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Showbiz Tonight
Famous Legal Eagle`s Wife Murdered; Presidential Shows Face off; "Variety" Lists 100 Entertainment Icons from 20th Century; Teen Golf Sensation Poised for Fame
Aired October 17, 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.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a developing story from the White House. Well, it`s about the White House. Two very popular make- believe TV shows are making big presidential headlines in real life. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT examines why politics and prime time aren`t such strange bedfellows after all.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Also, a shocking murder mystery. He`s a famous TV news legal eagle. That`s his wife. Now, she`s dead. Tonight, is there a connection between his cable news commentary and the killing? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
HAMMER: And the princess of poker, Annie Duke. Meet one of the best card players in the world. In fact, she`s so good, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals which celebrity anted up big time just to meet her. She lays her cards out in an interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT live.
MARCIA CROSS, ACTRESS: Hi, I`m Marcia Cross. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight, a whodunit story like no other. A defense attorney who`s usually on CNN Headline News talking about high profile murder cases is involved in a news headline of his own.
HAMMER: Daniel Horowitz found his wife dead, murdered on Saturday night and as investigators figure out the suspects he`s got his own grief to deal with. And now the murder case that he was defending has been thrown into a true turmoil.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer live now in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT news room with the latest -- David.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A.J., just moments ago investigators announced that Daniel Horowitz`s wife, Pamela Vitale, died of blunt force trauma to the head. And while they say they`ve already interviewed dozens of people, they have nobody in custody, and that it is a wide open case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: A mysterious murder.
CHIEF MIKE FISHER, LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT: I can`t tell you, it was violent.
HAFFENREFFER: Police are investigating the murder of Pamela Vitale, married to well-known TV legal pundit and defense attorney, Daniel Horowitz.
FISHER: Mr. Horowitz had actually called into the sheriff`s department dispatch to report that there had been a murder.
HAFFENREFFER: Horowitz is currently working on the high profile case of Susan Polk, accused of killing her husband three years ago. It`s so high profile it was featured this past Friday on "NANCY GRACE" and NBC`s "Dateline." But now everything`s changed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A murder trial that has, in fact, ended in a mistrial.
HAFFENREFFER: Just hours ago, a California court ruled a mistrial in the Polk case because of Horowitz`s wife`s murder.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When this trial hopefully has a second chance, they`re hoping in February that Daniel will be back in the lead chair.
HAFFENREFFER: But he won`t be in the lead chair any time soon. Word is Horowitz is devastated. That`s what he told Headline Prime`s Nancy Grace.
NANCY GRACE, HOST, "NANCY GRACE": I spoke to him on the phone yesterday, Kyra. His -- he could hardly speak.
HAFFENREFFER: The two are friends. Horowitz had just appeared on her show Friday night, and she told CNN`s Kyra Phillips about their conversation last night, after the murder.
GRACE: He was half whispering, half speaking and I said, "What has happened?"
And he said, "She is the love of my life." He is not even speaking of her in the past tense.
HAFFENREFFER: Horowitz found his wife dead at the entrance of their mobile home, where they lived while building their dream home.
GRACE: They`ve been working on this house, Kyra, for so long. They`ve been living in a trailer on the ground, miserable!
HAFFENREFFER: Ivan Gould, friend of Horowitz and co-counsel on the Polk case, says he believes police were closer to solving the case, but police say his remarks are premature.
On Court TV today, Nancy Grace said there are countless suspects. They could be former clients.
GRACE: And I`ll just put it out there. Call me judgmental, whatever you want. Some of the worst characters in our society, dopers, child molesters, murders. You are dealing with literally the scum of the earth there. There you have it.
HAFFENREFFER: There you have it, but in most police investigations, the spouse is usually the first suspect. On "The Today Show," friend Bob Masse told Matt Lauer that Horowitz`s alibi is air tight.
BOB MASSE, FRIEND OF DANIEL HOROWITZ: He was with me for a couple hours. He met with his defense team at about 11, working on the Susan Polk case. All day, you know, he was working on the case. Literally in the afternoon he drops some paperwork off at the hotel where I was staying in Lafayette and as a result there`s no question that he`s accounted for the entire time.
HAFFENREFFER: And Nancy Grace says there`s no way he did it.
GRACE: These two, never seen a couple happier than these two.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: No arrests have been made so far. Police said they need your help in this investigation. If you have any tips on the case, call their tip line, 1-866-846-3592 -- A.J.
HAMMER: Sad story, David, thanks very much. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer.
We`re going to give you up to the minute developments on the murder investigation of Horowitz`s wife in tonight`s "Legal Lowdown." That`s coming up a bit later.
ANDERSON: Well, tonight the most fascinating White House stories aren`t coming from D.C., but from TV. Sixteen hundred Pennsylvania Avenue is nowhere near prime time but a pair of dramas are making news while portraying the lives of all the president`s men and women.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas joins us from our Hollywood news room.
