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Showbiz Tonight
Katrina Victims Remembered at Emmys; NFL Hosts Telethon During Saints Game
Aired September 19, 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, the show goes on.
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, EMMY AWARD TELECAST: It`s times like this that we really, really need laughter.
BRYANT: Hurricane Katrina isn`t forgotten on TV`s biggest night.
DEGENERES: Our thoughts and our prayers go out to everyone affected.
BRYANT: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes you backstage as the stars open up to us about the Emmys, Katrina and whether the show was the right thing to do.
HAMMER (voice-over): Also, an emotional farewell.
TOM BROKAW, FORMER NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Peter will have a place in this brotherhood forever.
HAMMER: Tonight, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather say good-bye in an extraordinary tribute. Tonight, we investigate, will network news ever be the same?
BRYANT: And Kate`s coke shocker. Supermodel and new mom Kate Moss gets caught on camera snorting up a storm. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with her stunning response and why one of the world`s biggest fashion companies refuses to fire her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. We`re from lost. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. We`re from lost. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer.
BRYANT: I`m Karyn Bryant live in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I`m Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you coverage of the Emmy Awards you won`t see anywhere else: from the main stage to backstage in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Emmy room.
I was there last night as, it seemed, everything took place under the terrible shadow of Katrina. And yet while the show did go on, the Hollywood power players I sat down with all had something to say about the aftermath of the most damaging hurricane this country has ever seen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Big names in Hollywood for the 57th annual Emmys awards. But the one big name on everyone`s mind: Katrina.
DEGENERES: You`ll notice that some of us are wearing magnolias for support of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
ANDERSON: New Orleans native and Emmy host Ellen DeGeneres worked to strike the right balance for the night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The television academy encourages you to go to CBS.com.
ANDERSON: The show also urged viewers to donate to a Habitat for Humanity.
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Then they called back and said, "Also, would you mind pretaping it, because of the FCC."
ANDERSON: While Jon Stewart joked that his sketch on Katrina had to be censored.
STEWART: Something I`d like to say to government officials in charge. Thank you, all of you, the confident, shockingly apt response. Oh, and George Bush, A plus.
ANDERSON: But no censoring on the red carpet. The stars let loose telling CNN how they really felt about Katrina and the response.
Glenn Close did not mince words.
GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS: I thought it was shameful. I think it was shocking that it was handled so badly, that people died.
ANDERSON: Philip Seymour Hoffman agreed.
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, ACTOR: The response wasn`t quick enough and it wasn`t thorough enough, and a lot of people died needlessly. It was very, very sad.
ANDERSON: Anger at the government was no secret. Here`s "Lost`s" Naveen Andrews.
NAVEEN ANDREWS, ACTOR: It`s deeply distressing, you know, when you see how the government has responded. And you know, the entire world can see that now. It`s now obvious to everyone what this government`s priorities really are.
ANDERSON: Terri Hatcher said he`s happy the administration has admitted fault.
TERRI HATCHER, ACTRESS: The biggest positive point is that they kind of seem to be admitting where they went wrong and trying to think about doing some changes about it. But certainly, it`s a human quality to know that you can make a mistake and want a chance to try and do it differently.
ANDERSON: But "The West Wing`s" John Spencer, who knows a thing or two about what happens in the White House, said there was no reason to play the blame game.
JOHN SPENCER, ACTOR: The best thing that we can do at this point is examine what happened in New Orleans. Assigning blame, to me, is very tricky, because it really doesn`t help anything.
ANDERSON: But were fingers pointing fingers at Hollywood, asking was it red carpet glamour too much too soon? "Desperate Housewives`" Ricardo Chavira said the show must go on.
RICARDO CHAVIRA, ACTOR: As long as we`re not over glamorous with it, or not kind of insane with the kind of grandioseness of what this can be. As long as we kind of keep it a very nice, modest, neutral tone, it think it`s fine.
ANDERSON: In the backstage press room, the television academy chair Dick Aspen said striking the right tone at such a tough time was important.
DICK ASPEN, CHAIR, TELEVISION ACADEMY: You know, it`s really hard to see what the exact balance really should be. But we knew that we wanted to make it part of the show.
ANDERSON: And backstage in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Emmy room, the stars told me they thought the tone was appropriate. Here`s Donald Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: I think this is a time where you need a little bit of laughter and a little bit of lightheartedness, and I think the people at the Emmys, the people that run the Emmys have done an amazing job.
ANDERSON: William Shatner agrees.
WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR: Well, it`s going to do good to give them a few amusing moments and to raise money for them, and to know that they`re in our thoughts and in our pocketbooks, and make them laugh. It`s not going to be -- do them any good to cry with them.
ANDERSON: Many celebrities have opened their wallets and done much more. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asked guests do celebrities have an obligation to help.
Absolutely, said "Everybody Loves Raymond`s" Doris Roberts.
