walk down the red carpet for "Back to the Future" from 1989. She`s got big hair. She kind of, you know, is a little amazed at how big her hair is in that shot, but she`s also amazed at her self-confidence, considering it was her first talk down the red carpet.
You know, all these -- all these pictures of Courteney are just so much fun to look at, but I have to say the new shots of her on our cover and inside are just magnificent. I mean, she just looks beautiful. And to think she only gave birth a year ago, and she`s in great shape. And she just is glowing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: For more about Courteney Cox and what she`s been up to since the last episode of "Friends," pick up a copy of August`s "InStyle" magazine. It is on newsstands Friday.
HAMMER: You remember them: "Diana," "Puppy Love," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder." Those are the classics. And now Paul Anka taking on some of today`s biggest hits. He`ll be live in our special series, "Showbiz Flashback."
BRYANT: Plus, she played Dr. Quinn and now she`s playing doctor with Owen Wilson. Jane Seymour`s hot new role. She joins us live here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And it was an Oscar-winning knockout in theaters. Now, "Million Dollar Baby" coming to a store near you. We`ve got your "Showbiz Guide" to new DVDs, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I`m Thomas Roberts. And here is your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
After a brief scare for NASA, the Discovery Shuttle launch will go on as planned. It could have been a major setback after a window cover fell over the shuttle and damaged some thermal tiles near the tail. NASA says they fixed the problem, and they are now prepared for liftoff. Tomorrow will be the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster.
The president is standing by his man, despite a growing firestorm. Adviser Karl Rove is accused of being the source that outed a CIA operative to the press. But according to a White House spokesman, Rove still has the confidence of the president.
And a 16-year-old British girl who collapsed after a Disney World thrill ride`s in critical condition. The girl had to be resuscitated after riding the "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror." The ride is closed pending inspections. This comes just one month after a 4-year-old boy died following a ride at Disney`s Epcot Center.
That is the news for now. Thanks for joining us. I`m Thomas Roberts. We take you back for more of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Monaco crowns its prince. But there might be a royal mess lurking in the shadows. We`ll tell you why.
BRYANT: Our "Showbiz Flashback" series continues with Paul Anka. He`ll tell us how he went from `50s teen idol to "Smells like Teen Spirit." Paul Anka joins us live tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK NOLTE, ACTOR: Hi, I`m Nick Nolte. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Here are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
BRYANT: Brad Pitt has been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. The actor checked himself into an undisclosed hospital in the Los Angeles area. Pitt`s publicist said it is probably the flu and expects he will be released today.
HAMMER: Well, the countdown is on for the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Late today, a window cover fell off the shuttle and damaged some of the tiles, but NASA says it can fix the problem in time for the launch. ABC, CBS and NBC will break into their programming to cover the launch, which is slated for 3:51 p.m. Eastern time. And of course, you can watch it right here on CNN Headline News and also on CNN.
BRYANT: I know I will be absolutely glued to that. It does lead to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The shuttle launch: Are you planning to watch? I just gave away my response, but you can keeping voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. You can also write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming your way at 54 past the hour.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, a prince of Hollywood royalty, the son of Grace Kelly, Prince Albert is now officially the Prince of Monaco, a place, of course, that jet-set celebrities full of serious flash and cash call home.
BRYANT: That`s right. And the prince is now in the midst of a scandal over illegitimate children. Well, he might be soon looking for a bride. Word is that, like his dad, he may turn to Hollywood for his princess bride. Let`s get more from CNN`s Robyn Curnow who is reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT from London -- Robyn?
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Karyn and A.J. Well, the celebration officially proclaiming Prince Albert II ruler of Monaco has begun. Now, they didn`t start with fireworks and parties. All of that came a little bit liter, instead.
The ceremonies were started off with a Catholic mass in the cathedral in Monaco. Prince Albert was joined by his sisters, Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie. Now, those three are, if you remember, the children of Prince Rainier who died in April and Princess Grace, who used to be known, of course, as Grace Kelly. And she was a Hollywood actress and known for her roles in movies such as "High Society." And she died tragically in 1982.
And really, tragedy and scandal seemed to have dogged this Grimaldi family over the years. And in particular, Princesses Caroline and Stephanie have had some rather scandalous and questionable marriages and relationships over the year. But is seems like Albert, until very recently, had managed to keep his love life pretty much under the radar, despite the fact that he has dated models and actresses like Claudia Schiffer.