Hi, Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Brooke, that`s right. NBC`s long running "The West Wing" and ABC`s new hit drama "Commander in Chief" have a lot in common. Mainly, they`re one-hour shows and they`re both set in the White House. But there is one key difference between these two. One is more like life imitating art; the other one is more like art imitating life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SHEEN, ACTOR: Killing yourself and innocent people to make a point is sick, twisted, brutal, dumb ass murder.
VARGAS (voice-over): For years "The West Wing`s" President Bartlett and his White House staff have dealt with national crises that appear to be ripped from real life headlines.
GEENA DAVIS, ACTRESS: I do solemnly swear...
VARGAS: And in the popular new drama series "Commander in Chief," the fictitious tales of President Mackenzie Allen are starting to make headlines. It`s the battle of the network presidents, between the old reliable "West Wing" and its upstart challenger, "Commander in Chief." It`s a White House war that`s both reflecting and affecting real world politics.
DAVIS: I`m going to go out there and I`m going to take the oath of office.
VARGAS: Let`s start with the challenger, "Commander in Chief."
"Commander in Chief" is in its first season. It`s the year`s most- watched new show, weighing in with about 17 million viewers, and this show`s best punch is how it`s affecting real world`s headlines.
DAVIS: We have that whole once a month will she or won`t she press the button thing.
DONALD SUTHERLAND, ACTOR: A couple of years you`re not going to have to worry about that anymore.
VARGAS: "Commander in Chief" features Geena Davis as the nation`s first female president. Real life politicos on the left and on the right are using the show in their debate over Senator Hillary Clinton`s possible plans to run for president in 2008.
KRISTEN LOMBARDI, "THE VILLAGE VOICE": Many people are curious what this show will mean for a president Clinton or for a real life female president in the future.
VARGAS: The president herself? Well, the fake president weighed in today on "The Oprah Winfrey show." Geena Davis, who plays President Allen on "Commander in Chief," says the country is ready for a Madam President.
DAVIS: Some day this will happen. A woman will do this exact thing that I`m doing, and it will be overwhelming. It will be a huge deal. Whenever it happens, it`s going to be good.
VARGAS: But conservatives who see "Commander in Chief" as a thinly veiled "Hillary for patient" campaign commercial, got some new ammunition in this week`s "TIME" magazine. "TIME" reporters that a writer on "Commander in Chief" once served as an aide to the former first lady. The article also features an interview with Capricia Marshall (ph), another former Clinton aide who was a consultant on "Commander in Chief."
Is the show really a well-done subliminal ad?
NICK GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": It`s a weird thing but television is such a powerful force in our lives, that it`s certainly making it seem like it`s realistic and feasible for a woman to be president.
VARGAS: But as it`s making headlines, "Commander in Chief" is facing the reigning champion of the White House dramas, "The West Wing."
"The West Wing" is now in its seventh season. It`s won four Emmys for outstanding drama series and it`s weighing in with about eight million viewers this season. The show`s best punch is reflecting news headlines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn`t talk to the grand jury. The judge held me in contempt. I report to Cumberland Minimum Security Prison Tomorrow.
VARGAS: That fictional White House is caught up into an investigation over who leaked some super secret space shuttle info to the media. If that plot sounds familiar to you, it should. The real White House is caught up in a bit of a mess, too, over who may have leaked the name of a CIA operative to the press.
CHRIS LISOTTA, "TV WEEK": I think it`s fairly common for shows that use politics or use current affairs to take things, modify them and then give them a great background from which the characters can sort of jump off of and have ideas and stories.
VARGAS: But no matter if these dueling dramas are making headlines or depicting them, they`re both striving for the same goal, good TV.
LISOTTA: Ultimately, it`s less about the politics and more about story telling and more about character development.
VARGAS: And it`s also about being the show that best captures the real life drama that unfolds within the walls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And we have gotten a sense of which presidential drama the Clinton household prefers. According to the "New York Daily News," President Clinton recently joked that he was taking Hillary out on the town despite the fact that "Commander in Chief" was on TV that night.
Brooke, back to you.
ANDERSON: Well, "Commander in Chief" a hit with the Clintons. Well, it seems to be a hit with the rest of America, too, 17 million viewers, pretty nice start. Sibila Vargas, thank you so much.
And with all of this talk of whether prime time is imitating politics, we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The "West Wing" factor: do prime time shows influence your politics? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us an e-mail at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com. And we`re going to read some of your thoughts coming up in the show.
HAMMER: Well, on something else now that could create political shockwaves. Right in our Kirsten Dunst is starring in the new movie "Elizabethtown," but soon she`s going to be heading to Iraq.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT learned today that the actress, who is currently playing alongside Orlando Bloom and Susan Sarandon in the Cameron Crow flick, is going to star as the late American relief worker Marla Ruzicka. Ruzicka was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq last April. She founded the Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict, raising money for civilians who were injured in the conflict.
