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Showbiz Tonight
Images of an American Tragedy; Celebs to Hold Benefits for Hurricane Relief; "Sesame Street" to Help Kids Deal with Hurricane; Wynton Marsalis Details New Orleans Cultural History; Dan Aykroyd Reflects on "Blues Brothers" Milestone
Aired August 31, 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 BRYANT, CO-HOST: And I`m Karyn Bryant. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hurricane Katrina, a real- life tragedy in pictures. Tonight, the heartbreaking images of the disaster and the psychological toll they`re taking on people many miles away.
HAMMER (voice-over): The hurricane and Hollywood. Tonight, the stars who are from the area devastated by Katrina. Some sending prayers and support, some looking for their own families. Plus, how celebrities are coming together to help.
BRYANT: Martha Stewart, living it up. It`s a big day for Martha. The ankle bracelet comes off, and she`s back to work full time. Tonight, Martha`s new-found freedom, and what`s coming up in her career.
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: I`m Donald Trump. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: And I`m Karyn Bryant. Tonight, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. For the last 48 hours, Americans have been glued to their televisions watching both the storm and the recovery efforts live, as they happen.
HAMMER: The toll on the Gulf Coast has been devastating. Viewers at home may also be impacted by the images they`re watching. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer, live now with more.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J. and Karyn, they have no electricity, no clean water. No way of communicating with one another. Residents of the Gulf Coast are clearly in distress as the Coast Guard makes frantic attempts to rescue them from their rooftops.
There are tens of thousands of people homeless and searching for loved ones. And it`s a drama unfolding before the eyes of Americans everywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The eye of the storm was the last time I talked to my husband. And my kids told him that they loved him.
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): The stories and images coming out of the Gulf Coast are unlike any other. Dramatic rooftop rescues taking place live before America`s eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is amazing. This is America? You hear about this in foreign countries. Not here.
HAFFENREFFER: Countries like Indonesia, which suffered incredible devastation with a death toll in the tens of thousands. But here in America, because it`s America, the damage strikes a particular chord with viewers at home.
ROBERT THOMPSON, COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: It`s, of course, always the sense, I think, when something happens on our own soil. We tend to give it more importance. Here, we`ve, of course, got all of our own reporters, all of our fellow citizens being interviewed from the tops of their roofs.
HAFFENREFFER: And the stories being told aren`t only about the citizens, but sometimes about the reporter themselves.
ROBIN ROBERTS, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA": You see the corner right here? That was a Mexican restaurant right there.
HAFFENREFFER: On "Good Morning America," Robin Roberts reported live from her hometown, where her neighborhood was damaged beyond recognition.
ROBERTS: I tried to get back to my home in the past, as it`s affectionately referred to. Can`t get in. Can`t see if the home that we still own there is still standing or not, the home that I grew up in.
HAFFENREFFER: But for the viewers at home, these images strike a deep chord.
DAVID SATTLER, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY: For Americans it`s always difficult to see our fellow citizens going through such a difficult time. But, you know, it`s our experience as Americans that we really do pull together. And I`ve seen in disaster site after disaster site the community pulling together and rallying around and being able to do something tangible.
HAFFENREFFER: And it`s these images of Katrina that will be burned into the minds of many, people stranded on the roofs, waiting to be rescued.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was actually able to, because it was so high, force Willow and the cat out the window and push them up onto the roof. And once I had gotten them out, I did the same thing.
HAFFENREFFER: Frenzied, out of control looting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s bad around here. People trying to eat and survive. They`re just, you know, trying to take care of their family.
HAFFENREFFER: And entire communities engulfed in water or destroyed by high winds.
GARY HARGROVE, HARRISON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, CORONER: We`re talking about major buildings that may have withstood Camille, collapsing. If there`s an individual in it, it`s going to take time to rescue, whether they be alive or dead.
HAFFENREFFER: Common landmarks often visited by Americans, like Bourbon Street in New Orleans, now look like this. Completely destroyed. It looks like a scene out of a bad movie. Only this time, it`s real.
THOMPSON: Certainly as a nation, have gotten very used to seeing some really, really disturbing images over the past several years. In real life, September 11, and as well as in our movies and entertainment.
HAFFENREFFER: And amidst the sadness and chaos could come a glimmer of understanding for many viewers.
SATTLER: One thing that`s fascinating, a research project we conducted after the September 11 attacks and after the very devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand, we`ve started to look at how people are resilient. And how they -- what they learn from disasters, in time. It takes time to develop. And we find that people really do re-evaluate what`s important in their life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: Evaluating what`s important in their own lives and how they might help. Already the Red Cross has mobilized more than 2,000 volunteers into the area. And much more is expected in the coming days and weeks -- Karyn.
BRYANT: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer. Thank you very much.