DORIS ROBERTS, ACTRESS: It seems it`s taking so long. These people have lost their homes, their jobs, their lives. So, we have to do something.
ANDERSON: "Boston Legal`s" James Spader told me everyone has that responsibility.
JAMES SPADER, ACTOR: I think that it`s grand that celebrities do take on that responsibility, because they do influence other people. It`s just a responsibility that we just have as citizen anyway.
ANDERSON: And Jane Alexander from HBO`s "Warm Springs" agrees.
JANE ALEXANDER, ACTRESS: Yes, I do, yes. I think we`re privileged. We`re comfortable members of society. And we have access to the media. And it`s very important to us to understand our place in society and to help wherever we can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And of course we have seen a lot of help from Hollywood. Later on in the show, we`ll talk to more stars about Katrina and their involvement, including very frank talk from Emmy winner Patricia Arquette about what it was like to be celebrating while so many people are suffering.
A.J., back to you.
HAMMER: We`ll get to that later in the show. Thanks very much. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood.
Well, tonight, the pride of New Orleans, the New Orleans Saints, play their first home game of the NFL football season, but they are very far away from home.
The New Orleans Superdome, of course, remains in shambles, and tonight, the team is in New Jersey in the stadium that is normally the home base of the Giants and Jets.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is live at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, right now. David, set the scene.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, A.J.
The team is about 1,300 miles from their home venue, of course, that being the New Orleans Superdome. And this is the first time that the NFL has ever had two pro football games being televised on a Monday night.
One of the many VIPs joining us here in New York tonight is Harry Connick. He is one of the many people who will be performing at this event.
Nice to see you. What does it mean to you to walk into the stadium here tonight?
HARRY CONNICK JR., MUSICIAN: Man, this rocks. I mean, not only does the hospitality that`s been shown by New York make you feel wonderful, to be at the Saints game on Monday night, it probably the most exciting thing a native New Orleanian can experience.
HAFFENREFFER: This is all part of a broader telethon being hosted by the NFL to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Assess for us now the current state of the relief effort.
CONNICK: Well, I think everybody`s pitching in and raising a lot of money. I think all of the relief efforts are becoming organized. I`m very closely associated with Habitat for Humanity, and it`s a great organization that`s going to help the rebuilding process for years to come. And I think it`s great, man. A lot of people are pitching in and the whole world is really coming together to help save our city.
HAFFENREFFER: Could more be done?
CONNICK: I don`t know how much more could be done from my perspective. You know, I`m not privy to all of different things that are going on, with regard to the logistics of rebuilding New Orleans. But I know myself and everybody I know, we`re doing everything we can. And -- and it seems like everybody`s pulling for us.
HAFFENREFFER: We continue to go through a relative among of finger pointing as far as who might get the blame for the delays in getting aid down there. Your thoughts on what you see on that front and whether or not you`d get involved in that or not?
CONNICK: Man, I point my fingers to the keys on the piano, and I concentrate on trying to help the people down there. I mean, a lot of people are pointing fingers, and that`s fine for them. But for me, to concentrate all of my energies on helping the wonderful people of New Orleans is really what I`m all about.
HAFFENREFFER: You`re here tonight playing with Branford Marsalis. We`re going to see you out on the stage in just a little bit. Harry Connick Jr., we appreciate you being with us tonight.
CONNICK: Thank you.
HAFFENREFFER: And he can literally name every single member of the New Orleans Saints out there on the field tonight.
We understand a bunch of Hall of Famers are answering phones for the NFL telethon, which is going on all night tonight during the games while they`re being played. Again, all the money being give to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Back to you in the studio.
BRYANT: All right, David Haffenreffer. Thank you so much. Now you know I`m a Patriots girl, but I do, of course, wish the Saints the best. David Haffenreffer, reporting live at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Well, tonight, a remarkable offer from Oprah Winfrey to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The queen of daytime talk today pledged $10 million of her own money toward rebuilding the devastated cities of the Gulf Coast.
Today marked the open to Oprah`s 20th season on the air, and joining her to celebrate, Jennifer Aniston. Oprah sat down with the ex-Mrs. Brad Pitt in her first television interview since her divorce. Aniston said she is doing well and that it`s time to move on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Are you ready to start the whole dating thing again?
JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: Yes.
WINFREY: You are.
ANISTON: I`m not sitting somewhere dwelling on the past. Or I`m not fretting or, you know, obsessing about something in future.
WINFREY: In your life, what are you most looking forward to?
ANISTON: I would have to say, the unknown. I love the unknown.
WINFREY: Al of that stuff -- about you not having a baby. You do want babies, don`t you?
ANISTON: Do I want babies? Yes, I do.
WINFREY: Do you want lots of babies? Two babies? One baby?
ANISTON: Well, I don`t know yet. That`s part of the unknown.
