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Showbiz Tonight
TV Station Holds Threat Story for Security Reasons; Dealing with Rumors: How Celebs Keep Cope with Romance in the Public Eye; Jennifer Love Hewitt Dishes on New Role
Aired October 07, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: And I`m A.J. Hammer. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, national security, your security, and the media. Tonight, why reporters keep some security secrets, secret.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: I want to once again thank one of the journalists who did have the story.
ANDERSON: And are there other terror threats the media are keeping from us? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
HAMMER (voice-over): Also...
DAVID STRATHAIRN, ACTOR: Good night and good luck.
HAMMER: Edward R. Murrow, he set the standard for today`s reporters, fearless in asking the tough questions. Tonight, George Clooney`s very personal connection to the legendary journalist.
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: He actually stuck his neck out.
ANDERSON: And, she ain`t afraid a-no ghosts. Tonight, Jennifer Love Hewitt, why the former "Party of Five" star sees dead people and loves it.
AISHA TAYLOR, ACTRESS: Hi, we`re the cast of "Ghost Whisperer." If it happened today it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, ACTRESS: Hi, we`re the cast of "Ghost Whisperer." If it happened today it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
DAVID CONRAD, ACTOR: Hi, we`re the cast of "Ghost Whisperer." If it happened today it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson.
Tonight, a terrorist threat that has the nation`s largest city on edge and TV news channels on high alert.
HAMMER: CNN is reporting that intelligence on possible subway attacks in New York mentioned today and Sunday as possible target dates.
Well, the subway threat got heavy media coverage over the last 24 hours, but should there have even more coverage?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer is here live in New York with the latest -- David.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke and A.J., here in New York City, when it comes to something suspicious, there`s an expression: see something, say something. But it turns out that one TV station could have said something about the terror threat even sooner, so why didn`t it?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the dates mentioned for a possible subway attack was today, October 7.
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): Millions of Americans headed into the weekend under a tense state of alert, especially in New York, where a threat against the city`s vast subway system worried commuters and dominated the TV airwaves.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in New York City that the one and three trains between 34th Street and 96th Street have been temporarily shut down because of a suspicious bag.
HAFFENREFFER: Government officials took turns in front of TV cameras, assuring the public that they would share with the American people any relevant information about possible terrorist attacks.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people got to know that we`re collecting information and sharing it with local authorities on a timely basis, and that`s important.
HAFFENREFFER: But in New York, a controversy was brewing over not only the information the government shared, but the information the media shared.
NBC`s New York affiliate, WNBC, says it found out about the subway threat earlier this week, well before it became common knowledge yesterday, but before the station could break the story, a WNBC reporter got some urgent calls.
Liam Pleven of "New York Newsday" talked to that reporter.
LIAM PLEVEN, "NEWSDAY": As he was pursuing the story, as he explained to me, he -- he started to get calls from public officials who were -- who were asking him to hold the story.
HAFFENREFFER: The reason: government officials were afraid that if word of the threat got out too soon, anti-terrorism operations under way in Iraq would be jeopardized. The station temporarily held the story as requested.
And for its efforts, it got a public thank you today from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: I want to once again thank one of the journalists who did have the story, who understood that by releasing a story earlier would have jeopardized our ability to conduct that operation overseas and the lives of our young men and women who were involved in that operation.
HAFFENREFFER: But the news left some won wondering if the public should have been told about the threat sooner than they were and if the government`s need to protect its anti-terror operations outweighs the public`s right to now. It`s a dilemma journalists often face, and it puts them on a very tricky tightrope.
FRANK SESNO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You have to balance your obligation to the audience and to put information out in a timely, responsible and competitive way with your obligation to use that information wisely. And, if approached by somebody in government to sit on it for good reasons, you have to make a decision.
You don`t want to be manipulated. We know that governments around the world at all levels are prone to doing that, and so you have to use your very best judgment.
HAFFENREFFER: Most journalists agree that if delaying a story has the potential to save lives, the decision is a very easy one.
PROF. ROBERT JERVIS, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: There are lots of ways in which getting information can, in a sense, do harm to individuals in groups. And the media, I don`t want the media playing God any more than I want the government.
PLEVEN: One of the things that I was struck by was that the -- the news director of WNBC said, to me, that he`d believed that they had served their viewers well. What he seems to be saying is that, by not broadcasting information, under certain circumstances, you might be serving your viewers well when you`re used to serving your viewers by broadcasting information.
HAFFENREFFER: That may be true, but it`s also true that media-savvy Americans, who have become more attuned to terrorism since 9/11, may want to be protected, but they don`t want to be kept in the dark.
SESNO: On the subject of homeland security and threats, the public has been polled and repeatedly comes down very strongly in favor of having more information earlier, not less. And, so, let`s give the public its due here and say the public wants to be informed and wants more information more quickly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: An interesting debate.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tried to reach WNBC for comment, but we never got a response. Meanwhile, some are wondering if the threat should have been publicized at all. One federal official is telling CNN that New York officials made the threat public, quote, "out of an abundance of caution," unquote -- A.J.
