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Showbiz Tonight

Shocking Images of Hurricane Aftermath; Hurricane Plays Havoc With Filming Schedules

Aired August 30, 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: I`m A.J. Hammer. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hurricane Katrina. The devastating images. The real-life drama. The stories we will never forget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was beyond devastating.

HAMMER: Tonight, the dramatic video that seems hard to believe.

BRYANT (voice-over): Also tonight, the emotions. A reporter covering the story in tears.

JENNIFER MAYERLE, WKRG CORRESPONDENT: OK, and what`s your name?

HARVEY JACKSON, HURRICANE VICTIM: Harvey Jackson.

BRYANT: Tonight, after risking their own lives, how reporters are struggling to deal with covering the heartbreaking stories of loss.

HAMMER: Plus, how Hurricane Katrina is disrupting Hollywood. Movie sets shut down, the cast and crew evacuate. And an unprecedented move for a popular game show. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s coverage of Hurricane Katrina starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRYANT: Hello, I`m Karyn Bryant.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer, and what we are about to show you is so dramatic it`s almost hard to believe it`s real. We`re talking about the frightening images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

BRYANT: Those images had millions of people watching in absolute amazement today as it all unfolded on TV. Our comprehensive coverage of Katrina begins live with David Haffenreffer in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom -- David.

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Karyn and A.J., Hurricane Katrina is now safely to the north of the Gulf Coast. But it left behind a devastation that we`re only beginning to understand.

For a public eager to learn all they can about this catastrophe and how they might help, television was the place they turned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): Yesterday was the storm. Today the aftermath. A day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, TV reporters fanned out through the area to show viewers the damage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s the Hyatt Hotel. And look, the whole right side of the building has been blown out.

HAFFENREFFER: The emotional reactions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`ve never been really religious. And I think I am now.

HAFFENREFFER: The shameful reactions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Looters, basically taking advantage of people whose homes and whose stores have been left unattended.

HAFFENREFFER: And the continuing effort to rescue the stranded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This video tape just in to CNN. It`s an actual rescue that just took place minutes ago in New Orleans, Louisiana.

HAFFENREFFER: This incredible video, shot in the devastated city of New Orleans, shows the Coast Guard heroically rescuing desperate hurricane victims who were clinging to the rooftops for dear life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quickly get to that basket. He`s wasting no time. He wants to get out of there. The thumbs up for the rescued swimmer. Big smile on the gentleman`s face. And away he goes. Big smiles all the way up. He looks like he`s enjoying this.

HAFFENREFFER: One reporter gave CNN a riveting account of the desperate situation inside the Superdome where thousands of evacuees have been forced to stay.

SUSAN ROESGEN, WGNO CORRESPONDENT: The tension is extremely high. The toilets are overflowing. There is no power. It is ungodly hot in there. And they have brought several people in with injuries. This is now the place to bring the people that they`re plucking off the rooftops. And you have between 24,000 and 30,000 people in the dome who want to get out, even though they realize there`s no place to go to.

The people that they`re bringing into the Superdome now have broken legs, broken arms, and worse than that.

I just, ten minutes ago talked to two eyewitness who saw a man jump to his death. They say he appeared to be acting normally. He was playing a game of dominos on the second level in the second level bleachers in the stadium inside the dome when he calmly got up. He asked two people on the floor below to watch out. And then he jumped to his death.

HAFFENREFFER: As CNN`s Miles O`Brien showed viewers, Katrina turned the waterfront playground of Biloxi, Mississippi, into a war zone.

MILES O`BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": This is the parking deck for the Beau Rivage casino and resort. I`m going to show you some video that was shot there in just a moment. But just remember that deck about on the third or fourth deck. I`ve got some pictures that were shot from there.

But, as I walk through here, the mud that is caked and the flotsam and jetsam. You can`t believe. There`s everything from lighting fixtures to a shoe just loaded with mud there. Manuals, just pieces of bent metal. Little pieces of trim to cars and so forth. It`s just real devastation here.

And as you look down the street here, you`ll get a sense of what`s going on. The mangroves are there, washed in along with the mud.

I want you to look at that video that we got from, strangely, a guy from California decided to come here and see a hurricane. So he flew in. He got up in that parking deck with his DV camera, and he captured this amazing storm surge as it rolled in. Twenty-five feet in all with 33-foot waves as it took out house after house.

HAFFENREFFER: But the stories from Katrina involved more than just facts, figures, and damage assessments. The storm has taken an emotional toll on its victims and the reporters covering the misery.