WINFREY: Party of the unknown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Oprah sets the record straight. For the first time she talks about what really happened when she says she was snubbed while shopping at a luxury store in France.
HAMMER: That`s amazing that`s going on with Oprah.
A supermodel caught snorting. Coming up, Kate Moss gets caught doing drugs. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has her response and why a huge fashion company better hope her brush with blow blows over.
BRYANT: And while Moss dopes, did Christian Slater grope? New developments in the case where he allegedly grabbed a woman`s rear end, and she was not too happy about it. That is coming up in the "Legal Lowdown."
HAMMER: Plus, did they get it right or wrong? A live look at whether the Emmys went to the shows and actors that deserved them. That`s coming your way on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Tonight, a shocking admission by supermodel Kate Moss: she has been using cocaine. Moss` confession came after a London tabloid, "The Daily Mirror," printed images from a cell phone video showing Moss allegedly doing five lines of cocaine at a west London recording studio.
So you`d think she might be fired as one of the faces of a major fashion store, right? Wrong.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood now with the latest -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., Kate`s drug admission has caused quite a stir. She`s the face of big fashion labels like Calvin Klein and Burberry and soon H&M clothing store, which is popular with young people. But it doesn`t look like it`s the end of her career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): It turns out the rumors were true. Supermodel and fashion icon Kate Moss admits she recently used cocaine. It`s hard to deny given the compromising photos printed in the British tabloid, "The Daily Mirror," photos that are now plastered all over the world on web sites like Gawker.com.
She came clean to H&M, the clothing store she`ll soon be modeling for. And incredibly, they gave her a second chance.
LINDA KAPLAN THALER, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: I think it`s questionable that H&M is doing this. But I understand why. I mean, this is not Pepsi we`re talking about. This is a brand that can go a little bit racier and probably really would like, you know -- likes the idea, of "We`ll get some more free publicity, you know, for the brand."
VARGAS: Moss has promised H&M in writing, to stand by company policy to be, quote, "healthy, wholesome and sound." But will the promise work?
THALER: I think what she`s really promising is to keep herself, you know, away from tabloids.
VARGAS: Moss has been creating quite a stir on her own, with her on again, off again relationship with musician Pete Doherty, who recently got out of rehab. Intimidate details of their tumultuous relationship have been in almost every tabloid. And now this.
THALER: I think also, you know, we`re forgiving of celebrities and models. We let them get away with lots and lots of stuff that ordinary folks like us couldn`t get away with.
VARGAS: and it`s a good thing, too, because her public drug use could have ruined her career and her partnerships with countless other fashion lines.
THALER: The bottom line for Kate Moss is she got off really lucky this time. If H&M would have folded with her, Burberry and all the other manufacturers that she`s doing work for would have folded, as well, and it could have been a career ender.
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT decided to find out if Americans really are that forgiving. It turns out, they are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has really nothing to do with the company. If I like their clothes, I`m going to buy their clothes, no matter who sponsors them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don`t care. I don`t care. I don`t pay attention to the advertising.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they can, you know, keep producing a good product, I can`t help but to buy there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wouldn`t impact my -- me purchasing. But it does impact me as a mom and having a daughter, as her being a role model.
VARGAS: And that could potentially be a major downfall for H&M, the fact that the new face of their clothing line, a line that appeals to young adults, has admitted to using drugs.
THALER: If I had a teenage girl, I would be outranged and I probably wouldn`t want her to shop there. On the other hand, it would start a conversation with other parents and just the act of starting a conversation creates a buzz. We talk about at our company, creating a big bang, creating some piece of information out there that people talk about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: In July Moss won an apology and an undisclosed settlement from the "Sunday Mirror" over a story that ran at the beginning of the year, claiming she had collapsed in a cocaine-induced coma in Barcelona in 2001. Her lawyer said then that those charges were untrue -- A.J.
HAMMER: Good -- lucky break for Kate Moss. Thanks very much, Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood.
Well, tonight, Angelina Jolie, the obsession of tabloid magazines everywhere, is getting a big pat on the back from a Rather unlikely place, "The New York Times."
In an editorial today slamming world leaders for not following through on pledges to wipe out poverty, "The Times" cited Jolie`s MTV special, "The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa," for showing just the kinds of things that are needed to help the poorest of the poor.
Jolie told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT how she and Dr. Sachs went to a poor village in Kenya that is learning to survive by paying attention to the basics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS/HUMANITARIAN: We have to go like in the villages. Like when I went with Jeff, first to Ethiopia, and you have specialists from all around the world looking at an area and solving that area, solving it from the soil, to understanding malaria in the area, clinics, the women and completely understanding it. And helping them learn how to govern themselves. And only then can it actually work, really.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The "Times" editorial says, quote, "Ms. Jolie is dead right when she says that putting money into the village-level programs could do much to alleviate poverty. There are -- these are simple, smart and effective things."