HAMMER: Certainly does raise some good questions, David. Thanks so much. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S David Haffenreffer.
Now we want to hear from you. What do you think? It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s question of the day. Terror threats: should the media keep them a secret? You can vote by going to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Got more to say, e-mail us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to share some of your e-mails later on in the show.
ANDERSON: Well, a bomb threat stopped a Rolling Stones concert, stone cold. Fifty thousand fans were packed into the show at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville last night.
At one point during the performance, Stones frontman Mick Jagger said the band would take a break, but didn`t say why. Bomb sniffing dogs were then brought in. Nothing was found, and the band played on.
By the way, the name of the tour, "A Bigger Bang."
HAMMER: Tonight, celebrity romance and how stars deal with the press when gossip about their romance goes crazy. This has really been quite a week about those sorts of things, including rumors that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson were planning to end their marriage.
Well, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates how the stars deal with the stories about their lives that may or may not be true. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is live in Hollywood right now with more -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, A.J.
Well, you know, there`s nothing easy about being in love and in the limelight. Life as a Hollywood couple means nonstop breakup rumors, and whether or not all the talk is true, it seems many celebrities deal with the gossip the same way: deny, deny, deny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): Denial, it ain`t just a river in Egypt, as the saying goes; it`s how many celebrities deal when their personal life is smeared all over newsstands.
The latest rumor to shake the hills of Hollywood is that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, stars of MTV`s "Newlyweds," are separating.
NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": There`s been rumors ever since take one, they`re going to break up, there`s trouble in paradise.
VARGAS: But this week, not one but three magazines have reported their split, including "Us Weekly." This despite the fact that Nick and Jessica say the rumors just aren`t true.
GOSTIN: Their careers are so much built on the fact that they`re a young, happily married couple. And I think that`s why their spokespeople made the step of releasing a public statement that everything`s fine, because so much of their career is based on the two of them together, happily married.
VARGAS: But oddly, "Us Weekly" stands strong on their claims, despite what Nick and Jessica say.
Nick and Jessica aren`t the first couple to deny their marital woes. Just one day before Renee Zellweger filed an annulment from Kenny Chesney, she told the press her marriage was fine.
Same with J. Lo and Ben Affleck. Amidst non-stop rumors that their wedding was off, Ben insisted everything was fine. And we know what happened there.
So, why is it that celebrities so vehemently deny, deny, deny? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got answers from none other than one of Hollywood`s top publicists, Susan Blond.
SUSAN BLOND, CELEBRITY PUBLICIST: The clients decide to have a line and they`ll decide to get out what they want when they want, when they want, how they want.
VARGAS: Blond says it`s about control.
BLOND: They`ve been burned a lot. Someone can say something that`s totally not true, and once it`s out there, I`ve seen it, it goes so fast.
VARGAS: Look what happened to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. They kept their engagement and pregnancy mum for months.
GOSTIN: Clearly, he got burned from his whole relationship with J. Lo and decided to play it very cool and to not talk so much to the press about a personal relationship.
BLOND: These things happen but they happen at the time that, you know, seemed almost like that God wants it to happen, not the time that, you know, the press wants it to happen
JENNIFER GARNER, ACTRESS: I have never felt so pregnant.
VARGAS: Even when a very pregnant garner went on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," she kept very mum about being a mom.
GARNER: Then I felt just bigger and bigger like she...
VARGAS: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston released information about their divorce immediately before any rumors could gain speed. But that`s not how Brad has dealt with all this relationships.
GOSTIN: Clearly, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are a couple, but yet, they have never officially said that they`re a couple.
VARGAS: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore also keeping quiet on their relationship status. It`s been widely reported that the two were married last month, but neither will confirm or deny it.
GOSTIN: I think that`s strange. Like, we got married, it`s done, but I can`t understand why they just can`t say, "Yes, it`s true, we did get married." I find that a little strange.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Publicist Susan Blond also says celebrities are especially on guard these days because many of the Hollywood magazines and entertainment shows report so heavily on the nuances of celebrity life. Seems to be the price these days, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Certainly does. Thank you, Sibila Vargas, live from Hollywood.
Tonight Uma Thurman is battling stories about her personal life and her breakup head on. Uma did Oprah today and for the first time spoke very candidly and emotionally about moving on from her divorce from Ethan Hawke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UMA THURMAN, ACTRESS: But you can move on, and you can be lucky, and you can seize the moment and you can just take one step after another. But it`s something fundamentally, you know, you bear two children with somebody. That`s not a small thing.
Our marriage failed. I should take full responsibility for the failure of my own marriage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: When asked about rumors of Ethan Hawke cheating on her, Uma says there was, quote, "some stuff like that at the end" and speaking with him is still very difficult because there`s still a lot of baggage.
HAMMER: Well, coming up, how today`s reporters and George Clooney both learned from the most respected TV journalist ever. We`re going to take a look at the life of Edward R. Murrow.
ANDERSON: Also, a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." The spotlight is turned on him for a very special occasion. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is there.