And now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Hurricane Katrina: are the images affecting you? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. And send e-mail to us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts later in the show.
HAMMER: Tonight, a look at how Katrina`s devastation has impacted celebrities and what they are doing to bring help to the region. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson joining us live now from Hollywood with that story.
Hi, Brooke.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, A.J.
Well, from pop singer Britney Spears to football star Brett Favre, there are many in the celebrity world who hail from the places hurt most by Hurricane Katrina. And now those celebrities and many others are responding with an outpouring of emotion and support.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): In the wake of Hurricane Katrina`s devastation, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has reached out to the stars. And we`ve been overwhelmed with heart-felt and emotional reactions and offers of support.
The storm destroyed Green Bay Packer Brett Favre`s family`s home in Mississippi. He spoke to reporters this morning.
BRETT FAVRE, GREEN BAY PACKERS: This is really a lot like the tsunami on a smaller scale. That rebuilding is going to take not weeks, not months, not years. I mean, it`s going to take, two years, no. Ten years, maybe.
ANDERSON: Truly devastating. His teammate, Javon Walker, is missing his grandparents from Mississippi.
JAVON WALKER, GREEN BAY PACKERS: I just wanted to relay the message that I got a phone call from my mom this morning. And I think it`s been two days so far that they can`t find my grandparents and two of my uncles on my dad`s side.
ANDERSON: Richard Simmons hails from the region, too. He told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in a statement he`s devastated. "My childhood is being washed away. My family is safe. I want to participate in any way possible to help the city get back on its feet."
Other celebrities with links to areas impacted by Katrina: the band Better Than Ezra, country singer Aaron Neville, author Anne Rice, actress Delta Burke, singer Jimmy Buffett, movie star John Goodman and singer Tim McGraw, who is the latest Red Cross blood drive spokesperson and will be speaking to the press tomorrow about Katrina.
Britney Spears grew up in a small town near Baton Rouge. On her web site, she writes, "My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone." And adds, "All of my family members there are safe."
ELLEN DEGENERES, COMEDIAN/TALK SHOW HOST: Hey, speaking of parties. Let`s get this one started, all right?
ANDERSON: Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is a New Orleans native. She will do something related to Hurricane Katrina when her show comes back from break September 6. And plans to talk about Katrina when she hosts the Emmys in a few weeks.
You may remember NBC`s star-studded tsunami relief telethon. Ellen`s publicist confirms to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that she will participate in an NBC telethon much like that one. The music and celebrity-driven effort will be hosted by Matt Lauer. Tim McGraw, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Connick Jr., who all have ties to the impacted areas, will participate.
Other celebrity relief efforts underway: Jerry Lewis` muscular dystrophy Labor Day telethon will now also raise funds for hurricane relief. The Walt Disney Company has pledged $2.5 million to the relief. And Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has helped organize an online auction with proceeds going to the Red Cross.
Rosie O`Donnell posted a link to the Red Cross on her online blog, writing, "Please help." Actress Marlee Matlin, who serves as a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, said, "I try to encourage friends and neighbors near and far to lend a hand," asking folks to give blood, food, or money.
And more help is on the way for the Red Cross. MTV, VH1, and CMTs have just announced they`re launching a relief campaign to air across all three major networks on Saturday, September 10, featuring top names like Ludacris, Green Day, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp.
And we just received word that BET is partnering with the Red Cross for a telethon September 19 featuring Master P., Wynton Marsalis, and Russell Simmons.
And Leonardo DiCaprio`s publicist just told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Leonardo was, quote, "horrified by what happened." Leo will be appearing on the NBC benefit special.
So A.J., the list goes on and on. There are so many people impacted by Katrina and so many celebrities eager to do all they can to help.
HAMMER: Yes, I think we`ll be seeing a lot of benefits for some time to come. And that`s a good thing.
ANDERSON: That`s a great thing.
HAMMER: Brooke Anderson, joining us live from Hollywood.
Well, kids are getting some help in dealing with the TV images of the hurricane from some of their favorite characters on "Sesame Street." It`s a great story. We`re going to bring it to you, coming up.
BRYANT: Plus, Wynton Marsalis has a personal connection to the area destroyed by the hurricane, and he will be performing at a benefit concert on Friday. He`s also going to be joining us live, later in tonight`s show.
HAMMER: And, today`s the day Martha Stewart gets to lose that ankle bracelet. But she`s not exactly a free bird yet. That`s also coming up.
BRYANT: Now, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who scored the first unsubpoenaed interview with Monica Lewinsky, which aired on March 3, 1999? Was it Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, or Connie Chung? We`ll be right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who scored the first unsubpoenaed interview with Monica Lewinsky, which aired on March 3, 1999? Was it Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, or Connie Chung? Well, the answer is c, Barbara Walters.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Tonight, the familiar characters from "Sesame Street" are giving both parents and children a lesson in how to cope with the hurricane disaster.