BRYANT: Tonight, we`ve got the very first ratings of last night`s Emmy awards. The numbers out late today show more than 18 million people tuned in to the Emmy telecast on CBS. That is a 35 percent increase over last year`s numbers.
But like any awards show, you have to wonder, did the right people win?
Well, joining us live tonight in Hollywood is "TV Guide`s" Mary Murphy.
Mary, first and foremost, what did you think was the biggest shocker? Because people are talking about the fact that "Everybody Loves Raymond" had some big wins last night, "Housewives" didn`t. "Will & Grace" completely snubbed, even though they were nominated in a lot of categories for supporting actors. Patricia Arquette kind of was surprised.
MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": I think the biggest shocker of the night is that we were promised so many new shows, because of the nominations. You know, so many "Desperate Housewives," "House," "Lost," and there was so much anticipation that a lot of new shows were going to win.
And the biggest shocker was that the oldies were the goodies last night. And a lot of new shows didn`t win, like "Desperate Housewives." And a lot of old shows did win.
And I think it was disappointing and yet it was typical of Hollywood. And yet it was also an acknowledgment of good work and long work. I think that was the biggest surprise.
I think James Spader winning was a surprise, huge surprise. And I also think that Patricia Arquette winning was a big surprise.
BRYANT: Yes, certainly James Spader won last year for the same category. I mean, I guess you could sort of talk about William Shatner winning again, as well for that show. I just -- the Patricia Arquette thing, I think, was win, was really sort of stunning, because didn`t she beat Glenn Close?
MURPHY: She beat Glenn Close, absolutely. Just like James Spader beat, you know, Ian McShane and beat, you know, the star of "House," Hugh Laurie. I mean, these were huge upsets in terms of at least when I was watching it with 400 people, there were a lot of groans, like, "No! No, that can`t possibly have happened."
BRYANT: That one, and "Who?" Right? Because we heard a lot of that.
Well, we do have to say, though, that "Lost," A.J. Abrams won, and "Lost" won for best drama. So that`s some new shows.
Who do think was most deserving last night?
MURPHY: Well, I think S. Epatha Merkerson from "Law & Order." Not only was she most deserving, but she had the absolutely best acceptance speech when she said that she`d written it all down and then lost it in her dress. I just loved that.
And I love Jon Stewart. I thought he was very deserving of the award last night. And I loved his -- his comments about David Letterman.
BRYANT: Yes.
MURPHY: I think that `Lost" was deserved, and I think, you know, the last episode of "Raymond" was just fabulous and probably a good way to send off the show.
BRYANT: Well, what did you think about Ellen? Because I personally was looking for a little more of her.
MURPHY: Here`s exactly what I think. More Ellen, hello! More Ellen, more Ellen, that`s what I wanted to see. Her bit with Eva Longoria was so hilarious, when they played off the fact that she wasn`t nominated and they shut her in the balcony. That was great stuff, but I wanted more of that.
BRYANT: Right, absolutely. And Ellen had some cute moments. I loved when she was with the person timing out the show, and then she pulls the dummy. I thought she was great. What did you think of the tone of the show?
MURPHY: I think the tone was perfect. I think Ellen set the right tone, and I also thought the kid from "Everybody Hates Chris," who brought on the little, you know, survivor from Katrina, I thought that was the perfect way to do Katrina, to bring it to the level of children. And this is what we should be paying attention to.
I think the tone was absolutely right. I think that`s why viewers tuned in. Ellen, Katrina, the new shows, "The Desperate Housewives." How beautiful were they?
BRYANT: Lovely, lovely. Absolutely.
All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Mary Murphy of "TV Guide" live in Hollywood.
And now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The Emmys: did the right people win? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. And you can send e-mails to us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. Later in the show, we`ll read some of your thoughts.
HAMMER: Well, Blythe Danner and, as we just mentioned, Patricia Arquette both won Emmys last night. They both had some pretty controversial things to say. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the comments that had people talking today, coming up.
BRYANT: Also, an emotional and touching final tribute to Peter Jennings from Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. Tonight, is it the end of an era? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got a special look at what`s next for network news, and that`s coming up live.
HAMMER: Also, Larry King live. Not on his show, but our show. Larry, sharing his thoughts on the news business and why this time around, it`s his wife Shawn who`s the one behind the microphone.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s coverage of the Emmy Awards continues now with the comments that caused controversy.
Katrina was certainly in the hearts and on the minds of many of the stars at the Emmys, but so was the war in Iraq. Emmy winners Blythe Danner and Patricia Arquette both ended their acceptance speeches on a political note.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLYTHE DANNER, ACTRESS: I know Bruce would want to pay tribute to New Orleans, his favorite city, and all the Gulf Coast. And our kids in Iraq. Let`s get the heck out of there. Love you all.