HAMMER: And Jennifer Love Hewitt is catching the spirit, literally. The former "Party of Five" star tells us about crossing over and speaking with ghosts. That is still to come.
ANDERSON: Now for tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." In the 1967 movie "The Jungle Book," Mowgli is a bear, snake, boy or monkey? We`ll be right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." In the 1967 movie "The Jungle Book," Mowgli is a bear, snake, boy or monkey? The animated Disney classic gave us the famous song "Bare Necessities," but Mowgli was, indeed, a boy. The answer is "c."
ANDERSON: Indeed he was.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Tonight a look at the life of Edward R. Murrow, one of the most celebrated journalists of all time. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, reporters were praised for showing emotion and asking tough questions, things that Murrow set the standard for 50 years ago.
Now, George Clooney is telling Murrow`s story in his new movie opening today called "Good Night and Good Luck" and finding out what today`s journalists have learned from yesterday`s news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STRATHAIRN: This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy`s methods to keep silent.
ANDERSON: Legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow takes on Senator Joe McCarthy in George Clooney`s "Good Night and Good Luck." In 1953, Murrow defied corporate and political pressures on his famous "See It Now" program to expose McCarthy`s communist witch hunts.
CLOONEY: He actual stuck his neck out when it was hard to stick your neck out.
ANDERSON: It was a battle that hit home for Clooney, who co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film.
CLOONEY: I grew up sitting on the floor of WKRC in Cincinnati, Ohio, watching my dad work on the news. And he was the news director. He wrote his own news.
It`s a constant fight between the journalists who want to break the story and the people who pay their checks.
ANDERSON: More than 50 years later, many say Murrow is still the gold standard of American journalism.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He dared to be honest and have integrity and do what a real journalist is supposed to do. That`s the kind of emotion and feeling that I think we all revere.
ANDERSON: But are reporters today willing to follow Murrow`s example and risk their careers to challenge the powerful?
HOWARD KURTZ, MEDIA CRITIC, "WASHINGTON POST": For several years after 9/11, I think journalists just became more passive. There was a feeling in the country that we were under attack and we should all pull together. And I think aggressive journalism, while it certainly didn`t end, got pushed off to the back burner for awhile.
ANDERSON: Hurricane Katrina blew it back on the burner. The government`s response to the tragedy had reporters asking tough questions again.
TED KOPPEL, HOST, NBC`S "NIGHTLINE": I`m not asking, Mr. Brown, why the city didn`t have buses available. I`m asking you why you didn`t have National Guards in there with trucks to get them out there.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": I listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I`ve got to tell you, there are a lot of people who are very upset.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, ANCHOR, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": Where is the aid? It`s the question people keep asking us on camera.
DAN RATHER, FORMER ANCHOR, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Murrow set that as the standard. He set such a high standard none of us would ever be able to achieve it, but in trying and reaching for it, every time we do we`re better and so is the public.
STRATHAIRN: Good night and good luck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: "Good Night and Good Luck" is in theaters now but, but is it a good flick? Well, I think so. And coming up, we`ll get another review of the film in the "SHOWBIZ Guide to New Movies."
Well, he`s spent 20 years shining the spotlight on his famous guests. This time it was Larry King`s turn to shine. Celebrating two decades on the air on CNN, Larry was joined by family, friends and crowds of celebrities in Beverly Hills.
Looking back on nearly half a century of work, King figures he`s conducted 40,000 interviews, including every U.S. president since Gerald Ford.
Some of his past guests told "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" about what it is he does so right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUZANNE SOMERS, ACTRESS: He has different relationships with every guest. You can tell who he knows well. You can tell who he likes. You can tell who he`s not interested in. He`s able to -- he`s able to talk to anybody, you know, from the streets or to the palace and anybody in between.
MORGAN FAIRCHILD, ACTRESS: You sit down and it`s like talking to a buddy. And he just really wants to know. He really wants to know, and he`s not trying to smear you or make you look stupid or make you look anything. And so it`s just like sitting in a -- the kitchen table talking to your friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As for Larry, he says he still has to pinch himself every day. He says his beautiful wife, young children -- you see him there -- his amazing career, they all still seem like a wonderful dream.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, we`re still a few weeks away from Halloween, my birthday, but that hasn`t stopped actress Jennifer Love Hewitt from getting a head start on the scary stuff.
In her new CBS TV series, "Ghost Whisperer," Hewitt communicates with the dead. And in an interview with me, Hewitt admitted that she does her best to keep away from ghosts and all things scary unless, of course, she`s on the set.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She sees dead people.
HAMMER (voice-over): For actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, her starring role in the CBS drama, "Ghost Whisperer," goes beyond realistic problems like the ones she faced in her TV series, "Party of Five."
HEWITT: What about me, can I help?
HAMMER: In "Ghost Whisperer," Hewitt plays a woman, Melinda Gorman, with the unique ability to see and talk to earth-bound spirits that seek her out to resolve unfinished business with the living.