Joining us live to tell us about it, Dr. Rosemarie Truglio. She`s the vice president of education and research for the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street."
Dr. Truglio, thanks for joining us. The Sesame Workshop known for teaching kids how to read and write over the years, always welcome into our homes. But several years ago you decided to develop a program dealing with natural disasters. Coincidentally, a hurricane. What was behind the decision to develop this program?
DR. ROSEMARIE TRUGLIO, VP OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, SESAME WORKSHOP: Well, "Sesame Street" meets the needs of every aspect of child development, especially social and emotional development.
So this five-part story, which first aired on "Sesame Street," deals with a hurricane hitting "Sesame Street," and helping Big Bird cope with the loss of his home. So this is about helping children develop these strategies to help them become more resilient, especially during stressful times.
HAMMER: So they`re seeing their favorite characters reacting in much of the way that the kids are seeing images on TV or much in the way they may be feeling themselves?
TRUGLIO: Exactly. And seeing the community coming together. Because it was the community who helped validate Big Bird`s feelings.
Now, you have to keep in mind that children who have been affected by this horrible disaster will have a range of emotions. They are going to be frightened. They`re going to be confused. They`re going to be angry. There`s going to be a lot of emotions. And so, that`s something that we dealt with in this story line.
HAMMER: Well, one of the things that is certainly of concern to a lot of parents is how to deal with all these televised images. Particularly the kids are out of school right now. The images are everywhere. What should we, as parents, do to help our kids better understand what they`re seeing on television?
TRUGLIO: That`s so true, because there are children -- children around the nation are being affected by these images. And parents need to be very mindful about the images their child is being exposed to through media, to talk to their child about what they`re seeing, to reassure their child that everything is fine and that they`re doing everything to keep them safe.
HAMMER: Sure. Your web site also, the Sesame Workshop web site, has some very important pointers for parents on also helping their kids deal with it. What are some of the things we`ll find on the site?
TRUGLIO: There are wonderful tips for parents and wonderful resources. There is a wonderful outreach section which talked about, you can ask. What`s really important in child development right now is to get kids to actually talk to you about how they are feeling. And parents need to be very astute to not only what their child is saying, but what their child is doing through their actions.
So, there are wonderful resources to help the parents actually help their child cope with these rather disturbing images.
HAMMER: So, calm your own fears first and pay attention to what your children have to say.
TRUGLIO: That is so important. Because your child picks up on your emotional state. So if you can`t calm yourself down first, you`re not going to be able to reassure your child that you can keep them secure and safe.
HAMMER: Dr. Rosemarie Truglio. Thank you very much for all the work you`re doing and for getting the message out there for kids and for parents.
For more information, you can visit the Sesame Workshop at SesameWorkshop.org. And for the kids, "Sesame Street" will be reairing these episodes we are speaking of starting September 12. The DVD of Sesame Street`s "Friends to the Rescue" is out in stores now.
BRYANT: Earlier in the show, we told you about the concert for hurricane relief. Harry Connick Jr., Tim McGraw and Wynton Marsalis are all scheduled to perform at that live concert this Friday.
Well, tonight, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis joins us live to talk about his personal connection to New Orleans and to give us some perspective on how important New Orleans has been to jazz and to music culture.
Thank you so much for coming.
WYNTON MARSALIS, MUSICIAN: Thank you.
BRYANT: You grew up in the area. Do you still have family and friends there? And if so, have you been able to be in contact with them yet?
MARSALIS: I talked to my father today, my brothers. I`m from there. My family, all my roots. And they`re all displaced, but everybody in my family is safe.
BRYANT: So they -- are any of them in the Superdome? Were they able to evacuate a little more?
MARSALIS: They all evacuated first.
BRYANT: Oh, yes. Good.
MARSALIS: They`ve been through, you know, Camille and Betsy and other hurricanes. So they understood the difference in the warning.
BRYANT: That`s good.
Now, we often hear -- I can`t even believe that I`ve never been to New Orleans. I`ve wanted to go for so long. I`ve got friends from there. They`re telling me I have to go because I`m a foodie and I love music. So I need to go there some time.
But, tell me about -- about why it`s known as the jazz capital. I mean, we know Louis Armstrong is from there. So I mean, you just -- you hear the word "jazz," and you instantly think, New Orleans.
MARSALIS: Well, we`re the birthplace of jazz. Mainly because we are the city that was more of the melting pot than any other city in the United States. We`re French, Spanish. We were British, American. We were the city that allowed the African slaves to continue to play the drums on Sundays in Congo Square. And they also could sell things. So there was much more integration of people.
And there were -- also, you know, the French, when they colonized people, they marry everybody. And they claim their kids. It`s not like the British. They want the woman, but they don`t want to say nothing about the child.