And as I said, until recently, because he came out after an official mourning period of his father was over, to admit that he had fathered an illegitimate child with an air stewardess from Togo in Africa. The little boy is now two. He`ll never take over the thrown, but he will inherit some portion of Albert`s $2.4 billion fortune.
But that wasn`t all. It turns out that Albert said other women might come forward with claims of paternity. He didn`t want to elaborate.
Now the people of Monaco are watching to see if Albert can follow in the footsteps of his father by taking a bride soon after becoming His Serene Highness. They`re also wondering if they`ll also follow in the footsteps of his father and look to Hollywood with a new Princess of Monaco. I`m sure there are many leading ladies in Hollywood that would very much like that job.
I`m Robyn Curnow in London. Back to you.
HAMMER: Thank you very much, Robyn. CNN`s Robyn Curnow, reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BRYANT: Time now for "Showbiz Flashback." All this week, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you interviews with some of your favorite music icons. We`ll hear what they`re up to today, their thoughts on the music business, and of course, we`ll have a little fun, as well.
Live tonight, `50s teen idol, singer and songwriter Paul Anka. Hey, there, Paul. Looking tan and fit. I`m going to be with you in just a minute, but first we want to flashback.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT (voice-over): Before teens went crazy for the boy bands, they went crazy for a boy named Paul Anka. The Canadian-born singer drove young fans wild in the late-1950s with top-five hits like "Diana," "Puppy Love," and "Put Your Head on my Shoulder."
Anka seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He`s turned his craft into a one-man empire, writing more than 900 sounds, including "The Tonight Show" theme, a top-charting track for Tom Jones, and the English words to "Comme d`Habitude," a song both Elvis and Frank Sinatra covered. We know it as, "I Did it My Way."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: He certainly has done things his way. Joining us live from Hollywood, Paul Anka.
So, sir, thanks for joining us. I want to talk about the fact that you were 16 years old when "Diana" hit. That is unbelievable. You sold 20 million copies of that song. How did you handle that success at such a young age?
PAUL ANKA, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Well, I had a good upbringing, you know, very strong education, good parents, grew up in Canada, which helped. And you know, back then, pop music was in its infancy stage.
So consequently, we all were kind of huddled together, not knowing whether we were going to last very long, because we were part of a disposable society back then. So I kind of focused on my writing and just keeping a level head as to seeing with each transition whether I`d be in the business or not.
BRYANT: Well, and you were certainly doing things a lit bit differently than others, a little bit more clean-cut, perhaps.
ANKA: Well, we were kind of forced into that. You know, at some point, myself and Frankie Avalon and Fabian, we were kind of a clergyman`s answer to what was going on back in the `50s.
And there were parameters. You know, it wasn`t a media-driven society in the sense that it is today. And consequently, we were told to behave, and told what to do, and how to dress, and you know, how to perform, so on and so forth, because it was a very sensitive time back, a time of innocence. So we were toeing the line.
BRYANT: Now, in light of that, what do you think today when you see boy bands? It seems that there is a real loss of innocence at a much earlier age, and the way teens are marketed. What are your thoughts on that?
ANKA: Well, my thoughts are somewhat eclectic. You know, I feel sorry for a lot of them, in the sense that, you know, their careers, there`s no longevity. They achieve success very quickly and a lot of money very quickly.
Now, certainly, in relativity, when I started, I was making $300 bucks a week. That was a lot of money to me, also.
But there seems to be premeditation for a lot of them. They know going in what to expect, you know, that there`s a lot of money involved. They get a little carried away with it. You know, whereas back then, as I said earlier, we were a little more contained.
I don`t know where some of them go from here, because I think that, once you get that needle up your arm, metaphorically, I don`t know where you go after you`ve tasted this success at a very young age and how to adapt.
BRYANT: Speaking of adapting, you have put out a new record called "Rock Swings." This is a lot of fun. Basically, you`re taking hit songs from the `90s and up until today and putting your own twist on this in a swing sort of way.
I had one on. One of my friends came into my office and said, "There`s a crooner," and suddenly realized it was a Nirvana song. How did you even come up with the concept of doing this record?