HEWITT: There`s an older guy standing right behind him talking to him in Spanish. He doesn`t understand why his son can`t hear him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, you are really freaking me out. Are you saying that Village Java is haunted?
HEWITT: The place isn`t haunted. People are haunted.
HAMMER: Hewitt admitted to me her preparation into the role transcended reality -- well, sort of.
HEWITT: I spent a lot of time with dead people on my time off. Me and the ghosts, we hang out all day and night. No, no, I try not to -- I try not to deal with ghosts and dead and scary things. Unless I`m on set in the daylight.
HAMMER: Director John Gray, who also writes and is a producer on the show, thinks it`s the idea of having one last contact with the dead that makes viewers tune in.
JOHN GRAY, DIRECTOR: I think that everyone would love a chance to have one more conversation, to say one more thing or to hear one more thing from someone they cared about who died, and I think that`s certainly what drew me to wanting to do this show and, hopefully, that`s what people will find in it.
HAMMER: Ghosts and dead people aside, Hewitt does think the average working stiff loves to escape from reality, especially on a Friday night.
HEWITT: Getting through a day sometimes can be difficult and frustrating. And you go to work and you have your family and you do this. And then just to be able to sort of sit back and watch a great show on a Friday night that allows you to escape to a place that maybe you don`t know about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The show is pretty cool. It actually looks like viewers are tuning in, as well: 11 million people watched last week, and the show won its timeslot. You can catch "Ghost Whisperer" tonight on CBS.
ANDERSON: A lot of fascination surrounding people and talking to the dead.
Lance Armstrong`s story of survival is one of the most inspirational of all time. Tonight, what you may not know about the seven-time Tour de France winner, from an unlikely source, coming up.
HAMMER: Also, a mini Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunion. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reunites you with you Stephen Stills, a member of one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and `70s.
ANDERSON: And new movies from Cameron Diaz, George Clooney, and a cheese-loving guy and his dog. What you should see, and skip, at the movies this weekend, in the "SHOWBIZ Guide."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: It`s time now for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where we help you decide where to spend your dollars on music, movies and DVDs and more tonight. Tonight, "People" magazine`s "Picks and Pans: New Movies." We`re talking about "In Her Shoes," "Good Night and Good Luck," and "Wallace and Gromit." They`re all in theaters. Joining us from "People" magazine, movie critic Leah Rozen.
Happy Friday to you, Leah.
LEAH ROZEN, MOVIE CRITIC, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Thank you. Same to you.
HAMMER: It looks like we`ve got a good bunch of good movies on tap for this weekend.
ROZEN: It`s a good Friday to go to the movies.
HAMMER: Let`s start it off with "In Her Shoes." This looks like a lot of fun.
ROZEN: This one is a whole lot of fun. This is, you know, essentially a chick flick based on a chick flick classic, if there is such a thing, but your more discerning male movie fan will like it, too.
This is two sisters. They couldn`t be more different. One is smart but ill at ease; one is slatternly but gorgeous. That would be Cameron Diaz. First one is Toni Collette. So that you have misunderstandings but realize in the end that family ties matter.
It`s actually a lot of fun. It has just enough real feeling that you care. And Shirley MacLaine is terrific as their long-absent grandmother.
This is directed by Curtis Hanson, who did "Eight Mile," and he knows exactly what he`s doing when it comes to making a good piece of commercial film.
HAMMER: And looking forward to a good performance from Shirley MacLaine. That`s terrific.
ROZEN: She is really. I mean, I think we`re talking Oscar nomination, possibly.
HAMMER: OK. Well, let`s move on to your critic`s pick, "Good Luck and Good Night (sic)." George Clooney wearing three hats in this as the director, the co-writer and the co-star of the movie.
ROZEN: George Clooney has to be the smartest guy in Hollywood. I mean, man, he`s good.
This film is about Edward R. Murrow, the pioneering CBS News journalist, and when he took on Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. So it`s really a historical drama. They absolutely took everything out of history.
It is so smart. It is so succinct. It`s only 90 minutes. It`s actually in black and white. But it`s -- you just go, wow. It`s so relevant to today. Thing after thing happens in this movie is said, and you can see the parallels until today.
So, more power to Clooney. Can`t wait for his next one.
HAMMER: Looking forward to that one. And let`s move on to the animated -- animated G-rated selection, "Wallace and Gromit" for this weekend.
ROZEN: This one is -- kids and parents alike are going to love this. Wallace and Gromit have done shorts before. They had three shorts. This is their first full-length movie. It`s from the same folks who brought you "Chicken Run."
It`s Claymation. And it`s just hilarious. Full of puns, full of these crazy contraptions. Full of dotty characters. Kids laugh, adults laugh. You`re going to like it.
HAMMER: Fun for the whole family. Thanks very much.
ROZEN: You`re welcome.
HAMMER: Leah Rozen, movie critic for "People" magazine. And of course, you can check out the new issue of "People" magazine, which is on newsstands now, if you want more picks and pans.
ANDERSON: Have some gotten their fill of Dr. Phil? Why the well- known talk show host is being sued. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And Maybelline asks, "Why can`t you be true every day?" The divorce court judge joins us live and tells us about the separation she recently went through, live.