PATRICIA ARQUETTE, ACTRESS: And the soldiers in Iraq, I know I`m here on stage, and I know you`re still over there. And my prayer for you is that when you get home, you can home safe and sound. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: Up next, we will have more from Patricia Arquette. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson goes one-on-one with the "Medium" star and Emmy winner. And she asks her if she thinks the government is doing a good job with the Katrina cover up (sic).
HAMMER: Also, a heartfelt good-bye. Former news anchors Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather get together one last time to pay tribute to Peter Jennings. And tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, what`s the future of the news business?
BRYANT: And why Christian Slater got a clean slate today. And Lil Kim is heading to prison, but she is not going quietly. What her first day behind bars was like. We`ve got that coming up in tonight`s "Legal Lowdown."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 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.
Still to come, in the next half-hour we`re taking you backstage at the Emmy Awards. We went one on one with Emmy winners Patricia Arquette and Tony Shalhoub and we asked them about their thoughts on the tone of the evening, the fact that the show went on at all and how they felt it went. And we`ll have that for you in just a bit.
BRYANT: That`s right. And also, in the legal lowdown, you know you love the legal dish. We`re going to be talking about Christian Slater who was up against charges of groping a woman`s rear end. Those charges were dropped. We`re going to get the lowdown on that. And also, the fact that Lil` Kim today reported to prison.
All of that and more coming up, but first, let`s get tonight`s hot headlines.
Supermodel Kate Moss has admitted the tabloid stories of her cocaine use are true. H&M, the clothing chain who hired her as a spokes model, says Moss made the admission to them. Video showing her publicly snorting cocaine has been spread around the world. The store says they will keep her on because she promised in writing to stop using drugs.
HAMMER: Tonight, for the first time, Oprah has come forward about that incident at the Hermes store in Paris, calling press reports 100 percent flat-out wrong. She said that while the store was being closed for a special event, she was told she couldn`t shop in the store.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I was not upset about not getting in to a buy a bag. I was upset because one person, one person, at the store, was so rude. Not the whole company. Because, if somebody -- if you come to this show and somebody is rude to you and you have a bad experience here, it`s not an indictment of me or the show. But one person, this one woman now -- and everybody who has ever been snubbed because you were not chic enough or thin enough or the right class or the right color or whatever -- I don`t know what it was -- you know that that is very humiliating. And that is exactly what happened to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRYANT: The president of Hermes USA came on the show to apologize about that one employee. That employee has since been sent to sensitivity training.
And those are the hot headlines.
HAMMER: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The Emmys. Did the right people win? What do you think?
You can keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. You can also write us with more of your comments at showbiztonight@cnn.com. Your email is on the way at 54 past the hour.
BRYANT: Our coverage of the Emmy Awards continues now with the lingering question -- should the show have been toned down because of the Katrina tragedy? And what were the stars saying about how the government is handling the Katrina aftermath?
Our Brooke Anderson was backstage in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Emmy room with the stars, asking the tough questions.
Hi, Brooke.
She`s joining us again, live from Hollywood.
I`m sure you had a great night last night.
ANDERSON: I did, Karyn, absolutely.
And everyone seemed to be talking about politics in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. When I sat down with Patricia Arquette, who won best Dramatic Actress for "Medium," while she was ecstatic about her first Emmy win, celebrating it was a little unsettling for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Do you think the show should have had a more subdued tone at times?
PATRICIA ARQUETTE, ACTRESS: I think it`s up to each person to make of it what they want. Some people say no, people want distraction. People don`t want to worry about it. On the other hand, 9/11 and this, they`re probably the biggest tragedies of our lifetime.
ANDERSON: I know you felt a sense of conflict.
ARQUETTE: Yeah, I did. And I still do. I just wish -- this dress is borrowed and these earrings are borrowed and glamour is, like, a borrowed commodity.
ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: Our thoughts and our prayers go out to everyone affected.
ARQUETTE: I really want to send my respect and gratitude to all of the volunteers who are helping out right now in the hurricane. They need so much help. We cannot give up, even when it starts creeping off the news. We have to do so much for these people still.
ANDERSON: Do you think the government is on track right now with the relief effort?
ARQUETTE: Well, you know what I think about it? I think the government has a vast, enormous, mind-bogglingly huge responsibility here. And I think they`re doing it, but it`s a lot to get done.
I feel like I have an obligation. The government is giving them money, but there is only so much money and there is only so much they can buy. So we need to help out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And actor Tony Shalhoub, he won the Emmy for best comedic actor for "Monk." He told me he wants to see a change in how the government handles disaster, saying there needs to be a change in, quote, "the allocation of money and brain power."
As for the lighthearted tone of the Emmy Awards, Shalhoub told me he thinks the show struck a good balance and provided a much needed diversion for the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The tone was of tonight was very upbeat and lighthearted. Do you think it should have had a more subdued tone in light of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina?