That was apparent on CNN`s "NEWSNIGHT," where CNN reporter Jeanne Meserve told Aaron Brown about the horror she personally witnessed while covering the storm.

AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Do you have a sense of how many people may be stranded tonight?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. Nobody has a sense of that. And may I say that the crew was extraordinary. We had very difficult situations. One of my cameraman has worked with a broken foot since 9 a.m. this morning to try and get this story to you.

Big words of praise for them. And for Mark Biello, who went out and ended up in that water trying get the rescue boats over partially submerged railroad tracks. It was a heroic piece of work by CNN employees.

We are, sometimes, wacky thrill seekers, but when you stand in the dark, and you hear people yelling for help, and no one can get to them, it`s a totally different experience.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: Even the local paper in New Orleans has been affected. The "Times Picayune" of New Orleans unable to print physical copies of their newspaper. Instead, posting full color scans of news pages on its web site. "Catastrophic" read the page one headline -- A.J.

HAMMER: Thank you very much, David Haffenreffer. Really, really difficult stuff to watch.

Our coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina continues now with the raw emotions that reporters are dealing with that we`ve been talking about as they cover the disaster. A dramatic demonstration of just how difficult a reporter`s job can be came when Jennifer Mayerle of Alabama`s WKRG did an emotional interview with a distraught man who lost his wife in the hurricane.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYERLE: How are you doing, sir?

JACKSON: I`m not doing good.

MAYERLE: What happened?

JACKSON: The house just split in half.

MAYERLE: Your house split in half?

JACKSON: In Bayville. We were up on the roof, all the way in the roof. And the water came in, and the house just opened up. Divided.

MAYERLE: Who was at your house with you?

JACKSON: My wife.

MAYERLE: Where is she now?

JACKSON: Can`t find her body. She gone.

MAYERLE: You can`t find your wife?

JACKSON: No, she told me. I tried. I held her hand tight as I could. And she told me, "You can`t hold me." She said, `Take care of the kids. And the grandkids."

MAYERLE: What`s your wife`s name in case we can put this out there?

JACKSON: Toni (ph) Jackson.

MAYERLE: OK, and what`s your name?

JACKSON: Harvey Jackson.

MAYERLE: where are you guys going?

JACKSON: We ain`t got nowhere to go. Nowhere to go. I`m lost. That`s all I had. That`s all I had. I don`t know what I`m going to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Reporters truly face a difficult and emotional balancing act as they confront situations like that.

Joining us live to talk about his experience and how reporters do cope, from Biloxi, Mississippi, CNN correspondent Rob Marciano.

Rob, thanks for joining us tonight. I`ve been watching you on television throughout this coverage. You`ve been in these situations before, as we saw Jennifer Mayerle a moment ago. She couldn`t help but feel for this man.

Here at CNN headquarters in New York, we have pits in our stomachs as we`re watching the coverage. But you`re out there on the front lines. How can you continue your objectivity and how do you keep your emotions in check, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, A.J., I suppose with every person that comes up to you with a tear-jerking story or you know, plea for help, there`s someone else who comes up and thanks you for the information you gave them during the storm. Or comes up to you and asks you, "Can I just get on air and say -- you know, tell my family that I`m OK?"

So, you know, it`s a bit of a give and take. You can`t separate yourself, though, entirely from it. Because, what you see from the video that we show you or just the camera shots of what you see over my shoulder, is just a small microcosm of what we see.

Because what`s so impressive with these natural disasters and with this hurricane, is how widespread the destruction is. I mean, it`s around every corner. It`s down every street. It`s in every neighborhood to a different extent. So, it`s impossible to remove yourself from it.

You just cope. You become part of the community. Give out water. Help people any way you can. And just get through it with them together.

Already -- already today, I`ve seen, you know, the community coming together. They`ve -- cleanup crews. Kids coming in from out of town to help clean up. They`ve got their marching gear on and paraded down the street with the drum lines to kind of boost the spirits of the folks here.

So, it seems like wherever there is something terrible that happens to a community, it`s not too -- it`s not too far off that they gather the strength to get their spirit back on track. And that`s the uplifting part of it, at least.

HAMMER: Rob, you mentioned the marching line that came through, a drum line that walked through, actually during one of your reports I was watching with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" earlier this afternoon. And you mentioned that, even though it was sort of a bright spot in the day, you weren`t able to put a smile on your face.

MARCIANO: Well, it`s just tough. It`s tough to put a smile on your face when you`re covering something like this. You try to when something like that happens. But it`s, you know, in every report you get, it seems that the numbers continue to grow as far as the fatalities are concerned.