ANDERSON: All right. Will "Rocky" run up those steps one more time? Sylvester Stallone makes a big announcement decades in the making. What that is, coming up next.
HAMMER: And I`ve got a list. It`s right in here. It`s a century in the making. The Beatles are on it, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe. It is actually the A-list of the A-lists. It`s "Variety" magazine`s top entertainment icons of the 20th Century. That`s coming up live.
ANDERSON: A-list of the A-lists. All right.
And also a lot of green is being thrown at this 16-year-old golfing sensation. Who she is and how she`s got Hollywood swinging for the stars, next.
HAMMER: Now here comes tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who composed the Three Dog Night`s Top 10 hit, "One," that you`re hearing right now? Was it Harry Nilsson, Laura Nyro, Fred Neil or Neil Diamond? We`re going to come right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Who composed the Three Dog Night`s Top 10 hit, "One"? Harry Nilsson, Laura Nyro, Fred Neil or Neil Diamond? Well, this guy also worked with the Beatles and the Monkees. The answer is A, the late Harry Nilsson.
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
The eye of the tiger will roar once again. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT learned today that 59-year-old Sylvester Stallone will once again put on the Italian Stallion robe as boxing champ Rocky Balboa in a sixth "Rocky" movie.
The flick, entitled "Rocky Balboa," is scheduled to begin shooting this December in Philadelphia. Remember the famous run up the steps of the Museum of Art? Of course you do. How could we forget that one?
Well, Stallone will write and direct. Not sure yet if Talia Shire, who played Rocky`s main squeeze, "Yo, Adrian," not sure if she`ll be in it.
HAMMER: That was well done, Brooke.
Well, Rocky was certainly one of the biggest film icons. And for the past 100 years "Variety" magazine has been logging icons as the Bible of showbiz. Now, in a special centennial issue, the showbiz magazine has named the top 100 icons of the century.
Live in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Hollywood news room, executive editor from "Variety," Steve Gaydos.
It`s nice to have you in here. Quite a comprehensive issue that I know you were very instrumental in putting together. How did you guys come up with this list?
STEVE GAYDOS, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "VARIETY": Well, we queried people in the entertainment community. We religiously pulled up everybody in the "Variety" news organization, and we even put it online at Variety.com and asked our readers to weigh in on it. So we kind of weighed all of that and got a committee together and tried to figure out how to make a list that really represented this amazing century of show business.
HAMMER: And it certainly does. And one thing that I should point out, while it`s the top 100, it is not a countdown per se. It`s actually an alphabetical list. However, you do have your No. 1 choice for the icon of the century, which is the Beatles. Why them?
GAYDOS: Well, I think that they really represent the real aspirations of what entertainment can be at its best. It`s interesting, when you query, you know, industry professionals and news people and readers, and everyone came up with kind of the first four names, which were the Beatles and Chaplin and Elvis and Mickey Mouse. It was very consistent that people saw the Beatles in that top four from day one on this.
HAMMER: And a lot of other musical icons there, as well. And great television icons including Lucille Ball, Oprah Winfrey, obvious choices for the list. And there`s really an interesting relationship that these two women have that people may not ordinarily think of, isn`t there?
GAYDOS: Oprah and Lucille?
HAMMER: Yes.
GAYDOS: Yes, the business connection. I think it`s a kind of wonderful opportunity to have a list where you have a pioneer from that time and then you have someone today who really has carried the torch.
HAMMER: And in music, you have artists who also have connections, such as, you know, Bob Dylan is on there, the Beatles, as I mentioned, No. 1, and Little Richard is on there and there`s actually a commonality between these three artists, isn`t there?
GAYDOS: Yes, it`s great, because you know, in Bob Dylan`s yearbook, I think someone said, you know, his dream was to join Little Richard`s band. And, of course, the Beatles dreamed of being with Little Richard. And so he influenced both the Beatles and Bob Dylan.
And you`ve got Woody Guthrie on the list, who of course, influenced Dylan. You`ve got Robert Johnson, who of course, influenced another icon, Jimi Hendrix, on the list. So we really tried to cross the century and make these links.
HAMMER: I don`t know if anybody listed Pacman as their influence, but I`m going through your magazine here, and there`s Pacman, one of the biggest icons of the 20th Century. Why Pacman? Why not Ms. Pacman?
GAYDOS: Well, there`s only room for one Pacman. You know, Pacman stands in for the amazing digital revolution and that first tiny, you know, voracious creature that was the beginning of this whole digital revolution, the same reason "Lassie" is on, emblematic of all the animal acts in the history of "Variety," going back to 1905.