BRYANT: No, I know what you`re talking about.
MARSALIS: So, New Orleans is a very special city in all of the United States, because our culture is unique. I think we`re the only city in the entire world with a unique identifiable culture. We have our own cuisine. We have our own architecture with the famous shotgun houses and Creole cottages and the mansions in the Garden District. We have our own form of music that we invented, jazz. And it speaks to the soul of democracy.
BRYANT: It truly is the American music form.
MARSALIS: It is.
BRYANT: Now, we mentioned that Harry Connick Jr. is also performing. Are you guys friends? And have you been in contact with him to talk about, sort of get some happy feelings about New Orleans?
MARSALIS: We`re closer than that. We`re like family. When Harry first came to New York, he was staying with me. He`s like my little brother or something. And you know, my father was a teacher. He taught all of us music. And we got on the phone with each other, he and I and my brother. Mark Mario Lewis (ph) was the mayor of New Orleans. All New Orleans people, we all started connecting with each other.
At first, we were kind of OK, the hurricane, but then we started to see our city under water. It was like something so sacred to you being violated that it touched us very deeply. And we wanted to do whatever.
And Harry, he`s gone down to do whatever he can do today. I don`t know -- I don`t know what you can do. But if you`re not an engineer, you can`t do too much.
BRYANT: Right. Right.
MARSALIS: But, you know, yes, we on the phone with each other. And we have a certain closeness that comes from our culture and also our upbringing.
BRYANT: Right, right. Well, I know the people think -- I`m -- I`m speechless. I don`t know want to do about it. I wish I were an amazing musician who could play at a concert on Friday. I thank you for doing that. And I thank you for joining us, Wynton Marsalis.
MARSALIS: Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, hard to believe, but it`s been 25 years since the Blues Brothers went on their mission from God. Coming up next, our "SHOWBIZ Sit- down" with Elwood Blues himself, Dan Aykroyd.
BRYANT: Plus, Martha Stewart is getting ready to lose her least favorite accessory. We`ll look at what she has planned when the ankle bracelet comes off. That`s coming up a little later.
HAMMER: and continuing our coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. More with the reporters who are on the front lines of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. That`s coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tonight, in a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown," Dan Aykroyd. Twenty-five years ago, he and John Belushi, better known, of course, as The Blues Brothers, were 106 miles from Chicago, had a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it was dark, and they were wearing sunglasses.
And the movie, "The Blues Brothers," set the bar for film spin-offs of "Saturday Night Live" characters.
Well, I had a chance to sit down with Aykroyd to discuss the 25th anniversary of "The Blues Brothers" movie, and we talked about "SNL," as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Joining me now from Toronto, Dan Aykroyd. It`s nice to se you, Dan, and in those glass, of course.
I`ve mentioned that your movie, "The Blues Brothers," of course, really did set the bar. And it`s never been met. Over the years we`ve had movies like, oh, "It`s Pat," "The Lady`s Man" really not meeting much success at all. What about "The Blues Brothers" was so massive that movies were not able to achieve the same level of success?
DAN AYKROYD, ACTOR: Well, you know, "The Blues Brothers" had Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin, and James Brown and John Lee Hooker. And it had all those great American songs.
And I think, you know, really, it was the contribution of Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn. When they came on board, they gave us "Soul Man," our No. 1 hit, the remake of the Sam and Dave record on our first record, "Briefcase Full of Blues." And that made the Blues Brothers a quality act.
HAMMER: Of course, we can not forget the great comic legend John Belushi. Truly a comic genius. And I always wondered if he understood the magnitude of the Blues Brothers movie back then. Or, is he right now, wherefore he is, laughing at us saying, "That movie? You guys are making such a big deal over that?" I mean, what was John`s take?
AYKROYD: No, he was really steeped in once we started to acquaint -- reacquaint him with blues music, as I did and we all did, he was steeped in it. He was an archivist. He had a reverence and a respect for the music, the artists. He knew we were making something special.
We didn`t know what the impact would be, whether it would be a hit or not. The first record was a hit. We didn`t know whether the second would be, the soundtrack or the movie. But we really knew we were working on something special.
I mean, when an actor gets to share the stage with tremendous people like the musical artists and having John Candy in the film, who was a massive comic star at the time. I think John knew that we were doing something great.
HAMMER: As we head into the 30th season of "Saturday Night Live," I wanted to get your take on it now, because it was the glory days back then when you and John were on it. And real quickly, do you watch the program now?
AYKROYD: I do. I love it. I think Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch are treasures. They`re real strong woman. Maya Rudolph and Tina Fey. Really, really strong women writers and performers.
This Darrell Hammond is the best political impression we`ve ever seen. James Downey, the sharp political writing that was evident in the last two years throughout the election and all that. Just really vivid.