TONY SHALHOUB, ACTOR: Well, I don`t really. I think that, you know, everyone needs to have a laugh, even in the midst of a tragedy like this. And I think there was enough -- there were enough times when people mentioned Katrina and, extended sympathy and support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Shalhoub also told me that he feels celebrities do have an obligation to publicly lend a hand and encourage others to get involved in any way they can.
Karyn, back to you.
BRYANT: Thanks very much, Brooke Anderson. I don`t know if you are a "Monk" fan, but it is a terrific show. You need to check it out.
ANDERSON: I am.
BRYANT: All right. Brooke Anderson, live from Hollywood, thanks very much.
HAMMER: A symbolic and touching end of an era in television news. Last night at the Emmys, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw and former CBS anchor Dan Rather took to the stage to be honored for their years of work in the anchor chairs and to pay tribute to their colleague, the late Peter Jennings of ABC.
They got the longest, probably the loudest, standing ovation of the evening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BROKAW, FMR. ANCHORMAN: I know that I speak for both of us, when I say how deeply touched we are by that reception. And it makes all the more poignant the absence of our colleague, Peter Jennings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Both men spoke fondly of Jennings, who died last month from lung cancer. Rather said, "He left us too soon with too much good work ahead of him."
Well, the question now is whether the nightly news can maintain its power without Rather, without Brokaw and Jennings behind those anchor desks.
Joining me live tonight from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jeff Alan; he`s the news director of WPGH TV and he`s also the author of the book "Anchoring America: The Changing Face of Network News."
So, Jeff, there`s a whole generation growing up right now that doesn`t relate to the idea of a nightly network newscast, the way we do or the way that we did, as the daily news show of record. So now with the three long- time anchors gone from those chairs, is the idea of a nightly network newscast just changed forever?
JEFF ALAN, AUTHOR: Well, A.J., not only is it changed, but it may actually either take a different form or go away at some point.
First of all, you`ve got to go back to 1982, when Peter, Tom and Dan took those chairs. There weren`t remote controls sold with the televisions. The Internet was basically in its infancy. Nobody was really using it at the time. And the big thing is CNN, which we`re sitting on right now, was less than a year old.
So you didn`t have the 24 hour news channels. And these guys commanded tens of millions of people a night. They`d make appointments to go home and watch the network news.
Well, now, it`s on demand from CNN, your competitors. Whenever you want to see the national, local, even international news, you can turn it on 24/7. So it`s a different ballgame. And I`ve got to tell you that the kids today are getting their news in even different ways. They`re using the Internet. They`re actually getting news off cell phones, pagers, Blackberries. They`re getting it off places like "The Daily Show."
So it is, it` s a completely different news-viewing environment.
HAMMER: So, Jeff, the network news, obviously important to the networks not just because they`re providing a service, which they hope their viewers will use and need, but it`s also a money-making venture. So to stay in the game, what will they need to do to survive?
ALAN: Well, first of all, the big thing here is those younger viewers. They`re the ones growing up in technology. They`re growing up with the Internet and they`re growing up very, very busy and they want their lives to be worked for them as opposed to having us be there at one time a day. That` s not good enough anymore.
Of course, CBS is sitting there with Bob Schieffer right now as the place holder. They`re trying to find the magic formula to get those younger viewers that the advertising agencies want. The advertising agencies pay the bills. TV is a business. And unless these guys make the money, it`s not a money-making venture, you`ve got to wonder how long it`s going to stick around.
HAMMER: And that`s my next question to you. You mentioned earlier that they may just be going away altogether. Do you really see this in the not too distant future? What kind of timeline do you imagine this could take?
ALAN: Boy, you would want to think that the networks would want to keep that show of record on the air, that one show at night, and they`re having, of course, very good luck with the morning shows. But unless they can deliver enough money to support the coverage and they start bleeding money at the networks -- it`s a business. Accountants are going to have meetings behind closed doors, and they`re going to say how much longer, to the execs, do we want to keep losing money on this.
And NBC, of course, can spread their cost of coverage across their other networks. CBS and ABC cannot right now, so they`re taking good hard looks at this. They really are.
HAMMER: All right, well, thanks for your insight tonight, Jeff Alan, live in Pittsburgh. We appreciate you joining us.
ALAN: Thanks.
HAMMER: And Larry King certainly knows Dan Rather, one of the former network news anchors, very well. He`s going to join us live -- that`s Larry -- to talk about the future of the news business in moments. And Larry`s wife, Shawn, is going to be here as well. She`s been using the microphone plenty recently -- and sounding very good, I might add. What she`s up to, we`ll talk about it next..
BRYANT: Lil` Kim heads to the big house and she is not at all happy about the prison she`ll be calling home. We`ve got that and more coming up in today`s legal lowdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Tonight it`s "Larry King Live" on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s right. Larry is here with his wife, Shawn, who has just released her very first album. It`s called "In My Own Backyard."