And you look. You just kind of look around. And you know, you look at a home, you look at a car that`s piled on top of another car, and I say, "Boy, I hope they evacuated." And the fact of the matter is, A.J., not everybody did evacuate.

HAMMER: right.

MARCIANO: And that`s, for me, that`s frustrating. I mean, it`s sad. And it`s heart-wrenching to hear these stories. And it`s just magnified tenfold for me. Someone who makes his living by predicting these storms and following these storms and tracking these storms and telling people to get out of the way of these storms. And when they don`t do it, it`s just - - I can`t even explain the emotions that go on in my stomach.

HAMMER: Rob, I want you to stand by a second. I want to bring in CNN News correspondent Susan Lisovicz. You were live in Biloxi. You may be somewhere else right now, because when I saw you on "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" a little earlier, I believe, if I have my information correct, you`ve been covering the story all over the place.

And Susan, what I want to know from you is once a report has been filed, once you`ve been on the air, cameras down, you`ve been cleared. Do you have to take a couple of moments to kind of get your head together?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, but it`s hard to comprehend, echoing what Rob was just saying. We drove from Mobile, Alabama today. And it was a harrowing drive.

Now, Mobile, Alabama, was not spared in any way from Hurricane Katrina. But as we kept getting closer to Biloxi, which was the outer edge of the eye wall, the damage, the devastation became clearer.

And here it is, broad daylight. There`s no whipping winds. There`s no driving rain. You were able to see it up close and personal. Because some of the roads were impassable. And you`re able to see the best and worst out of people.

I`m happy to say that I saw in most cases, the best out of people: sharing information, helping each other out. But I also saw what appeared to be daytime looting. And of course, at night, the emergency officials here are strapped, so desperate -- desperately. The situation is nothing short of epidemic. That they themselves say that looting is a secondary problem.

And again, we`re here as media and we`re very touched and moved. And it`s devastating to behold. But we won`t be here for weeks and months and years. And that is the kind of damage and devastation we`re seeing.

HAMMER: Well, Susan, so tough just seeing those images on the television. And for you to see it firsthand there and continue to do the job that both you and Rob have been doing. It`s really something else. I want to thank both you, Susan Lisovicz, and Rob Marciano for joining us live tonight.

LISOVICZ: Thanks, A.J.

BRYANT: And now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Reporters in hurricanes: are they risking too much for the story? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also send e-mail to at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts later on in our program.

Well, the hurricane is also affecting Hollywood. Movies and even game shows have had to shut down filming. And we`ve got that story coming up next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Plus, he turned his own grief into crusade. Tonight, a special in depth look at John Walsh the disappearance of his son and why he almost didn`t become the face of "America`s Most Wanted."

BRYANT: And Three Dog Night`s recipe for success. A little wine, some fishes, and of course, a bull frog. We`ll get the back story when Three Dog Night joins us live. That`s coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.

Our coverage of Hurricane Katrina continues now with the hurricane`s impact on Hollywood. More than 500 films have been shot in Louisiana. The film industry was on the rise there. But tonight, the word "devastated" is being used. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is live in Hollywood with the latest.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Karyn.

Well, because some have even gone as far as to call New Orleans the new Hollywood. In the past few years, almost a billion dollars in production has come to the state, partly because Louisiana has aggressively courted the film industry. They`ve offered Hollywood many tax incentives, hoping to bring jobs and revenues to Louisiana.

But Katrina has forced production in the state to come to a halt. It`s a real life drama that has sent the film industry packing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice-over): Katrina, a character Hollywood did not cast and had no control over. The dramatic storm impacted America`s entertainment industry in a very real way, halting productions and sending actors and crews running.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tracked down Lucy Lawless as she fled the area to head back to Hollywood. She told us the evacuation was harrowing and frightening.

LUCY LAWLESS, ACTRESS: We just felt like, there were children on the side of the road. That was terrible. And the strain on the policemen`s faces, because you knew they were staying there out of a sense of duty to us. And people yelling at them, because we`re all so self-interested in getting out of disaster. But you forget about those people who have to stay out of a sense of duty. And they`re great heroes.

VARGAS: The cast and crew of Hilary Swank`s new flick, Warner Brothers Pictures` "The Reaping," was filming in Baton Rouge. And they felt the pain, too. Hilary Swank`s people told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the two- time Oscar winner was evacuated. She has made her way back to her home in New York City.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Wheel of Fortune"!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Wheel of Fortune"!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Wheel of Fortune"!

VARGAS: The crew of "Wheel of Fortune," wrong place at the wrong time, too. They were in New Orleans to tape three weeks of shows. It was the first time they had to cancel a remote taping, ever.

Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser`s new flick, "The Last Time," knew it was time to leave. Element Films halted production and left New Orleans where they were filming.

Dan Aykroyd, who has a business, the House of Blues, and many friends in New Orleans, told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he`s worried.

DAN AYKROYD, ACTOR/BUSINESSMAN: I`m very concerned for my employees that are now homeless, for Mr. John Goodman and his family who makes a home in that area. And I hope that the divine intervention that turned storm right, away from New Orleans, although hitting other places, will now come in to relieve these people of their suffering. And certainly when the time comes, I will be there with my band to help in any way I can.

VARGAS: Multi-platinum rapper Juvenile has ties to New Orleans, too. He lives there, and he wants to help. He tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he`s working on setting up an online charity performance to benefit those impacted by Katrina.

But for now, Lucy Lawless has a message for the people of New Orleans.

LAWLESS: I want the people of New Orleans to know that we`ll be back. We want to help grow the industry. And we love being there. And we love them. They`ve been so kind to us. And we`ll be back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And other films that were currently in production in Louisiana include "Deja Vu," which stars Denzel Washington, and "The Guardian," which stars Kevin Costner. Disney tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT those crews have been evacuated.

The FX television series "The Thief" was about to start production in Nola, as well. And they tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT production has been halted, as well, there.

Now, it`s still too early to tell when and if some of these productions will resume filming and how much money has been lost. But many insiders are saying people are worried about their jobs. And this could have a negative impact on the filming in Louisiana. So yet another strike.

Karyn, back to you.

BRYANT: All right, thank you very much. Sibila Vargas reporting live in Hollywood.

Well, some of the most dramatic pictures of the hurricane have come from amateur video and cell phone cameras. We`ll take a look at the citizen journalists contributing to the coverage, coming up.

HAMMER: And 21 consecutive top 40 hits, 12 gold records in a row. Three Dog Night owned the early `70s. But what`s the band up to these days? We`re going to find out when Three Dog Night joins us live, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: Time for a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" with Three Dog Night. Thanks to hits like "Joy to the World" and "Mama Told Me," they have sold out concerts in the late `60s and the late -- and the early `70s. And the group had 21 consecutive top 40 hits and 12 straight gold albums.

Well, 35 years after they first got together, they`re still going strong. Joining us are Three Dog Night`s founding members, Cory Wells and Danny Hutton.

DANNY HUTTON, MUSICIAN: How are you?

BRYANT: Good, good. So guys, when you`re recording a song like "Joy to the World," do you know it`s a hit right, when you`re recording it?

HUTTON: Absolutely not. In fact, I think on the album, it was the third cut released. We had no idea.

CORY WELLS, MUSICIAN: I didn`t like it.

BRYANT: What`s not to like?

WELLS: I mean, the writer is a great friend of mine. But I just thought it was too light. I was into heavier stuff.

HUTTON: It was made for a children`s show, actually. We kind of did it as a goof. And who knew? Who knew?

BRYANT: Now it`s like a frat club anthem. Everybody loves it, you know.

HUTTON: Every kid sings it in school.

BRYANT: Everybody sings it from young to old. I`m saying in college, I don`t know how many times I`ve heard that song over and over.

HUTTON: For us, the energy, I think, is the audience. They kind of give it back to us. We do it at the end, you know, and they just sing along. Even little kids, Vietnam veterans, everybody kind of likes it.

BRYANT: Speaking of Vietnam, there`s a great scene in "Forrest Gump." Lieutenant Dan, and you know, you`re on the boat. You`re in "The 40-Year- Old Virgin," which is a great movie that`s out. Now you guys are in "Lords of Dogtown."

What do you do -- "Big Chill" -- when your music is in a great film like that? How does that make you feel when you see that?

HUTTON: It`s great.

WELLS: Honored.

HUTTON: Pays my bar bill, too.

BRYANT: I bet. Is that a big bill?

HUTTON: No, just fine wine. Fine wine.

BRYANT: All right. All right. Nice.

WELLS: The fine wine bar.

WELLS: Actually, it`s a great honor. I mean, it means somebody`s listening, somebody was there, somebody remembers. And they just bring it back to new generations of people.

HUTTON: Yes, I think we have -- I think in "Jarhead," it`s a whole bunch of movies this year. We have a bunch of songs. "Shambala," this year, seems to be the one.

WELLS: The hot song this year.

BRYANT: That`s the one in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," right?

WELLS: Yes.

HUTTON: Yes. I want to shout out to Jay Lynch in that movie. She`s a friend of mine.