HAMMER: And you just didn`t think that the Pong, Pong player thing was iconic enough, I guess?
GAYDOS: Pong -- Pong is, you know, 101 bubbling under the hot 100, you know. It`s interesting all the people and amazing, amazing talent that didn`t make the list. That probably says more about the great century of show business than anything.
HAMMER: Well, it`s an interesting read. There`s some great photos here, as well. Steven, we appreciate you joining us to share your list with us. Steve Gaydos from "Variety" magazine. The icons issue is on news stands now.
ANDERSON: Tonight the entertainment world is really hyped up over a 16-year-old who plays a mean 18. Michelle Wie is well on her way to making golf history. She recently turned pro and has both Hollywood and advertisers dreaming of dollars.
Sibila Vargas is back with us again in Hollywood tonight -- Sibila.
VARGAS: Thanks, Brooke.
Well, Wie is already the richest female player, is being compared to Tiger Woods and has hordes of fans and sponsors tracking her every move. You can say this young girl is swinging her way to stardom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE WIE, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: First time I grabbed the golf club I knew that, you know, I`d do it for the rest of my life.
VARGAS: If you don`t know Michelle Wie now, you will soon. She`s the 6`1" female golf sensation who just turned pro, just turned out multimillion-dollar endorsement deals with Nike and Sony, and just turned 16 years old.
At her press conference announcing she was going pro, she was glowing with raw potential.
WIE: I`m really excited for everything to come.
VARGAS: And what`s to come is big, very big. Michelle Wie is on the cusp of becoming a household name, incredibly famous, incredibly rich. Expect to see her everywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michelle Wie delivers.
VARGAS: She just made her professional debut in the LPGA tour. She hits the ball at an incredible 300 yards and more and wants to play against men more than women. And as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT found out, Wie`s dreams have always known no boundaries.
WIE: I think my major goal in golf, my final is to play in the masters, and I just want to become the best player.
VARGAS: She`s already the richest female player. She`s said to be making about $10 million this year in prize money and endorsements, and she`s expected to rack up a lot more, much like another famous golfer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m Tiger Woods.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am Tiger Woods.
VARGAS: She has the same broad cross-culture appeal as Tiger Woods. She`s already a hit in Asia, and people are saying she has the potential to be just as big and just as rich.
Kurt Badsenhausen of "Forbes" magazine tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the similarities are clear.
KURT BADENHAUSEN, "FORBES" MAGAZINE: Both turned professional very young, Wie even younger than Woods. They both have ethnic backgrounds that appeal to a worldwide audience. Also, I think both of them have very clear understanding of where they want to take their careers. They both want to transcend the sport.
VARGAS: You don`t have to be a sports fan to know Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, or Tom Brady, for that matter, and it`s that kind of recognition that Wie is striving for.
The same image consultant who broke Justin Timberlake out of the boy band mode, and is now working with Angelina Jolie, is also working with Wie. And she picked Hollywood heavyweight agency William Morris to help her. They have no other golfers and the likes of big time stars like Russell Crowe and John Travolta.
Adam Barr of the Golf Channel tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Wie`s potential has no limits.
ADAM BARR, THE GOLF CHANNEL: Michelle Wie definitely has an opportunity to be the biggest female sports star in the first half of the 21st Century, simply because we`re a celebrity-obsessed culture. Golf seems to be taking off and the fact that she`s got a media agency that can move her into movies, into television, even into books and music if it wanted to.
VARGAS: And the fact that she`s a tall 16-year-old beauty opens the door to so much more. Soon you`ll see her grace the pages of "Sports Illustrated," but you`ll also see her in "Vogue."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Wie`s first professional match ended in disqualification at the Samsung World Championship this past weekend but this definitely won`t be the last we`ll hear of her. Everyone is buzzing about whether or not she`ll qualify for the PGA tour. If she does, TV executives will be very happy. She`s already known for driving ratings to Tiger Woods levels.
Brooke, back to you.
ANDERSON: All right. Thank you, Sibila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas. It sounds like Wie is also driving -- on her way to driving the golf ball like Tiger Woods. Pretty impressive at 16.
OK. Coming up, what some of music`s biggest are doing for hurricane victims, and why what Dolly Parton is doing for pets.
HAMMER: Plus, Hillary Clinton in Hollywood. Some say Geena Davis`s new show will help put a woman in the White House, and others are calling it a conspiracy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
ANDERSON: And she knows when to hold them, fold them, walk away, and run the table. The poker princess that celebrities turn to when they want to earn big. And now you`ll learn her secrets. Annie Duke, it`s the interview you`ll only she on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Tonight, music`s biggest are coming together again to benefit Gulf Coast hurricane victims. Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Barbra Steisand, many others, they`re recording songs for a new album, "Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now." The two CD set is going to be out in November.