And joining us live in a showbiz sit down, Shawn and Larry King.
It`s a pleasure to have the two of you here.
LARRY KING LIVE, CNN HOST: My pleasure, A.J.
HAMMER: Larry what has this been like for you, being sort of on the flip side? You`re sitting in your own home here at CNN and people are interviewing you. Is it kind of weird?
L. KING: It`s kind of weird. But the whole thing has been terrific. Her album coming out and moving to these great studios here in the Time Warner building in New York. We live in LA, but I still like coming. I grew up here. It`s still fun to come back. This is the biggest thrill to me, is to have her.
HAMMER: I imagine. You seem -- every time I see you talking about it, you`re bubbling over, and for you, having this man by your side, walking around, doing all this promotion and talking about the album --
SHAWN KING, SINGER: He is -- Larry is so sweet. I mean, he is the world`s greatest promoter. He will be on the show and somebody will talk about their backyard, and he`ll say, " And speaking of your backyard, my wife`s got a record coming out called "In My Own Backyard," coming out in September. And I`m dying of embarrassment.
L. KING: I have warned you for the last time, do you imitate me that way.
HAMMER: Aside from that, any good advice you`re getting out on the road with Larry?
L. KING: That is a put down.
S. KING: It is not a put down.
L. KING: It`s a put down.
S. KING: It`s a thank you.
L. KING: Inwardly, you`re thinking the guy is an idiot.
S. KING: No I`m not.
L. KING: He`d do anything for me, he walks around --
S. KING: He`s a very sweet, wonderful -- very supportive husband.
HAMMER: Full of lots of wisdom, too.
S. KING: Lots of wisdom.
L. KING: Oh, lots. Wise than his years.
S. KING: It goes on and on.
HAMMER: So no truth to the rumor that you`re out doing this album because she`s not pulling her own weight at home? Had nothing to do with that?
L. KING: Not too far off. The kids get Social Security. She don`t.
HAMMER: You guys sit down in front of the TV and watch a little bit of the Emmys last night?
L. KING: Did not.
S. KING: I did.
HAMMER: Touching tribute, you might have seen it when you were sitting back in our green room, to the network news anchors, Brokaw, Rather, and, of course, the late Peter Jennings. And tonight Dan Rather is being honored here in New York City with a lifetime achievement awarded, and you`re going to be speaking with him on "Larry King Live tomorrow night.
And I have always wanted to ask you and I`ve wondered, because you`ve talked to Dan many times before, and now with all -- you know, three network news anchors are gone, but in different ways, Mr. Jennings, unfortunately, passed away; Tom stepped down of his own doing. But it really seems that Dan Rather was forced out. Do you think he got a raw?
L. KING: I think he did after all of those years of service. You know, it was a report that was -- by the way, there are still some people at CBS that think they were right. They might have had -- the voucher for it may have been wrong, but the story could have been right. And inwardly Dan may still believe he had it right.
But I think after years of service, you let something like that go. The guy has been around so long and is such an able reporter, and forgiveness, looking ahead, looking beyond things, I think that`s part of our tradition.
I can say this for sure, if Ted Turner were running that company, he never would have been let go.
HAMMER: Wouldn`t have happened?
L. KING: Not with Ted Turner. And CNN has a high degree of loyalty too. Which he, I think, left over for them, to the people at CNN. I don`t know what CNN would have done in a similar circumstance. But I like Dan Rather, so I can`t be objective because he`s a friend of mine and a great reporter.
HAMMER: It must be interesting for him, sort of sitting on the sidelines while the Katrina coverage has been going on.
You have been very active right from the start --
L. KING: Every night.
HAMMER -- With your telethon. I imagine you`ve been right by his side, saying yeah, have Eric Clapton on the show. That`s probably something you would do.
One of the concerns, Larry -- and Shawn, if you want to chime in on this -- is that once the story is no longer on the front page of the newspapers, that celebrities and the entertainment industry may back off in lending their support. What needs to be done so that doesn`t happen?
L. KING: Well, it`s very hard to keep anything going of public interest. It`s just very hard. You know, how many times can you look at the flooded street? How many times can you look at the kids? It`s not easy.
S. KING: I think if people see progress being made and that people are continuing to go and celebrities do show up and they`re still showing up, and they feel a sense of -- what`s the word I`m look for --
L. KING: Involvement?
S. KING: Not involvement. Progress -- just progress happening --
HAMMER: That they see things are moving along.
S. KING: Things are moving along, people will continue to support it until they see that the cities are rebuilt.
L. KING: And then the former Presidents Clinton and Bush are doing tremendous work on this. And they are both of them so energetic for it that, in other words, when they come on television with their spots or come on -- they have both been on our show -- you can`t hit the clicker, because they`re so into it. It`s such a good deed they are doing and there are so many more announcements coming out. The building of homes now, so many people getting involved. We`re all trying to think of ways we can help them do it better.