And I really hope that they keep on doing the fine work that they`ve been doing in the last couple of years. And I`m going to be there to watch. I`m a big fan of the show. And I hope that the next decade is as exciting as I know it can be.
HAMMER: Well, Dan, I`ve got to run out of here and get myself a ricochet biscuit and wish sandwich. But I appreciate you joining me today on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
AYKROYD: Do that again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I got Dan Aykroyd to join in with me. A classic line, of course, from "Rubber Biscuit." That was on their album, "Briefcase Full of Blues."
The 25th anniversary edition of "The Blues Brothers" DVD in stores now.
And as we played last night on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Dan mentioned, of course, he`s very concerned about the staff and the families of the staff of his House of Blues restaurant in New Orleans. John Goodman, his partner in the Blues Brothers now, has his family down there, as well. So it affects everybody.
BRYANT: It definitely does.
Well, as the situation keeps getting worse and worse in New Orleans, we are checking in with the reporters who are telling the heartbreaking stories from the scene. That`s next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Plus, Martha Stewart gets to lose that wacky ankle bracelet. Well, it`s not really wacky. She`s not out of the woods just yet, though, from a legal standpoint. That is also coming your way.
BRYANT: And, long after the height of Beatlemania, Paul McCartney is still going strong. Our in-depth report on McCartney`s extraordinary life and career, coming up, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report in "People in the News."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues in just a minute. I`m Sophia Choi. Let`s get to your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
President Bush says the recovery from Hurricane Katrina will take years. The president flew over the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina earlier today and is urging Americans to donate money to help the recovery effort. He adds more federal aid is on the way.
Thousands of people in New Orleans, meantime, could be dead. That`s according to the city`s mayor. Hundreds of people are still waiting to be rescued from the rooftops of homes and buildings. Meantime, plans are under way to bus the thousands of refugees inside the Superdome 350 miles away to the Astrodome in Houston.
In some other parts of the country, long lines are now forming at gas stations amid fears of a gas shortage. Analysts say prices may soon hit $4 a gallon, depending on the extent of Katrina`s damage. The nationwide gas average hit a record $2.66 a gallon today.
That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi. Now back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour, I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
BRYANT: Well, here`s the thing, A.J. Again, we`ve got a cushy situation here in the studio. Reporters have been out on the front lines covering Hurricane Katrina. We`re going to be talking to CNN`s David Mattingly about how you actually do the job. How do you stay clean? How do you stay fed? How do you get to where you`re going?
HAMMER: Yes, I`ve been wondering where they`re getting their supplies.
BRYANT: It`s fascinating. Exactly. So we`ll be talking to him in just a bit.
HAMMER: Also, on what feels like a much lighter note, you know, it`s been five months since Martha Stewart was freed out of jail, but she`s had that ankle bracelet on. Allegedly, midnight tonight, it comes off. She`s not out of the woods yet. We`ll deal with that, coming up in just a moment, as well.
But first, let`s get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines" from Brooke Anderson. She joins us once again from Hollywood live -- Brooke?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, A.J.
Tonight, people are remembering Princess Diana on this, the eighth anniversary of her death. Outside Kensington Palace, where Diana lived after her divorce from Prince Charles, people gathered today and left flowers. Britain`s royal family did not have any special observances.
Celebrities are starting to rally together to raise funds for disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ludacris, Green Day, and Alicia Keys are just a few of the performers lined up for a benefit special set for Saturday, September 10th. The concert will air on MTV, VH-1, and CMT, with live performances from New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville.
The annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon is changing, in light of the disaster. Today, Lewis announced that the telethon, which airs this weekend, will also raise money for hurricane relief, in addition to raising funds to fight muscular dystrophy.
And on Friday, NBC will air a live benefit special. A concert for hurricane relief will be hosted by Matt Lauer. It will feature performances from Tim McGraw, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Connick, Jr., who all have ties to the affected area, as well as an appearance by Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities.
And those are the "Hot Headlines."
Karyn, back to you.
BRYANT: Thanks very much, Brook Anderson in Hollywood.
Well, all week long, journalists have been bringing you the surreal images of the devastation and destruction in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They have shared their emotions and have told of the challenges they face as they bring you the story each day. Tonight, we take a closer look at how the reporters are surviving off-camera.
Joining us live to illustrate what it takes to work in disaster, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, CNN correspondent David Mattingly, who just left New Orleans.
David, what did you do to prepare going into New Orleans, not knowing how long you were going to be there? What did you do, as far as preparing for food, or how much water did you take with you?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Covering hurricanes, you always bring in certain amount of gear. I particularly brought waders. You bring rubber boots. You bring rain gear. You bring some of your food that`ll last you a few days, but nothing that will end up lasting you weeks.