BRYANT: All right. One thing that`s interesting. We were just kind of looking at some of the magazines here. ColdPlay. The industry has changed so much. When you first started, you recorded, I think, four albums in 18 months. Now people put out digital singles. They don`t even put out vinyl anymore. What do you think of the way the industry works now?

HUTTON: It`s good. I think the pro tool stuff is great. I have three boys, and they have a bunch of bands between them. And I think it`s great as far as getting new music out there. I just -- I think it`s going to be easier to get in on the radio now.

WELLS: It`s a different format. It`s another format, but it`s still the same industry. And it just, you know, everybody wants to be in the music business. And only the cream will rise to the top.

HUTTON: I was going to say that. The good stuff will still come up, you know? I mean...

BRYANT: Yes. Absolutely. ColdPlay is rising. They`re terrific. Who are you listening to these days?

HUTTON: I like the White Stripes. I like Weezer. I like sort of that, some of that stuff. I like Eminem. I mean, sometimes he gets a little bit over the edge. But as far as what he`s doing, you know.

BRYANT: That`s good stuff. And you? Your favorites?

WELLS: I`m not listening to anything so new.

BRYANT: All right, well, that`s OK.

HUTTON: Bobby Blue Bland. Bobby Blue Bland.

WELLS: ... for the `80s right now.

BRYANT: Well, Cory Wells and Danny Hutton thanks for joining us here. And this Thursday, Three Dog Night will be performing to a sold out crowd at B.B. King`s, here in New York City.

HAMMER: Well, still ahead, home videos and cell phone images are helping record the legacy of Hurricane Katrina. The role of the citizen journalist and how the everyday American is capturing a piece of history and heartache.

Plus, he turned personal tragedy into a crime-fighting tool. Coming up, a special report on the John Walsh you never knew on "People in the News" here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOPHIA CHOI, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues in just a minute. I`m Sophia Choi with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Katrina`s devastation is hard to comprehend tonight. Millions are without electricity or drinking water. And the death toll and floodwaters continue to rise. Aid agencies now say things might not improve for weeks, maybe months.

In New Orleans, two levee breaks, one the size of a football field, are contributing to the rising water levels. In some areas, the water is 20 feet deep. And the mayor says 80 percent of the city is under water. There`s also been widespread looting, and many hospitals are no longer functioning.

In Mississippi, as many as 100 people have died. And officials fear hundreds actually could be dead. But the main coastal highway is under water, preventing officials from assessing the damage.

Meantime, the U.S. Coast Guard says rescuing victims stranded by Katrina is its number-one priority. So far, crews have saved 1,200 people in the New Orleans area alone.

That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi.

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

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.

HAMMER: Still to come in this half-hour, "America`s Most Wanted" host John Walsh has helped capture -- or his program has helped lead to the capture of hundreds of fugitives. He has a very tragic yet a very inspiring story. And you will see it on "People in the News," coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

BRYANT: And also tragic and inspiring, the shots of Hurricane Katrina. What`s amazing is now, because of cell phones and D.V. cameras, citizens are contributing in great ways to the coverage of the storms. And we`re going to take a look at citizen journalists. That`s also on the way.

But first, let`s get tonight`s "Hot Headlines" from Sibila Vargas, joining us live once again from Hollywood.

Hi, Sibila.

VARGAS: Hi, Karyn.

Well, tonight, we`re getting more word on how Hurricane Katrina affected the entertainment industry. Several film shoots had to be shut down in New Orleans, including a TV movie starring Lucy Lawless, who told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the evacuation was harrowing.

Today, we learned that "Wheel of Fortune" was also taping in New Orleans when the evacuation order came in. Pat Sajak and Vanna White got a private jet out of the city. The staff took a 20-hour bus ride to Houston and then flew back to Los Angeles.

And one of the most famous couples in Hollywood will perform together on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The announcement came in today that Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey will sing "America the Beautiful" on September 11th before an NFL game. The tribute will be broadcast nationally.

Singer Art Garfunkel has been arrested on marijuana charges again. Police reportedly found pot in Garfunkel`s car when he ran a stop sign in Woodstock, New York, over the weekend. He`s due in court next month. Last year, Garfunkel pleaded guilty to marijuana possession and paid $200 in fines.

And Michael Jackson is reportedly living it up in Dubai these days. Jackson has been visiting the United Arab Emirates after being acquitted of child molestation charges in June. People say he looks relaxed and friendly and has been going out to the Hard Rock Cafe for chicken wings with Bahraini prince and a racecar driver from the area.