ANKA: Well, the record company came to me. They wanted to do a swing album. Swing was in fashion. I`d just come off of a big part of the production team with Michael Buble.
But I didn`t want to do standards. I think they`d been done to death. So I looked at the `80s and the `90s, and I went in the studio, and I kind of morphed it and worked with it, and realized that there`s some good songs, that a hit is a hit, a good song is a good song.
And if you look at it as a musician, you can realize taking it down to its organic state that it all has something to say. So consequently, I realized in experimenting with quite a few of them, that if I approached as if I`d written them, put it in a viable, conceivable kind of fashion that was Anka, that it would fly.
And I kept the integrity. I put a lot of great musicians involved, great studio, great arrangements, surrounded myself with good people, and treated each song as if it were mine. And I think we`ve gotten incredible critiques with it. I`m very happy with how it`s turned out. And I worked with songs that I was familiar with, and I worked with songs that I felt had some good value.
BRYANT: All right. Well, and it is fun to hear Van Halen with a horn section. It`s certainly a treat. Paul Anka, thank you for joining us live from Hollywood.
ANKA: Thank you.
BRYANT: His CD, "Rock Swings," is out now.
And remember, we, of course, are just getting started with "Showbiz Flashback Week." Tomorrow, Rick Springfield sings "Don`t Talk to Strangers," but he will, of course, talk to us live tomorrow. And Thursday, she was at Woodstock. We`re now going to take stock of what Starship`s Grace Slick is up to. Friday, he was the half that was a little bit rock `n roll. I`m talking, of course, about Donny Osmond -- A.J.?
HAMMER: All right, Karyn. Well, what`s funny about hurricanes? Jay Leno managed to dig something up. That`s coming up in "Laughter Dark."
BRYANT: Plus, a major new DVD is out today, the Oscar-winning "Million Dollar Baby." But does it pack the punch? We`ll check out the extras, coming up in the "Showbiz Guide."
HAMMER: Plus, Jane Seymour says all of her friends are a bit jealous of her latest movie role. We`re going to here all about when Jane Seymour joins us live coming up in a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.
It is time now for the "Showbiz Guide," where, throughout the week, we help you decide where to spend your dollars on movies, DVDs and more.
Tonight, new releases on DVD. Out today, a million-dollar knockout, the Mouseketeers, and a real-life shark tale. Joining me live from Los Angeles, Thomas K. Arnold from "The Hollywood Reporter" and the weekly DVD magazine, "Home Media Retail."
Thanks for joining us. And first and foremost, I want to get to "Million Dollar Baby." Great movie, won best picture this year at the Oscars. Tell me about some of the extras.
THOMAS K. ARNOLD, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": Well, probably the best sequence on the DVD is a segment called "Born to Fight," where the actors and some real fighters discuss the urge that drives these people to a career in boxing. And you really learn, you know, it`s not just the adrenaline, but it`s almost a desire to escape, to prove themselves.
BRYANT: And is there a decent amount of conversation between Clint, and Morgan, and Hilary available on this disc, as well?
ARNOLD: Plenty of it. In fact, the three-disc collector`s set actually has a complete second disc of bonus features and a third disc which is the CD soundtrack, music composed by Clint Eastwood.
BRYANT: Nice. Well, let`s move on to the "Mickey Mouse Club," going way back to the late `50s and early `60s.
ARNOLD: The old days of Annette Funicello. You know, this is not the Britney, Christina, and Justin era, although that has also come out on DVD. This is the original "Mickey Mouse Club." And there is some great, great nostalgia on here, not that I remember any of it myself, of course.
BRYANT: Right, right. I bet it is fun. And I want to touch on a DVD available from Discovery. This is "Anatomy of a Shark Bite." And this was more of a documentary, yes?
ARNOLD: It`s keeping me out of the water.
(LAUGHTER)
BRYANT: OK.
ARNOLD: It is basically -- Dr. Erich Ritter went to the Bahamas to film a special for the Discovery Channel about how sharks are really not aggressive. And he`s wading around in waist-deep water, laughing and joking and saying, "If they`re not threatened, they`ll leave you alone." And all of a sudden, in front of the camera, chomp, his leg gets bitten. Five pints of blood and his whole calf muscle are gone.