HAMMER: Also, Stephen Stills. He was part of one of the biggest bands of the swinging `60s, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. So, has he settled down in fatherhood? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks. We`re back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues in just a minute. I`m Sophia Choi with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
Well, insurgents are stepping up attacks on American troops in Iraq. Six U.S. Marines were killed in western Iraq, as troops wrapped up a six- day offensive there. Meantime, Congress has just approved a massive defense spending bill, approving $50 billion more dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war against terrorism.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg stands by his decision to increase security on the city`s subways. Some federal officials say intelligence about the terror threat that prompted the escalation weren`t credible. Today and Sunday were named as possible days for the attack.
And President Bush is struggling against his lowest approval ratings ever. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll shows only 28 percent of those surveyed say the nation is headed in the right direction; nearly 70 percent say it`s on the wrong track.
That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi. Now back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Most people are familiar with Lance Armstrong, Tour de France winner for so many years...
ANDERSON: Of course.
HAMMER: ... and someone who has an amazing story, a cancer survivor who really overcame it in the worst possible way with the best possible outcome.
Well, Dr. Phil, who -- I`m sorry, not Dr. Phil -- Dr. Drew -- I`ve got Dr. Phil on the brain, because we`re talking about him tonight, as well -- but Dr. Drew Pinsky, who you may remember from the "Loveline" show, is kicking off a great series of great survivor stories. Of course, he had to talk to Lance, and we`re going to hear what Lance told him, coming up in just a couple of minutes.
ANDERSON: Armstrong a true inspiration. So happy to see he`s happy with Sheryl Crow and all that good stuff. Looking forward to that, A.J.
And Dr. Phil, as you said, famous for the advice he doles out. Well, now he`s been slapped with a lawsuit. Some folks are saying a weight loss program he endorsed caused them to lose a whole lot of money and not that much weight. We`ll get the latest on that lawsuit, coming up.
HAMMER: And I promise we`ll get the names right. All that`s on the way.
But first, let`s get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is joining us live once again from Hollywood -- Sibila?
VARGAS: Thanks, A.J.
Singer Boy George under arrest in New York. Police say he called 911 to report a burglary. When they got there, they say they found cocaine. Tonight, he`s charged with making a false police report and suspicion of drug possession.
Never doubt the power of Oprah Winfrey. Tonight, even the FBI is talking about her fast results. Oprah`s using part of her show now to track down sex offenders, and it took just two days for a big arrest. A viewer in North Dakota recognized a picture of a fugitive and, tonight, he`s behind bars. The tipster is expecting $100,000 reward and says she`ll use it to buy a house.
Fans at a Rolling Stones concert got a bigger bang for their buck. The Stones were eight songs into their show at the University of Virginia when someone called in a bomb threat. UVA tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT police cleared the stage and brought in bomb-sniffing dogs.
After 45 minutes, they gave the all-clear and the show continued. The name of the tour, by the way, "A Bigger Bang."
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
Brooke, back to you in New York.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Sibila. Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood.
Well, earlier, we told you about how one TV station withheld the subway terror alert in New York City. It has us asking our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Terror threats: Should the media keep them a secret? Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails coming up at 55 past the hour.
HAMMER: When you hear the name Lance Armstrong, the word "survivor" might just come to mind. It was nine years ago when seven-time Tour de France champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 25. The cancer had spread to his lungs, his brain, and to other parts of his body.
Today, amazingly, he is free of cancer and he`s telling his story to the Discovery Channel, as the first of a week-long series called "Survivors Week." Joining us live from Phoenix, Arizona, host of "Lance Armstrong Stories of Survival," Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Nice to see you, Dr. Drew, thanks for being with us.
DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST, "LANCE ARMSTRONG": My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
HAMMER: Your interview with Lance Armstrong obviously made perfect sense to kick off this series of amazing survival stories. What particularly about his story drew you to him, so you would feature him in the series?
PINSKY: It`s just so incredible. Lance Armstrong should not be alive. Really, that`s the fact. He had less than a 20 percent chance of survival. He had tumors throughout his lungs, up into his brain. He had to undergo neurosurgery, fantastically aggressive chemotherapy.
He makes it through this. He survives. And not only does he survive, he goes on to win the Tour de France seven times. It`s unbelievable. We had a wonderful interview.
I spent the whole day with him. And the kinds of things he was telling me really were striking.
HAMMER: And a lot of it was very public over that time, when he came forward and announced his cancer.
PINSKY: Yes.
HAMMER: So we`ve been familiar, to some degree, with his struggles with cancer and, of course, the victories in cycling. But what`s something that you learned about him in the course of spending time with him that we maybe haven`t heard before?
PINSKY: You know, I think the one thing that came out of my interview with him was something that I`ve learned, through dealing with patients for many, many years, is that, when your face is pressed to the mirror, and you`re trying to figure out what makes life meaningful, and how to survive the extraordinary circumstance that life sometimes presents to you, other people and being of service really become what makes meaning, what creates joy, happiness, the possibility of survival.