And those are the "Hot Headlines" from Hollywood.

Karyn, back to you.

BRYANT: You know, Sibila, my aunt spends a lot of time in Dubai, for real. I`ll tell her to keep an eye out for M.J.

VARGAS: Yes, and also the chicken wings look really good at the Hard Rock Cafe.

BRYANT: And the chicken wings, which are apparently fantastic.

Thanks very much, Sibila, live in Hollywood.

HAMMER: Well, tonight, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Not only have reporters fearlessly gone into the raging storm to get the first- hand accounts of Katrina, but citizens have been doing the same thing. It`s yet another wave of citizen journalism.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer here live now with that story -- David?

HAFFENREFFER: A.J., video cameras and cell phones in hand, citizen journalists have documented every major event in the last year, from the Pope`s funeral to the London subway bombings. And it`s no different tonight, as those bearing the brunt of Katrina`s aftermath send back emotional accounts and startling images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): Imagine sitting in your home and hearing this, the eerie sound of Hurricane Katrina blasting by one woman`s home. It`s just one of many poignant, sometimes terrifying images taken by those closest to the drama, the citizens themselves.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: If you`ve been impacted by Katrina or witness its destructive might, we would love to see your photos or your e- mail.

HAFFENREFFER: CNN`s been asking viewers to do double duty and serve as eyes and ears of Katrina where reporters weren`t able to reach. The response overwhelming, like this incredible video shot by a woman in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Look at the sheer force of the waves as they smashed into the coast line just feet from the road.

The photos are awe-inspiring, like this one, taken from a ship off the coast of Louisiana as Katrina struck full force, with winds over 100 miles per hour. And this one, capturing waves smashing a pier into bits, taken in Panama Beach.

For those with the courage to stand up to Katrina`s gale-force winds, an intimate look at her fury, like this video, taken by a guy standing on a fourth-floor parking garage in the middle of everything.

RICHARD LELAND, "CITIZEN JOURNALIST": Well, I wanted to have a record of what a hurricane looks like. I`ve been at the outskirts of hurricanes since I was a little kid. And one of the things I wanted to do in my life was to see one. And this was an opportunity, a little more than I had expected.

HAFFENREFFER: Way more than he expected, with ferocious winds, rapidly rising water levels, and a lot of debris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the waves eating away at the first floor of the parking structure.

HAFFENREFFER: And then there`s the aftermath. These taken after Katrina blasted through Florida, in New Orleans, a tattered but fairly stable Superdome showing the tell-tale signs of Katrina`s ravages.

Everybody photo sent into CNN, like this fire truck smashed in by the side of a building, shows more destruction. And in the midst of that destruction, pleas for help.

Log on to the web. Blogs with thousands of entries from families looking for loved ones. Also on these blogs, descriptions of the damage, heartfelt sympathy from around the world, and photos, lots of photos.

Be it on the web or on CNN`s air, citizens` journalism is just one part of the coverage that`s helping America make sense of the mass devastation that is Hurricane Katrina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAFFENREFFER: And as these pictures and blogs can attest, conditions in the Gulf area are bad and continue, we understand, to deteriorate. More than 30,000 refugees have flocked to the Superdome in New Orleans for a much-needed refuge from the floods -- A.J.?

HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer. Thanks very much.

Well, reporting on Hurricane Katrina has certainly been emotionally exhausting for those who are living in its aftermath and, of course, for the journalists covering its every development on the air. Emotions got the best of CNN correspondent Jeanne Meserve on CNN`s "NEWSNIGHT" with Aaron Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you have, and when I say you, I think people understand -- I hope people understand -- that it`s not just you. You`re working with a crew of people, photographer and others. Do you have a sense of how many people may be stranded tonight?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. Nobody has a sense of that.

And may I say that the crew was extraordinary. We had very difficult situations. My cameramen has worked with a broken foot since 9:00 this morning to try and get this story to you.

Big words of praise for them and for Mark Biello, who went out and ended up in that water trying to get the rescue boats over partially submerged railroad tracks. It was a heroic piece of work by CNN employees.

BROWN: Our thanks to you for your efforts. You don`t need to hear this from me, but, you know, people sometimes think that we`re a bunch of kind of wacky thrill-seekers doing this work sometimes. And no one who has listened to the words you`ve spoken or the tone of your voice could possibly think that now.

We appreciate your work.

MESERVE: Aaron, thank you. We are sometimes wacky thrill-seekers, but when you stand in the dark, and you hear people yelling for help, and no one can get to them, it`s a totally different experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Hard to listen to. Putting their lives on the line, and really just trying get the story and the pictures out to you.