And tonight Dolly Parton is doing her part to make sure the pets of the Gulf Coast are not forgotten. I sat down with the country music legend to talk about her new patriotic album and the importance of celebrities lending a hand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLLY PARTON, MUSICIAN: I do believe in helping, when you can, and celebrities, certainly celebrities are in a wonderful position to help. I`m going to be working in Louisiana in December, and I`m going to be donating the money that I make from those shows to the Humane Society for all the little pets and the animals and stuff like that.
HAMMER: Such an important part of the story.
POLLY: Yes, but all of it. So we -- I just like -- it makes you feel good to do it.
HAMMER: Sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tomorrow, more of my interview with Dolly Parton, including her thoughts on turning the big 6-0.
ANDERSON: Can`t wait for that. Love Dolly Parton.
Well, they`re not quite ready to date yet, but Madonna has already laid down the law for taking her offspring out. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: Also, does "Commander in Chief" have a hidden agenda? Some say Geena Davis` new show is the kickoff campaign for the first female president, that being Hillary Clinton. Fair or foul? That`s next.
ANDERSON: And the mysterious killing of a high profile TV lawyer`s wife. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the latest in this developing and tragic story coming up in tonight`s "Legal Lowdown."
(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, six current and former Texas Supreme Court justices joined President Bush today to endorse his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Harriet Miers. The administration is still trying to win over skeptical Republicans, as well as key Democrats, on the nomination. Senate Republicans want to start and finish confirmation hearings for Miers by next month.
A U.N. official says it`s a race against time to get relief supplies to victims of the South Asia earthquake. Millions in and around the Kashmir, Pakistan, region could get hypothermia if temperatures there drop below freezing.
And 2,000 people living near the Whittendon Dam in Massachusetts are evacuating their homes. After days of heavy rains, there are reports the dam may have structural problems and could flood parts of Bristol County. If the dam fails, a second one could then also give way.
That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, still to come in the next half-hour of the program, I`m sure by now you`ve either seen the show "Commander-in-Chief" or you`ve certainly heard of "Commander-in-Chief." It is the most popular new show of this television season. Geena Davis as the first woman president.
Conspiracy theory is what is being cried by conservatives, saying that this show is simply laying the groundwork for the idea of putting a woman, namely Hillary Clinton, in the White House. What`s going on?
ANDERSON: Interesting theory, A.J.
HAMMER: It is an interesting theory. And we`re going to tackle it with a woman who certainly has a lot to say about politics, Arianna Huffington, in just a couple of minutes.
ANDERSON: Well, absolutely. That should be interesting.
And also, A.J., in a few minutes I`ll talk live with a woman who`s taken the poker world by storm. Annie Duke is her name. She`s won millions of dollars playing poker. And now a lot of celebrities are paying big bucks to get tips from her.
She`s got a new book out now detailing her poker strategy. I`ll talk to her live in just a few minutes. Hopefully we`ll get a lot of tips from her, as well.
HAMMER: And we`ll find out who`s going to put out the big bucks to meet her, right?
ANDERSON: Absolutely. That secret we will share with everyone.
But first, let`s get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines." And for that, we go to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer who joins us live -- David?
HAFFENREFFER: Thanks, Brooke.
Tonight, a recognizable face in law is now living through his own public nightmare. Attorney Daniel Horowitz`s wife was found murdered in California over the weekend. Police have not made any arrests at this point.
Horowitz has provided TV commentary on high-profile cases, including Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson. Today, a judge declared a mistrial in a murder case in which Horowitz was the defense attorney.
All right, get ready for a whole new "Nightline." Today ABC announcing it`s replacing Ted Koppel with three anchors, Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran. And it`s making other changes, as well. Koppel has been anchoring "Nightline" since it went on the air back in 1980. His final broadcast will be November 2nd.
And Paris Hilton says everybody wants her. Hilton says even though FOX has dropped her reality show "The Simple Life," she and Nicole Ritchie, who reportedly are not even speaking at this point, will start shooting the fourth season November 1st. Hilton says, quote, "All the networks are fighting over it," unquote.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." A.J., back to you.
HAMMER: All right, David, thanks very much, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer.
Well, as we told you earlier in the show, today there`s a story in "Time" magazine that`s reporting that some conservative conspiracy theorists see the ABC hit drama "Commander-in-Chief" as an actual vehicle just to get Senator Hillary Rodman Clinton into the White House in 2008. There are others who think they`re nuts.
Well, "Commander-in-Chief," of course, stars Geena Davis as the first female president. "Time" magazine is reporting that two former Clinton aides work on the show.
Now the blogs, talk radio going nuts about this very issue. So, is there a vast conspiracy? Let`s address that right now.
Joining us live in Hollywood, nationally syndicated columnist and creator of the blog site "The Huffington Post," Arianna Huffington.