So something like this is catching everybody a little bit by surprise. So you just sort of have to make do and wait for the Red Cross to come or something like that. A lot of journalists, after their food runs out, become just like any other refugee. They just took food wherever they can get it.
BRYANT: And, certainly, what have you been doing to maintain any sense of hygiene? Because certainly, with the water, it`s filthy. I can`t imagine that that`s been easy.
MATTINGLY: The water`s been out for days. There`s virtually no water pressure left in New Orleans at all.
And the problem is going out into the water. In order to get out of our hotel, we had to wade through almost waist-deep water in some places. And this is some of the filthiest water you would ever want to see. There`s a huge oil slick on top of it. It smells like petroleum products in some places.
In other places, it smells like the water that might have been festering at the bottom of a dumpster. So you get a little bit of an idea of just how unsanitary this area is.
And for that reason, our hotel was being evacuated today. We left in a caravan. There were other guests who might have had an SUV or something that could clear the water outside the hotel. They decided to leave, as well.
The hotel itself was evacuating some of the people there, some of the family members of the staff who had decided to take refuge in that hotel. So the sanitary conditions is what was forcing people out of our hotel today and other hotels in the New Orleans area today.
It wasn`t the flood waters. It was the sanitary conditions brought on by those.
BRYANT: And, first question I`m sure a lot of people have is, how do you even have the capacity to broadcast right now? If there`s no electricity, how do you get the energy to power the batteries for the cameras? And how do you even get your phones to work? I know a lot of them are satellite, but how do you get any energy?
MATTINGLY: Without getting into a lot of technical descriptions, we improvise. We can use car batteries for some of our equipment, other things, since we look for places that might have some sort of DC current where we can charge some of the equipment that we have. So we make do just going along as best we can.
But the authorities in New Orleans right now are having the same problems. They have no electricity anywhere in that city. So finding anywhere that has any sort of current at all is a real challenge, to keep anything powered, like cellphones, walkie-talkies, anything like that.
BRYANT: And quickly, what do you do to get around? I know you just said that you left New Orleans. But we`ve seen people with make-shift boats from plastic, you know, bins. What have you been doing to actually get around the city and do your reporting?
MATTINGLY: To the north of the city, through the warehouse district, the streets are actually still dry. And that`s the area where the route that we used to make our exit.
And along that way, it was still difficult to wind your way out of there, because even though the streets may be dry, so many of them are impassable, because of trees and power lines that have been knocked down. It`s been impossible for crews to get in to clean these areas up.
BRYANT: Wow.
MATTINGLY: So those areas, many of them, still remain impassable, including some of the beautiful areas, the big old mansions, like on St. Charles Street. Every house, no matter what income bracket, no matter what neighborhood, every house you have to believe has some kind of hurricane damage.
BRYANT: All right, well, thank you very much for doing what you do out there, David Mattingly. CNN`s David Mattingly, live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Thank you.
And that leads, once again, to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Hurricane Katrina: Are the images affecting you? Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight and write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e- mails are coming up at 54 past the hour.
HAMMER: In other news tonight, it`s a big night for Martha Stewart. Five months after her release from prison, the domestic diva is now one step closer to being free and clear of her punishment for allegedly lying about a stock sale. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer, live with us once again with more on Martha.
HAFFENREFFER: That`s right, A.J. Tonight, Martha officially loses that pesky ankle-monitoring bracelet that the court has made her wear since her release.
She was scheduled to have it taken off on August 10th, but that was delayed after she apparently committed some kind of undisclosed house arrest violation. But with two new TV shows about the hit the airwaves, now is the perfect time for the newly untethered Martha Stewart to step out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): Martha Stewart is finally foot loose.
MARTHA STEWART, HOST, "MARTHA": I am released from home confinement on the 31st.
HAFFENREFFER: At midnight tonight, Martha foot-loses the ankle bracelet she`s had to wear for nearly six months as a condition of her house arrest. That means she`s no longer stuck in her modest home in Westchester County, New York, for all but 48 hours a week.
And how does the famous home improver plan to celebrate her release from home confinement?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was wondering whether you have any special plans for that day, and what that`ll feel -- what do you think that`ll feel like to be really free of all of this?
STEWART: Well, if I tell you where I`m going, do you promise not to come?
HAFFENREFFER: At her news conference last week on the set of her upcoming new daytime show, Martha said don`t expect her to make a big deal about tonight.
STEWART: I`ve been told it`s midnight. Obviously, I`m not going to probably be going anywhere at midnight.
HAFFENREFFER: But even though Martha has won the right to bare ankles, she`s not exactly foot loose and fancy free just yet.
STEWART: I`m looking very much forward to it. But remember, I still have a year and a half of probation.