BRYANT: That`s right. And this does lead to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Reporters in hurricanes: Are they risking too much for the story?

You can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Please write to us. We`ve got an address, showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming up at 54 past the hour.

Well, it is a job he never wanted. And now, almost 20 years later, John Walsh has made a crime-fighting phenomenon out of "America`s Most Wanted." His heart-wrenching story, in tonight`s "People in the News."

HAMMER: And reality co-ed Tommy Lee is too cool for school. And we don`t mean "Smoking in the Boys Room." He tells Jimmy Kimmel how he bends the rules, coming up in "Laughter Dark."

BRYANT: And Colombian songbird Shakira is out with a new video. The song is called "No," but will you be saying yes? That`s coming up in tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

When a killer is on the loose, when a child goes missing, when the trail turns cold, John Walsh is out there flushing out the bad guys. The "America`s Most Wanted" host turned a lifetime of grief into his own personal crusade.

On July 27, 1981, Walsh`s 6-year-old son, Adam, disappeared without a trace. The Walsh`s knew instantly that something was horribly wrong. Here`s CNN`s Paula Zahn for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks after Adam Walsh vanished in the summer of 1981, the remains of a small boy were found in a canal 150 miles north of Hollywood, Florida. John and Reve Walsh were in New York at the time.

They had just appeared on a national morning show, pleading for information about their missing son. John was in the hotel by himself when the phone rang.

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": The worse phone call in my life, the worst day of my life. It was my best friend. And he said, "Those remains," my son was decapitated, "is Adam."

And that`s all I remember. I remember smashing things, and wrecking things, and throwing things around. And I don`t remember them breaking into the room, but I was told they did, security. And I guess they got a hotel doctor or a doctor from somewhere.

And I told them that what I had to do was call Reve. I had to find Reve, because I didn`t want anybody else to tell her. I wanted to tell her myself. I said, you know, this is going to be the hardest thing I`ve ever done, but I have to do it myself.

ZAHN: The abduction and murder of his son, Adam, nearly consumed John Walsh. For a time, he didn`t want to go on. Desperate and grieving, Walsh looked for answers, but all he found were more questions.

ERNIE ALLEN, CTR. MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: Twenty years ago, if your child was abducted, you were pretty much on your own. Today, there`s a national network for disseminating images and information. There are 50 state missing children clearing houses. Twenty years ago, there were none.

ZAHN: John and Reve started a local missing children center out of their garage. And eight weeks after Adam`s death, they testified before Congress on behalf of the Missing Children`s Act, which would require the authorities to keep files on missing children and unidentified bodies.

John Walsh had come to Washington for help, for action. What he ran into was resistance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a nobody from Florida. And it was a sad story. And he`d lost his little boy, and they wanted to pat him on the head and have him go away.

WALSH: We don`t even know how many of our children are missing.

ZAHN: But Walsh wouldn`t go away, wouldn`t give up.

WALSH: Any coroner will tell you most children are murdered in 24 hours.

ZAHN: And his persistence paid off. In 1982, he was there when President Ronald Reagan signed the Missing Children`s Act into law.

Walsh`s activism helped establish the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. By this time, he was becoming a very familiar face, not only in Washington, but around the nation.

Walsh continued to hone his on-camera skills through news conferences and talk show appearances, appearances that impressed executives at a fledgling new network called FOX.

WALSH: I became a victim of crime when my young son, Adam...

ZAHN: They had an idea for a program that would profile criminals and solicit tips from viewers. TV was ready for John Walsh, but he wasn`t sure he was ready for TV. He said no for six months, until finally...

WALSH: I asked Reve. I said, "You know, Reve, they want me to do a pilot. I don`t know what a pilot is." And Reve said, "You know what? Do it. That`s what we`re about."

Good evening from Washington, D.C. I`m John Walsh.

ZAHN: "America`s Most Wanted" debuted in February of 1988.

WALSH: Our first case is from the FBI`s Ten Most Wanted list.

ZAHN: The first person profiled was caught three days later. And a once-reluctant John Walsh has been the host for nearly 20 years.

WALSH: Good evening...

ZAHN: In that time, "America`s Most Wanted" has led to the capture of hundreds of fugitives.

From Hollywood, Florida, to Washington, D.C., from activist to television crime-fighter. Along the way, John Walsh and his wife, Reve, have filled their lives with three more children, Megan, Callahan, and Hayden. Walsh is thankful and proud, but he`s not without his personal demons. He nearly lost his marriage amid reports of extramarital affairs.