Thanks for being with us, Arianna. So as I was just saying, conservatives are saying "conspiracy, conspiracy." "Commander-in-Chief" just a one-hour big weekly commercial. It`s an ad campaign just trying to get Clinton in the White House, that being Hillary Clinton.
What`s your take?
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, CREATOR, THEHUFFINGTONPOST.COM: Of course not. It`s helping Condoleezza Rice as much as Hillary Clinton and as much as any woman who`s considering running for president and as much as any teenage girl who may one day run for president.
I`m the mother of two teenage girls. They`re loving the show. It`s great to see a strong woman who is commander-in-chief, who is a mother, who can combine all the different roles we associate with womanhood and be a president.
HAMMER: So it seems that your feeling -- it`s more laying the groundwork, getting people comfortable with the idea of a woman being in the White House.
And here`s where the conspiracy theory part comes in for a lot of conservatives who are talking about that, and others. As we mentioned, a former Clinton White House aide serves as a consultant to the series. And a writer on the show was a communications aide to the former first lady.
So the former aide is still seeing the senator from time to time. Wouldn`t you say this is coincidence or conspiracy that this relationship still goes on and these people work on the show?
HUFFINGTON: I don`t see any problem with that. First of all, clearly, Hillary Clinton, whatever she may say, is running for president. Therefore, people around her know a lot about the presidency.
She was also the first lady. So that would be useful information for a show.
The bottom line is that this show, "Commander-in-Chief," is helping any woman, Republican, or Democrat, or independent, who is considering running for president, or who is still too young to run for president but may one day feel ready to do it.
HAMMER: But perhaps the politics, a little more aligned with those of Hillary Clinton. So whether or not there`s a conspiracy theory here -- and obviously, we`re saying this good for any woman in the White House -- but what about specifically Senator Clinton? Do you think this can help or hurt her in any way?
HUFFINGTON: I don`t know. I think the main thing with Senator Clinton is that she needs to have some bold views if she`s going to run for president.
She`s been equivocating on the war in Iraq. She hasn`t taken bold positions on foreign policy. And I think what the American people are looking, whether it`s from a man or a woman, is boldness, authenticity.
They`re tired of poll-driven politicians. And to the extent that Geena Davis works is because she speaks her mind, she takes strong stances, and that`s what people are looking for.
HAMMER: And as you said, not just Hillary could possibly benefit from this. Condoleezza Rice, as you mentioned her name has been tossed out there, certainly. It`s been floated in the arena of those who could possibly run, although, of course, she denies having any interest in being president.
If Clinton and Condoleezza Rice were to run against each other, who do you think about win, Arianna?
HUFFINGTON: You know what? This is such an unlikely scenario.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: That`s why we`re just kind of putting it out there. It`s a hypothetical question.
HUFFINGTON: Especially because -- I don`t know if you watched "Meet the Press" yesterday, but Tim Russert asked her, I don`t know, 12 times, I think, if she was going to run. That`s Condoleezza Rice. And finally she said to him, "I don`t know how many ways there are to say no."
But I don`t think she intends to run. Of course, anything can change. But I think the chances of Condoleezza Rice versus Hillary Clinton are so, so remote.
HAMMER: And as we saw, Hillary Clinton was on "Ellen" last week saying, "Right now, I`m just worrying about my next election for the Senate."
HUFFINGTON: Well, that is completely untrue. And that`s one of the problems about authenticity that I talked about earlier.
I wish that she would say she`s running. Everybody knows she`s running. So why pretend she`s not running and announce it six months after she wins her Senate seat?
HAMMER: Arianna Huffington, from "The Huffington Post," thanks so much for joining us tonight.
HUFFINGTON: Thank you.
HAMMER: This leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." "The West Wing" factor: Do primetime shows actually influence your politics?
Please continue to vote. Go to our web site, CNN.com/showbiztonight. If you`ve got more to say, we`ve got an e-mail address for that. It is showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your e-mails at 55 past the hour.
ANDERSON: The Madonna media blitz has begun. Madonna`s new album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," will be released November 15th. And her new documentary is out this week.
Today, Madonna stopped by MTV`s "Total Request Live" with a sneak peek of the video for the first single, "Hung Up." She also got a little grilling from the "TRL" host about the fact that she doesn`t let her children watch TV.
Madonna said when her kids get a little older, she`ll be just at strict about who they go out with. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA, MUSICIAN: Of course, their dates have to pass my requirements, pass the test.
DAMIEN FAHEY, HOST, MTV`S "TRL": Can you imagine that?
MADONNA: Must have incredible style.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What else? Must have incredible style.
FAHEY: Sass?
MADONNA: Must read books.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Must read books.
MADONNA: Must dance well..
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes. Hey, Damien, you`re out, dude.
(LAUGHTER)
MADONNA: You`re not going out with my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Pretty high standards. The material girl quite the disciplinarian. And there`s a lot more Madonna coming your way. Madonna`s new documentary, "I`m Going to Tell You a Secret," debuts on MTV this Friday.