In fact, Aristotle invented the term. He called it "eudemonia," that living a flourishing life. And people conclude to live a flourishing life, being of service, and being with other people, particularly important people, is really what the purpose of life is all about, and paying attention to that can help you survive an extraordinary circumstance.
HAMMER: And he`s been called an inspiration for all of those reasons. So people are going to be watching these amazing survival stories, like Lance`s, during this series.
PINSKY: I hope so.
HAMMER: They`re going to be watching at home and thinking, well, how can I do that in my life? And exactly how can people take these stories and really apply them to themselves? What would your advice be?
PINSKY: Well, it`s probably a pretty complicated question to answer in a few seconds here. But the fact is, you know, why did Lance survive and my brother, or sister, or my grandmother did not? And the reality is, we don`t know.
He should not be alive. It`s easy to say, well, he was such a specimen, he`s an athlete, he had a positive attitude. And, yes, those things all come to bear on this. How much they come to bear, we just don`t know.
Why one person walks in and responds to chemo and the other does not and succumbs to their illness is still somewhat of a mystery. In fact, we interview some of Lance`s doctors and they make that point.
But what I can tell you is that, to make life meaningful, to survive well, and increase the probability of survival, having faith, having hope, keeping important people around you, continue to experience joy, all these things clearly contribute and prepare for any eventuality.
Get a directive to physicians, appoint a durable power of health care, continue your routine health management, diet and exercise, expect to survive, but also prepare for any contingency.
HAMMER: But people probably wonder, you know, when they see particularly somebody like Lance, all the super strength there and this ability to survive and endure, is that something that`s innate or is it something that you can learn to a degree?
PINSKY: As I`m saying, we really don`t know. I think, to some extent, there certainly is a genetic component to this. Some people are more resilient, more flexible, more able to withstand the poisons we give people to treat cancer.
But beyond that, there are clearly things that you can do that, if not impacting on the actual survivability, at least making the time you have and the experience of surviving to whatever extent you do more meaningful.
And the bottom line I sort of got from Lance, and I do indeed get from my other patients is, other people, being of service. Lance`s life now is about his kids and being of service through the Live Strong, his foundation. And it`s a -- he`s really inspiring. It was a great guy to spend a day with. I think you`ll learn a lot when you see him in this interview.
HAMMER: And he`s doing some amazing work, as you said. Dr. Drew Pinsky, thanks for joining us on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
PINSKY: Thanks.
HAMMER: Our pleasure.
And you can catch Lance Armstrong`s stories of survival this Sunday on The Discovery Channel.
ANDERSON: Tonight, another "Showbiz Sitdown," a rare and candid interview with legendary musician Stephen Stills, best known as the "S" in Crosby, Stills and Nash. Stephen Stills is out with his first solo album in more than a decade.
I spoke with Stills in Los Angeles about his new album, his new son, and working with his old friends.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Congratulations on this CD, "Man Alive." It`s been a long time in the making, 14 years since your last...
STEPHEN STILLS, MUSICIAN: It hasn`t been 14 years in the making. It`s just...
ANDERSON: Because you got interrupted a lot, right?
STILLS: Exactly. Exactly. The other guys kept coming in, and I made the mistake of playing it for them. And they would say, "Oh, we`ll have that one, and that one, and that one, and let`s make a new album."
And so this time, I announced that I`m not giving them any more of my songs until I finish this live record.
ANDERSON: Well, talk to me. How did you meet the other guys? And when did you decide you wanted to form Crosby, Stills and Nash, because all three of you came from other successful groups?
STILLS: We actually met on a computer dating service.
(LAUGHTER)
No, I just...
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Match.com years ago?
STILLS: I stole that from Jay Leno.
Cass Elliot kind of came and asked me, "Do you want a third guy?" And I said, "I don`t know." She said, "This one, Crosby, called you. Come over to my house." And, sure enough, he calls the next day, and I ran over with my guitar.
And Graham Nash was there. And we sang this little song that was only one verse long. And we sang it three times. And the third time, he chimed in, because -- and had learned the words. And it was like a life-changing moment.
ANDERSON: Well, you are a family guy. You`re a dad.
STILLS: Yes. Just had a new -- my boy will be a year old next month.
ANDERSON: Well, congratulations. How do you juggle everything?
STILLS: As fast as you can.
(LAUGHTER)
It`s very, very hard. And it`s very -- it`s just -- but playing music is great. And running errands at home is OK. But the travel, being on the road, I love to play live, but I must say that it`s really long and grueling.
ANDERSON: Do you hope to instill your love for music?
STILLS: Well, I hope he`ll appreciate it, but we`re hoping for an investment banker this time, or something like that, a venture capitalist.
ANDERSON: And what is it that you still want to do? You`ve accomplished so much in your life. What do you still want to do?