WALSH: I made lots of mistakes. And about 80 percent of parents of murdered children wind up in divorce. I`ve always tried to be a good father, but I was a lousy husband. And I did a lot of things that shouldn`t have done that really should have cost me my marriage.

ZAHN: No one has ever been charged in Adam Walsh`s murder. In 1997, however, John published "Tears of Rage." In it, he and his co-author combed through Adam`s 10,000-page police report. They also name a suspect.

WALSH: I believe that Otis Toole, serial killer who died on death row in Florida, from AIDS and cirrhosis of the liver, killed Adam. He confessed to Adam`s murder on several occasions, in spite of the media saying he recanted his story. He didn`t recant his confession; his lawyer did.

ZAHN: Over the last two decades, John Walsh has been a tireless advocate, not only for children`s rights, but also victim`s rights. He has fought for new laws, and he has helped thousands. And he`s done it all with one person in mind.

WALSH: I`ve often thought that I wanted to make sure Adam didn`t die in vain, that his beautiful little life wasn`t in vain. And, you know, I think he`s up there saying, "Go get them, Dad. Hang in there."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: That was CNN`s Paula Zahn reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And you can pick up a copy of "People" magazine on newsstands now.

BRYANT: Time now to see what you`ve been watching. Final Nielsen ratings just out today for last week`s shows. As we do every Tuesday, here`s a first look at the network`s top five.

All CBS shows this week. "CSI" was the most-watched show of the week. "60 Minutes" was in second place, followed by "Two and a Half Men." "CSI: Miami" was tied for fourth place with "Without a Trace."

HAMMER: Not too long ago, we had Tommy Lee on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. He was talking about his college experience on his new reality show, "Tommy Lee Goes to College." Well, last night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Tommy explained just how he got around those rules to maintain the "Tommy Lee" lifestyle.

Take a look at this clip in "Laughter Dark."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Oh, no.

TOMMY LEE, "TOMMY LEE GOES TO COLLEGE": NBC sat me down and read me the full riot act.

KIMMEL: Really?

LEE: Like, no nothin` on campus, no bringing girls back here.

KIMMEL: Since when do you listen to NBC?

(LAUGHTER)

The hell with them. You`re Tommy Lee, for God`s sake.

LEE: But here`s the deal: I devised a plan b.

KIMMEL: Oh, what was it?

(APPLAUSE)

I have a feeling you would.

LEE: Yes. "Operation Off-Campus Hotel Room."

KIMMEL: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Tonight, Jimmy welcomes Vivica A. Fox to the show.

BRYANT: Well, there is still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Reporters in hurricanes: Are they risking too much for the story? You can vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight or write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. And we will be reading some of your e-mails live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRYANT: In tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase," Shakira`s new music video, "No." The song is the second single from her latest album, "Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1," which means "Oral Fixation." It`s already sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. And the video debuted on AOL Music yesterday, but we`ve got your look, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAKIRA, MUSICIAN: (Singing in Spanish)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT: Shakira`s English-language album, "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2," is set for release later this year.

HAMMER: Well, earlier in the program, we showed you some dramatic footage of reporters covering Hurricane Katrina. And throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Reporters in hurricanes: Are they risking too much for the story?

Here`s how the vote`s been going so far tonight: 80 percent of you do say, yes, they are risking too much; 20 percent of you say, no, they are not.

We`ve gotten some e-mails on the subject, as well. Heard from Taija (ph) from Nevada who writes, "I don`t think they`re risking too much. Many people are thankful for what they`re doing."

Also heard from Robin in Louisiana who adds, "While I feel reporters are putting themselves in danger, I also think that they are doing a great service to the country."

And we heard from JeBron (ph) in Ohio who has this to say: "I am sure that the joy one gets in knowing that their reporting might be saving many lives far outweighs the dangers involved."

If you`d like to, 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 for that, we check in with our Marquee Guy with the "Showbiz Marquee." Take it away.

MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, a special report on Paul McCartney as he gets set to launch his concert tour. How he met John Lennon. Why the Beatles broke up. How that rumor that he was dead got started. It`s everything you`ve always wanted to know about the cute Beatle. Tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.

This is the Marquee Guy. See you later, Karyn and A.J., because I`ve got a ticket to ride...

BRYANT: Wait!

MARQUEE GUY: Oh no, the Marquee Guy`s singing again! No, Mr. Bill!

BRYANT: We can`t pay for that, Marquee Guy.

HAMMER: It`s not in the budget.

BRYANT: Stop with the Beatles. Michael Jackson will be all over us.

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

BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.

END