BRYANT: Ay, ay, ay. So perhaps that one not for the children?
ARNOLD: No, definitely not.
BRYANT: OK, very good. Thank you very much, Thomas K. Arnold, for joining us here -- A.J.?
ARNOLD: Thank you.
HAMMER: All right, Karyn.
Time now for a "Showbiz Sitdown" with Jane Seymour. She`s in the new comedy "Wedding Crashers," which is opens up on Friday starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. And of course, many of you know her as "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."
She`s a veteran of television, stage and film, a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner. She`s also an author, fashion designer, avid painter, proud mother, so much more.
Jane Seymour, nice to have you here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
JANE SEYMOUR, ACTRESS: Nice to see you.
HAMMER: How are you doing tonight?
SEYMOUR: Really good.
HAMMER: Big excitement. The movie`s got some great buzz. It`s opening up this weekend.
SEYMOUR: Yes, it`s very excited about it.
HAMMER: It`s very funny, but you get to get a little dirty in it.
SEYMOUR: Yes, I think I surprised a few people. I have this wonderful -- it`s a great role, but I have a particularly wonderful scene with Owen Wilson where I do a sort of Mrs. Robinson-type turn, and I surprise him by arriving in this room and disrobing, and insisting that he inspect my newly acquired bosom.
HAMMER: I believe we actually have that clip ready to roll. Jane Seymour, in "Wedding Crashers."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OWEN WILSON, ACTOR: This is pretty sudden.
SEYMOUR: You`ve been playing cat and mouse with me ever since you came here.
WILSON: Mrs. Clearly, I don`t...
SEYMOUR: Call my Cat.
WILSON: OK, Cat.
SEYMOUR: Call me Kitty Cat.
WILSON: OK, Kitty Cat. This feels borderline inappropriate.
SEYMOUR: Kitty Cat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And there`s something else that happens there which we`re choosing not to show. People will just have to...
SEYMOUR: You have to buy tickets.
HAMMER: Buy the tickets, go out and see the movie. That`s a far cry from "Dr. Quinn" there, Ms. Seymour.
SEYMOUR: Yes, it is. It`s just that I read the script, and I thought this was one of the funniest things I`ve ever read in my life. And the first time, I thought, "Well, I can`t do this." The second time I thought, "Darn, I wish I could do this." And the third time I said, "There`s got to be a way." So I did. I found a way to do it...
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: I would imagine it was the kind of a role that you`d want to sink your teeth into.
SEYMOUR: Something into, anyway.
(LAUGHTER)
No, you know what? I love to do comedy. And I haven`t really been given a chance to do very much comedy. And to do comedy with Vince and Owen was just, you know, too much.
HAMMER: Yes, they really are the it comic actors of the moment. And Vince, a self-proclaimed class clown. So they were hilarious in the movie, of course. The audience that I saw it with laughed through the whole thing. I imagine there were some antics going on, on the set, behind the scenes. You`ve got to give us one story of something that happened.
SEYMOUR: Well, you know, Vince kept teasing Owen all the time about the, you know, the scene that he was going to have to do with me. And of course, you know, all the girls were all over me, sort of saying, "Are you going to do this? Are you going to do this?" And it was really quiet nerve-wracking.
And in the end, when it came down to it, you know, Owen was very nervous. And he had his little hands like this. And he was, like, trying to touch me. I`m like, "It`s OK, Owen."
And the director said, you know, "Owen, do you think you can open your fingers?" And Owen looks at me. I said, "You can do this, Owen. You can open your fingers. It`s OK." "OK."
It was very bizarre. But, you know, the antics were endless on the set. I mean, you know, we were all roaring with laughter the whole time. It was two months of a lot of fun.
HAMMER: But as much of a cut-up as Vince Vaughn is, and Owen, as well, I assume they treated you with the respect that you deserve.
SEYMOUR: Yes, yes. Vince called me Seymour. Seymour, yes. You know, Seymour wouldn`t do this! Seymour wouldn`t do that! And sort of this whole Dr. Quinn thing.
HAMMER: Well, I paid a visit today to your Web site, friendofjane.com.
SEYMOUR: Right.