HAMMER: And we had a little secret. Now I`m going to reveal the answer of the secret. It`s about Ashton Kutcher, who pays thousands of dollars for a little time with Annie Duke. It`s all for good, clean fun. Don`t worry. Poker champ Annie Duke joins us live, coming up next.
ANDERSON: You unveiled the secret? All right.
Plus, Colin Farrell`s colleagues send a message to the paparazzi. And now you can get in on the action, too. We`ll tell you how, coming up.
HAMMER: I just couldn`t wait any longer.
And a high-profile lawyer you`ve probably seen on television -- in fact, he`s been here on Headline News many times -- his wife found murdered over the weekend. Unbelievable story, coming up in the "Legal Lowdown."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Time now for a "Showbiz Sitdown" with Annie Duke. She`s the winningest woman in poker. She has won millions of dollars. And now everyone in Hollywood wants her.
Just this weekend in Las Vegas, Ashton Kutcher, in his first public appearance since marrying Demi Moore, bid $14,000 for hurricane relief for just one private lesson with Duke. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have also looked to Duke for the inside straight.
Now she`s written a book about her career in poker and the odds she defeated to get to the top. Joining us live in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Hollywood newsroom is Annie Duke.
Annie, welcome.
ANNIE DUKE, PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER: Hi.
ANDERSON: Hi there. Now, there are so many professional poker players out there. Why do you think that celebrities are coming to you for the tips?
DUKE: Well, I mean, I think that they came to me on Saturday night because I happened to put myself up for auction for Katrina relief. So that limited the choices.
(LAUGHTER)
You know, I don`t know. I mean, I`m guessing that Ben probably chose me because I was a girl. But you know, I`m not sure. I don`t know. I really don`t know.
ANDERSON: Well, whatever it is, they do go to you for the tips.
And, you know, I love poker. I`m not saying I`m very good at it. I do enjoy it. Annie, I`ve seen you on the televised poker tournaments. And many times you`re one of the only, if not the sole, woman in a room full of guys at the table.
Have you ever been intimidated by this?
DUKE: I haven`t -- I`ve never been intimidated by being the only woman in a roomful of guys. I haven`t always been treated very well, but...
ANDERSON: Oh, say it ain`t so.
DUKE: ... I just use that as a motivation to win. No, really early in my career, I remember I lost a hand to somebody. And they looked at me, and they said, "That`s OK, honey. You can go across the street to the hotel, stick your legs in the air, and make your money back from me," which was not so nice.
So I mean, I have had that. I mean, most of the men treat me really well, but there are some who aren`t particularly happy that a woman is taking their money and playing with them. And they don`t treat you very well. But I`ve never allowed that to upset me. I`ve just sort of taken that as more motivation to win, so...
ANDERSON: And really stood your ground. And you`ve beaten some of the toughest players in the business.
But I have to ask, where did this love for poker come from? I know your brother is a professional poker player, as well. But did you grow up playing cards?
DUKE: Well, I didn`t grow up playing poker. But my family would gather on my father`s den floor, probably about five or six nights a week, from the time I was about 6 years old. And you know, we would play cards every night.
And by the time I was 14, I was my dad`s bridge partner. So, you know, I think that I certainly loved cards when I was growing up. That was mostly what we did in order to interact as a family.
And it certainly taught me a lot about how people behaved, you know, when they have good hands, when they have bad hands. And I think that it wasn`t an accident that my brother and I both became top poker players, because we were really bred with cards in our hand and having a lot of card sense about how card games work.
ANDERSON: Interesting. And, Annie, this is really interesting, as well. Prior to your poker career, you were at the University of Pennsylvania getting your doctorate in psycholinguistics. Psycholinguistics, poker, totally different. What made you make the jump?
DUKE: Well, I had gone to graduate school really because I had too much fun in college. And by the time -- you know, I went to college in New York City and really had a great time sort of going to New York City.
And so, when college came -- you know, the end of college came around, I was like, "Oh, no, what am I going to do?" So I decided to keep being a student.
And at the end of five years of graduate school, about to get my PhD, I realized, in a really sort of violent way, that that wasn`t what I wanted to do. I actually ended up in the hospital not being able to keep any food down for two weeks, just stressed out that I was about to become a college professor and that I hadn`t really made that choice for myself.
So I ran off to Montana. I was married at the time. I had just gotten married. And I ran off to Montana with my ex-husband. And I was living in this shack in this town of like 1,200 people in Montana.
And there was a poker game in Billings, which was about 40 minutes away. And so, really out of desperation for money, we had this $11,000 house that we didn`t have any money to even pay for. And I just called my brother up and I said, "There`s poker in Billings. And maybe I can go up there and make some money."