HAFFENREFFER: Oh, yes, that. Martha still has 18 months of probation left in her sentence. That means she has to check in with her probation officer regularly and she can`t leave the federal court district without permission. She`s also not allowed to get drunk or own a gun.
SARAH BERNHARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: I don`t think Martha was really the kind of girl to get drunk. She doesn`t seem like the type of person who ever wants to lose control in any way, you know, whether that be from drinking, or, you know, overdoing anything.
She seems extremely tightly wound. So I think we`re OK on that front. The gun, you know, I could see her taking out some people that want to cross into her property or something. That might be really where people have to watch her.
HAFFENREFFER: She also can`t associate with other convicted felons. So don`t expect to see Robert Downey, Jr., on her new TV shows.
STEWART: What is that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our neon relish.
STEWART: Oh, my god.
HAFFENREFFER: Speaking of Martha`s new shows, you`ll be seeing them both very soon. "Martha," her weekly syndicated lifestyle show, premieres on September 12th. And her version of the "Apprentice" premieres on September 21st.
And now that Stewart can pretty much come and go as she pleases, expect to see even more of her as she tries to promote those new programs.
BERNHARD: I mean, if we`ve seen her that much while she`s been under house arrest, we can only imagine what she`s going to do now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: Now Martha Stewart`s probation officer tells the Associated Press that, when the time comes tonight, Stewart will be allowed to snip the rubber band on her anklet herself. Stewart tells the A.P. she plans to do just that, at 12:05 a.m. Eastern time.
But over the next year and a half, if she`s caught violating her probation, Stewart and the ankle bracelet may find themselves reunited -- A.J.?
HAMMER: Undo that snip. David Haffenreffer, thank you very much.
Well, moving onto another celebrity with some pressing legal issues, actor Robert Blake now facing a civil trial in connection with the murder of his wife. But Jimmy Kimmel doesn`t think Blake is too worried. That`s coming up in "Laughter Dark."
BRYANT: Plus, he was dubbed the cute Beatle. After a while, the working relationship between Paul and the rest of the Fab Four wasn`t so cute. The inside story of the demise of the Beatles. That`s next in our in-depth look at Paul McCartney.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Time now for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "People in the News: Paul McCartney." His latest album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," comes out next month. But before he was a solo artist, McCartney was, of course, part of the legendary group the Beatles, and there was also that stint of Paul McCartney and Wings.
Here is CNN`s Kyra Phillips for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an attempt to forge a new identity with a band of his own, McCartney formed Wings in 1971 with wife, Linda.
PETER CASTRO, EXEC. EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Paul loved Linda so much and was so devoted to her, and they had such a strong marriage, that they could not fathom life apart. That`s how in love they were. And he said, obviously, if I`m going to have a band, and I`m going to tour, and I can`t live without you, you`re going to have to be a part of the band.
LAURENCE JUBER, WINGS` FORMER GUITARIST: It was their band. The billing might have gone Paul McCartney and Wings, but Linda was very much a part of it and very much a part of the energy of the group.
PHILLIPS: Wings was truly a family affair. Kids and pets were always in tow with Paul and earth-mother Linda leading the pack.
DENNY SEIWELL, WINGS` FORMER DRUMMER: They would get a room. There wouldn`t be a bed for little Stella or something. They`d open a drawer and throw a pillow in it. And that would be a bed for Stella.
And the kids grew up with every respect in the world. You know, they didn`t have things handed to them on a silver platter. They had all the right values established. And it was really neat to watch them as a couple and how they raised their family. It was equally as well done as Paul`s writing and singing abilities.
PHILLIPS: Defying the odds, Paul McCartney achieved success post- Beatles. But something still was not right. Paul wanted to reconcile with John Lennon, the person who had pushed him artistically and helped him reach his best.
In a cruel twist, just as the two began talking again, fate would intervene. On December 8, 1980, an assassin`s bullet took the life of John Lennon, the founding member of The Beatles.
As he always did during the hard times, Paul leaned on his wife to help him recover from the loss of his friend. But eventually, there would come a time when the roles would be reversed, when he would have to be the strong one.
The feisty photographer who was so devoted to her husband and her children was diagnosed with breast cancer. The news was devastating to Paul, who also lost his mother to the disease. After a painful battle, Linda McCartney died in April of 1998.
CASTRO: He essentially cried for a straight year, wept, you know, uncontrollably.
PHILLIPS: Paul virtually disappeared in the months following Linda`s death. Friends and fans wondered if he would ever recover.
PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: A lot of people say to me, "OK, get very busy and throw yourself into work." And I thought, "Well, I don`t really want to do that."
So for the first year, I just did what came naturally. And that involved a lot of crying, basically, and a lot of just letting it out.
PHILLIPS: After a period of mourning, the loving husband and devoted family man was asked the inevitable question: Would he find another great love?