STILLS: I want to make more, and keep at it, because I can`t imagine doing anything else. I really love doing this. I really love making music, you know? And I`ll live with the travel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Stills told me he would love to get another Grammy to bookend the first one he got very early on in his career for best new artist. While Crosby, Stills and Nash were nominated many times, he told me they always lost out to people who sold more. "Man Alive" is in stores now.
A.J., maybe he`ll get that bookend with this one.
HAMMER: Yes, and not always to people who were more talented, because they were such a talented bunch and still are.
Still ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, he said he could help people lose weight. They say they just lost money. Well, tonight talk show host Dr. Phil is facing a big lawsuit over his Shape Up diet plan.
ANDERSON: Also, the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Judge Mablean talks about her hit, "Divorce Court," and what she`s learned about love and loss. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
He is famous for dispensing advice, but advice may not be what the doctor ordered. Talk show host and "Oprah" favorite Dr. Phil McGraw is now being sued by some folks who say his advice was misleading. Dieters are taking him to court, claiming that his Shape Up weight loss program helped them lose money but not weight.
Here comes CNN`s Ted Rowlands reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Phil McGraw has built an empire dispensing advice. His tough love style of telling it like it is landed him a daytime talk show and has netted millions in book sales.
In a lawsuit filed in California, Dr. Phil is accused of misleading people into buying Shape Up, a full regimen that promises weight loss. Shape Up, which featured Dr. Phil on the box, stopped production when he severed the relationship after the lawsuit was filed.
The diet plan required participants to take up to 20 vitamin pills a day at a cost of $120 a month. People with apple-shaped bodies were told to take one group of vitamins; those with pair-shaped bodies another.
HENRY ROSSBACHER, PLAINTIFF`S ATTORNEY: These things don`t work.
ROWLANDS: Henry Rossbacher is the lead attorney in the lawsuit filed by three people. He says the pills were worthless and Dr. Phil should be held accountable.
ROSSBACHER: He was saying, "I did this personally. And I am telling you, the American people, the people who believe in me, that this stuff works."
ROWLANDS: Bill Dawson represents Dr. Phil. He says Shape Up was a charity endorsement and the few thousand dollars that Dr. Phil made went to a nonprofit organization fighting childhood obesity. He says Dr. Phil believed in and even used the product.
BILL DAWSON, DR. PHIL`S ATTORNEY: From Phil`s perspective, it`s sort of no good deed goes unpunished. He tried to do something good by endorsing a good, wholesome product with the endorsement fee going into a charity.
ROWLANDS: According to e-mails produced as part of the discovery in this case, Dr. Phil provided specific guidance on how the pills should be advertised, showing, the plaintiffs say, that he had a strong connection to the product.
Roger Clemens, a research director at the USC School of Pharmacy, says the idea that pair-shaped people would need specific vitamins different from apple-shaped people is unfounded.
ROGER CLEMENS, USC SCHOOL OF PHARMACY: Specific weight loss, dietary supplements of any kind, are not warranted at this time. There isn`t any scientific evidence. There isn`t a medical foundation for these type of supplements to be out on the U.S. market.
ROWLANDS: Dr. Phil has yet to make any public comments on the lawsuit or his involvement with Shape Up. The case is not expected to go to trial until sometime next year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Ted Rowlands reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Tonight, another "Showbiz Sitdown" with the woman behind the bench of one of television`s most successful courtroom reality dramas - - you`ve all seen it -- "Divorce Court."
Judge Mablean Ephriam has been turning up the heat on couples calling it quits for seven years now. And recently, Mablean made some big changes herself, including losing more than 80 pounds. Judge Mablean Ephriam joins us live from Hollywood.
Judge Mablean, thank you so much for being here.
JUDGE MABLEAN EPHRIAM, "DIVORCE COURT": Thank you for having me.
ANDERSON: Of course. Now, first, a lot of people may not know this, but you`re originally from Mississippi. Now, of course, many parts of that state devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
EPHRIAM: Right.
ANDERSON: You`re helping rebuild. Talk to us about your efforts.
EPHRIAM: Well, through the Mablean Ephriam Foundation, what we`re doing is gathering supplies, and toys, and clothing, and food items, and particularly toiletries and personal hygiene items, and coats, and sweaters, and things like that, and we`re taking it down to the smaller cities in Mississippi which have been unnoticed by the media. They have not gotten any assistance from Red Cross or FEMA.
Towns like Moss Point, well, they finally got some assistance from Red Cross, a town called Laurel, a town called Rosedale. We`re in the process of gathering supplies and will be taking it there. We just did a trip last weekend and took some things down to Moss Point and, of course, my hometown, Hazlehurst, where a number of people from New Orleans are being housed by local churches there.
So that`s what our relief effort is.
ANDERSON: Well, that`s terrific. And hopefully, a lot of people will be following in your footsteps. And I want to say congratulations. You look fantastic, more than 80 pounds.
EPHRIAM: Thank you, and I feel even better.
ANDERSON: Oh, I bet. And you recently participated on VH-1`s "Celebrity Fit Club," the reality show. Did that jumpstart the weight loss?
EPHRIAM: No. That did not jumpstart the weight loss. "Celebrity Fit Club" ended the weight loss. I had begun this program about three years ago on my own.