HAMMER: And I realize that you have this whole cottage industry going on. You have, of course, books that you`ve written, but you have clothing that you`ve designed, you have the Jane Seymour porcelain dolls I wasn`t aware of, some household designs. How do you become a cottage industry like that? I mean, really, there are so many things that you`re attached to that a lot of people are probably not aware of.
SEYMOUR: There is a huge brand, Jane Seymour Homes. So there`s furniture, furnishing, accessories, children`s clothing. And I`m really involved with that, you know, all the time.
HAMMER: Stuff you decided to do, or people came to you and said, "Please, put your name on this"?
SEYMOUR: No, no, they came to me. And we do it together. And we`ve been doing this for three years now. And I did clothing before that for three years. I`ve always designed homes, and clothing, and things.
And I`m a full-time painter. So I have art shows all over the country. So yes, the art is something I did for me. And I actually painted all the way through "Wedding Crashers." You know, Vince and Owen kept saying, "What are doing there, Jane?" And I said, "I`m painting." They said, "Well, that`s really good."
HAMMER: It helps you stay at ease.
SEYMOUR: It helps me stay at ease. And then, of course, you know, we sold some. And actually, I just sold -- everything I painted on "Wedding Crashers" just sold.
HAMMER: Excellent. You`re going to sell lots of tickets this weekend, I`m sure, when the movie opens up on Friday.
SEYMOUR: Yes, I hope so.
HAMMER: Thank you so much for stopping by.
SEYMOUR: It`s such a hoot. Thank you.
HAMMER: Appreciate you being here, Jane Seymour. And of course, you can catch Jane in "Wedding Crashers" opening up this Friday.
BRYANT: It is time to get your laugh on in "Laughter Dark." As we do every night, we bring you the late-night laughs you may have missed. All the dramatic media coverage on Hurricane Dennis got lots of attention, and although there were many frightening moments throughout, one of them stuck with Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": And then I was watching this one guy on the Weather Channel. This guy`s name was Mike Seidel. Now, this guy -- he`s trying to do a good job. The hurricane has subsided a little bit, but he gets a little jumpy when lightning strikes. Now, watch this. This killed me. Here he is, Mike Seidel, watch this, the Weather Channel.
MIKE SEIDEL, WEATHER CHANNEL REPORTER: This is one of these storm that blew up in Mobile Bay and it kind of rolling up the bay from the south and southeast. Let`s go to Sky Tracker right...
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Tonight, Jay welcomes "War of the Worlds" star Dakota Fanning.
HAMMER: Still some time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The shuttle launch: Are you planning to watch? You can vote by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight or write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`re going to read some of your e-mails live, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Throughout the show, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The shuttle launch: Are you planning to watch?
Here`s how the vote`s going so far: 44 percent of you say yes, you are planning to watch; so kind of an even split here, 56 percent of you say no, you are not planning to watch. Some e-mails on the topic, as well.
One from Norman in North Carolina who writes, "Who can`t be excited about the upcoming launch tomorrow? It`s amazing every time we take off."
Also we heard Dorian in Michigan who disagrees. "I am not planning to watch because I have to do something minor, like work."
Also heard from William in Arizona who writes, "I hope that the shuttle launch tomorrow can bring a much needed burst of optimism to these troubled times."
You can keep voting by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight.
BRYANT: It is time to see what is playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
HAMMER: And you know, he`s back.
BRYANT: Yes.
HAMMER: Here comes the Marquee Guy. Take it away.
MARQUEE GUY: It`s more of our "Showbiz Flashback" series tomorrow, with Rick Springfield. You remember "Jessie`s Girl," right? We`ll find out if he ever found a woman like that, when Rick Springfield joins us live tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, "Wedding Crashers." We`re rounding up something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. And we`ll be blue if you don`t tune in. We`re crashing the red carpet for the New York premiere with Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and all the other stars of "Wedding Crashers," tomorrow.
This is the Marquee Guy, but you can just call me the best man.
HAMMER: Were you a fan of Rick Springfield growing up?
BRYANT: Of course.
HAMMER: And his character on "General Hospital"?
BRYANT: Of course.
HAMMER: Was? Dr. Noah Drake, come on.
BRYANT: All right, I fudged it. I wasn`t a huge fan. But I am excited to talk to him tomorrow.
HAMMER: I`m sorry, I had to put you to the test.
BRYANT: You put me right out there.
HAMMER: That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
END