I give the media a lot of credit in this and show business people and athletes. They have really come to the fore. You know, it gets easier to wrap this around, but we have met a lot of responsibility in this. I`m proud of my industry in their coverage of this. We all should be.
HAMMER: That`s nice to hear. And you certainly have done your share.
And congratulations to you on your CD. Lovely voice. It was a pleasure to listen to this afternoon.
L. KING: You heard her today?
HAMMER: I was listening to it all day long.
L. KING: The album is called "In My Own Backyard."
HAMMER: And it`s in stores now.
L. KING: It`s in stores, on Amazon.com and she`s singing -- she`s really singing good. She`s -- I have encouraged her to do this for a long time -- I know you`re trying to get me to --
HAMMER: I can`t plug it -- you`ve got an hour. I`ve three minutes thirty seconds.
Larry King and Shawn King, thank you for joining us.
S. KING: Thank you.
L. KING: Thank you, A.J.
BRYANT: Time now for the legal lowdown. On the docket tonight, first, a judge today dismissed groping charges against actor Christian Slater. It`s a crime for which he could have received a year in prison.
But rap star Lil` Kim will be serving a year behind bars. She was convicted of perjury for lying about a shooting to a federal grand jury. Today she reported to prison.
Joining us live from Las Vegas, Nevada to take us through all this, investigative journalist Pat Lalama.
Pat, thanks for joining us.
Tell me about Christian Slater, who was accused of grabbing a woman`s rear end. He pleaded innocent, the charges were dropped. Why did that happen today?
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, here is my best guess. I am thinking four words -- don`t waste my time -- came from the judge. I just don`t think there was the evidence. There are probably some credibility issues.
You know, what`s really funny about this case, is that any time that a female makes charge of this nature against a star, the media are like vultures, out finding, like, her third grade report card. We want to know everything we can about this person.
Nobody knows anything about this woman. She`s unidentified. We only know she`s 52 years old, was always very quiet. You really couldn`t find that information anywhere on the Internet even about this person.
So my best guess, because, remember, the prosecutors gave him a chance to plea bargain and he said, no, I`m taking this to trial, let`s go. And today the judge said, you know, sorry, it`s all done. I`m guessing, I think my instincts are pretty good on this. There wasn`t the evidence, there wasn`t the case. She didn`t have the credibility, and it was a big day for him in that regard because Lord knows he`s got lots of legal problems. This is not one he needed to have.
BRYANT: Well, that`s what I was going to say. This is a guy who has got, you know, a little bit of rap sheet going on. What did he say today outside the courtroom? He must be thrilled, right?
LALAMA: Well, he said, in fact, he said he was thrilled and he made a comment about how the process can work. And, look, let me just make the serious statement that any time a woman is improperly treated, that`s a serious thing and we should all think about it. But there is also a lot of opportunism out there, and that`s the problem in the courts these days. You have to be savvy enough to know how to sift through who`s looking for 15 minutes of fame and who`s really been violated. And my feeling in this one is like the judge said: go away.
BRYANT: All right, well, going away for a year is Lil Kim. She`s a rapper, she was busted for perjury, she lied about a shooting. Take us through her day today, because she didn`t report to the place she thought she was going.
LALAMA: Well, let`s talk about that. That`s really important for people to understand.
Lil Kim made a statement today about, well, I`m not going where I was under the impression I was going to go. I thought I was going to go to a little happy camp. Instead, I`m going to a detention center.
Well, here is the thing. It is never a defendant, a defense attorney, a prosecutor or a judge`s right to determine where a convicted person is going to spend their time. It belongs only to the Bureau of Prisons. So whatever deal she thought she was getting, she dreamt it. And they have to go -- they weigh the case. They determine what kind of a case it is.
If she thought she was going to get the Martha Stewart, you know, let`s bake cakes kind of deal, this is a violent crime. Yes, it was perjury. She didn`t pull any trigger, but she lied to the feds. But it involved violence, and that`s why she had to go.
BRYANT: All right. Well, thank you for the wrap up, the legal lowdown, Pal Lalama, live from Las Vegas, Nevada.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be back in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRYANT: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Karyn Bryant.
Throughout the show we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The Emmys -- did the right people win?
Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far: 38 percent of you say yes, they did. That means 62 percent of you are pretty unhappy, saying no, they didn`t.
These are some of your emails.
Elizabeth, from Wisconsin, writes: "I was so happy that Felicity Huffman won. Most people can relate to her character."
And you can keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight
HAMMER: Favorite Emmy moment last night?
BRYANT: Two of them. Anything with John Stewart in it. And Ms. Merkerson`s acceptance speech, digging for the note. What about you?
HAMMER: The best moment on TV in the history of mankind, William Shatner, along with an opera diva, performing the theme from "Star Trek." It was brilliant.
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.
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