I had a personal trainer. I changed my eating habits. I was working out daily. And at the time VH-1 called, I was at a plateau. And I had set a goal for myself and needed to lose about 20, 25 more pounds to reach my ultimate goal. And "Celebrity Fit Club" allowed me to reach that goal to the last 25 pounds.
But, no, they didn`t jumpstart it. They took me over the top.
ANDERSON: You were already on track. Well, good for you.
EPHRIAM: That`s right. Yes.
ANDERSON: And Judge Mablean, speaking of celebrities, and reality shows, and divorce, it seems lately we`ve heard so many celebrities splitting up, getting a divorce. What`s the deal? Do you have any advice for stars who it seems their marriages are under a microscope?
EPHRIAM: I have the same advice for the stars as I have for other litigants on "Divorce Court" and those who ultimately watch it, and that is, "Look deep before you leap."
Most of the marriages in Hollywood are ending quickly because they start quickly. They start without any depth. They`re based upon hot and heavy romances.
You know, how do you -- how you`re in love with somebody because you`re together on a movie for three months and all of a sudden, you`re in love. You`re not in love; you`re in lust.
ANDERSON: Well, let me ask you this...
EPHRIAM: And they`re all starting for the wrong reasons. So, of course, they end quickly.
ANDERSON: Well, let me ask you this. Seventh season of "Divorce Court." Congratulations on that.
EPHRIAM: Thank you.
ANDERSON: But with so many marriages, more than half a million marriages not working, and what you`ve seen on the bench and in your court, do you think America takes marriage seriously?
EPHRIAM: Quite the opposite. I believe that America is not taking marriage seriously. I don`t think that they`re giving it the commitment level that it requires.
I believe we`re more committed to our jobs than we are committed to each other in the marital relationship. And that`s exactly what`s going on. People are jumping into it without any thought process, without thinking about what it will take, without counting up the cost, and without being willing to commit and to follow through on it.
It`s just like a job. You have to work at it. It`s hard work, and you have to work at it.
ANDERSON: Well said. All right, Judge Mablean Ephriam. Thank you so much taking time with us tonight.
EPHRIAM: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We appreciate it.
And you can check your local listing for "Divorce Court."
COOPER: Late night with U2. That`s right. In "Laughter Dark" tonight, it was the very first time in history "Late Night" dedicated its entire show to a musical group. Bono and the boys rocked Conan`s stage, but since they still haven`t found what they`re looking for, perhaps Conan and U2 can look into the future, all the way to the year 2000.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THE EDGE, U2 GUITARIST: The Edge will admit that he wears a knitted cap to take the attention off Bono`s crap sunglasses.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the year 2000...
BONO, U2 LEAD SINGER: The Edge will admit that the reason he wears knit caps is to cover the forehead tattoo that says "I Heart Urkel."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, even better than the real thing, in the year 2005, Bono and fellow musician Bob Geldof were both nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but learned today they lost out. The International Atomic Energy Agency won instead.
ANDERSON: And there`s still time for you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Terror threats: Should the media keep them a secret? Vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight or write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your e-mails live, next.
HAMMER: First, it is time for the "Entertainment Weekly" must list. Here are five things "EW" says you got to check out this week.
First, see "Capote." Philip Seymour Hoffman steps into the shoes of Truman Capote and tells the story of how he came to write the best-selling novel, "In Cold Blood."
Next, "EW" says to check out emusic.com, a great Web site with more than 600,000 MP3s from the coolest indie labels and artists.
Then, pick up a copy of Ruth Rendell`s book, "Thirteen Steps Down," the brilliant mystery of one man`s creepy obsession with a model.
"EW" also says ABC is the place to be Sunday night, from "Extreme Makeover," to "Desperate Housewives," and "Grey`s Anatomy," hearts will be touched, broken and fixed.
And finally, listen to the 1957 concert recording of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. It is the ultimate definition of classic jazz.
For more on the must list, pick up your copy of "Entertainment Weekly." It`s on newsstands now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Well, throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Terror threats: Should the media keep them a secret?
Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far: 23 percent of you say, yes, they should; 77 percent of you say, no, they shouldn`t.
And we`ve gotten some e-mails. Maria from Texas writes, "If the threat is immediate, then, yes, the public should be warned."
And Scott writes, "I am all for security, but I don`t believe that we should wait to hear about threats."
You can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: It`s kind of a tough issue. I`m a little bit surprised that it was such a far spread tonight...
ANDERSON: Absolutely.
HAMMER: ... because obviously there is a responsibility to get the issue out and the information out but, at the same time, you have to balance it...
ANDERSON: You don`t want to frighten people and...
HAMMER: ... with what`s right.
ANDERSON: Right. It is a tough issue. And many people are passionate about it both ways. You`re right. It was spread very big.
HAMMER: Pretty wide.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HAMMER: Keep voting.
And we`re going to wrap it up for the week. Thank you very much for joining us. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: Have a great weekend. I`m Brooke Anderson. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
END