MCCARTNEY: I just take things as they come. I think, as I said before, I think Linda would want me to be happy, whatever that involves, you know?
PHILLIPS: After about a year, Paul McCartney was ready to move on. In 1999, his life took a major turn and he met Heather Mills at a charity event. She was a vocal landmine and disability activist, issues that became painfully personal to her when the former model lost her leg after being run over by a police motorcycle.
Paul and Heather developed a relationship. And soon, he was helping her lobby to eliminate landmines. After a year-long courtship, a diamond and sapphire ring from India sealed the deal. Paul and Heather became engaged.
MCCARTNEY: After my tragedy with Linda, that really knocked me, you know, like it would knock anyone. So I feel very lucky to have found another great woman who I`m in love with.
PHILLIPS: But the gossip columns were not as optimistic. They went into overdrive, portraying her as a gold-digging divorcee.
CASTRO: She had a very dicey reputation in London. She was sort of like a love `em and leave `em type. She had a series of broken engagements. And the man that she was with before Paul, she was engaged to and broke off the engagement two weeks before the wedding.
PHILLIPS: Despite rumors and speculation, in June 2002, Sir Paul McCartney and his new love wed in the remote Castle Leslie in Glasgow, Ireland. The nuptials went off without a hitch.
And in October of 2003, the duo became a trio, with the birth baby daughter Beatrice Milly. And now, with a second chance at love and an unstoppable musical career, Sir Paul McCartney`s global rock-star status appears to have no end in sight.
MCCARTNEY: I always said -- you know, people say, when will you retire? I mean, I think it`s like everyone. You do that when you`ve had enough, when you`re fed up. At the moment, I am not fed up.
And I was doing a joke that I will be 90 and they`ll be, like, wheeling me on, "Yesterday." One person in the audience. "Good. Thank you. I love you."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRYANT: That was CNN`s Kyra Phillips reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. McCartney`s album "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" comes out September 13th.
And you can pick up a copy of "People" magazine on newsstands now.
HAMMER: Well, Hilary Duff`s new CD is living up to its title, "Most Wanted." For the second week in a row now, Duff`s greatest-hits collection is number-one album on the billboard chart, which is just out today.
That`s followed by the "Now! That`s What I Call Music" compilation in the number-two spot. Mariah Carey`s "The Emancipation of Mimi" is in there at number three. The Black Eyed Peas` "Monkey Business" at number four. At number five, it`s the new CD from rapper Jim Jones, "Harlem: Diary of a Summer."
BRYANT: Well, after being acquitted in the shooting death of his wife, actor Robert Blake appears to not be too concerned about the impending civil suit filed against him in the same matter. Well, that is, of course, if you believe Jimmy Kimmel.
Here`s "Laughter Dark."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Jury selection began today in the Robert Blake civil trial. Say what you want about Robert Blake, but this is a guy who at least is taking this case seriously. So seriously that he wanted to make sure he was on time, so he pulled up and took a little nap in his car.
JIM MORET, CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION" (voice-over): Check out who`s taking a snooze in his car. It`s Robert Blake. And his nap time comes on a day you`d think he wouldn`t be so relaxed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry.
MORET: A member of his legal team startled him out of his slumber.
KIMMEL: Probably not a good idea to my sneak up on Robert Blake in a car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Tonight, Jimmy welcomes 50 Cent to the show.
HAMMER: We`ve been getting lots of e-mail tonight, and there`s still time for you to vote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Hurricane Katrina: Are the images affecting you?
If you`d like to, go to CNN.com/showbiztonight and vote or write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts live, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Throughout the show, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day," which is, Hurricane Katrina: Are the images affecting you?
Here`s how the vote`s been going tonight. Not surprisingly, 84 percent of you say, yes, the images are affecting you; 16 percent of you somehow say they are not.
And we`ve gotten a lot of e-mails on the topic, as well. Here are just a few of them right now.
Heard from Joanne in Nova Scotia, Canada, who writes, "Watching all of this on TV, I can`t begin to imagine. Even seeing all the images, it still doesn`t seem to sink in. I don`t think anyone was prepared for what we are witnessing."
We also heard from James in Florida who write, "Watching the destruction unfold on TV helps me to realize all that I have to be grateful for. The news reporters who put their lives on the line to keep the country informed are basically heroes."
Erik from Louisiana writes, "Many people watch on TV what people go through, but never understand it. Until a person experiences such a thing as this, it cannot even be imagined."
BRYANT: And Sandy from Texas write, "Seeing the devastation makes us realize we need to act now. We must send our financial aid, as well as continue to pray for the victims` safety."
HAMMER: And you continue to vote and send us your thoughts. Showbiztonight@CNN.com is where you need to go. And as one of our e-mails echoed, the idea going on here is lots of perspective.
BRYANT: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.
Well, that does do it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
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