And he sent me $2,400. And told me...
ANDERSON: Helped you get started.
(CROSSTALK)
DUKE: ... gave me some lessons. Yes. And I went up. And it was in this place called the Crystal Lounge, which was this dive bar, and went down the backstairs into this smoky room with a bunch of, like, 60-year-old dancers.
ANDERSON: And that`s how you got your start?
DUKE: Yes. The first month, I won $2,800. And my mortgage was $125 a month. I thought, you know...
ANDERSON: Good for you.
DUKE: ... I was like -- yes, so that`s really how I ended up getting from graduate school. It was really -- I was sort of escaping my life, and I end up escaping into poker. And it turned out to be what I really meant to do.
ANDERSON: It turned out to be a great, great move for you, Annie.
DUKE: Yes.
ANDERSON: And thank you so much for being here. We`re out of time now. But we appreciate your joining us.
DUKE: Well, thank you.
ANDERSON: And her new book, "Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker," is in stores now.
All right. Colin Farrell is getting lots of attention in Miami, where he`s filming "Miami Vice." But some of it is unwanted.
It seems the paparazzi have been swarming Farrell, following him around even when he goes to the gym. So one crew member on the movie has taken matters into her own hands and has made t-shirts saying "Leave Colin Alone." The cast and crew have been wearing them and they`re also being sold online at leavecolinalone.com.
How fitting. Profits are going to the Princess Diana Memorial Fund.
HAMMER: It is time now for the "Legal Lowdown." Taking a look at what`s going on in the world of entertainment legal news.
On our docket tonight, sad story. Daniel Horowitz, the very popular media legal pundit and high-profile criminal defense attorney, finds his wife brutally murdered in their California home. You`re seeing it right here. That happened over the weekend.
Horowitz has been working on the Susan Polk case, one of the most sensational trials of the year, very high-profile. And now it`s a sensational case surrounding him.
Joining us from Los Angeles, investigative journalist Pat Lalama. Thanks for being with us, Pat.
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: My pleasure.
HAMMER: Daniel Horowitz, a wildly popular legal analyst. We see him on CNN all the time. He`s on with Nancy Grace all the time. It`s truly such a sad story.
Late today, there was a press conference held in California with the latest. Can you fill us in on what happened?
LALAMA: Well, all that we know at this point is probably what the rest of the world has heard by now, and that`s that he came home Saturday night to find his wife, now we know, bludgeoned to death.
He, of course, is the first person any police entity is going to look at. That`s common, happens all the time, nothing new about that. But I have to tell you, I don`t think anyone that I know ever suspected him from the start.
This is a very jovial guy, loves his wife, been with her for 10 years, building their dream home together. The cops right now are saying nothing, just that the case is wide open.
The only thing, A.J., that I just might be able to add, just to give to some people some food for thought, is that I happen to know that a few months ago he filed a restraining order against a person I will not name, a person who apparently lives in his area whom he felt was harassing him and harassing his wife, a person he referred to as delusional, a big problem, problematic, and said so very emphatically and said, "Look, I`m running these from my own words, but telling you that I`m particularly concerned for my wife."
Now, it means nothing, in terms of concrete evidence of that person having anything to do with this particular case. But it`s something to think about.
And it`s -- I have to tell you. Knowing all the lawyers that I know and deal with all the time, all criminal defense attorneys walk around with some level of hesitation because of what they do. I happen to know Mr. Horowitz carried a firearm. But I don`t believe that this has anything to do with one of his cases.
HAMMER: And he also had cameras on his property, from what I understand...
LALAMA: Yes, yes.
HAMMER: ... which is not an unusual security precaution for somebody to take. But also, there is the aspect of what he does that he appears on television, that he talks about his cases, talks about them with great passion. We`ve seen him do that on NANCY GRACE, for instance.
Is that something that police will have to look into, and perhaps watch some of what he`s done, to maybe lead them in one direction or another?
LALAMA: You know, I think police entities have great, great amounts of experience in this. And I think that they`re sniffing abilities for this kind of thing are going to tell them early on it`s not someone to do with the case. I think you`re going to find out it has to do with someone outside of his work as a legal professional.
HAMMER: And now, in the Polk case, a mistrial because of all of this. So what`s next?
LALAMA: Well, what`s going to have to happen, I mean, obviously the judge did the absolute right thing in a case like this. There`s no way this jury could have avoided hearing any of this.
And secondly, he`s traumatized. They have to throw it away, let them deal with this. I`m sure that they will try the case again. And he was very excited about this case, felt he had a very strong case on behalf of Mrs. Polk. And they`ll go forward again once he`s good and ready, but now is not the time.
HAMMER: Yes, again, just really, really a sad turn of events.
LALAMA: Yes.
HAMMER: Investigative journalist Pat Lalama, thanks for joining us tonight.
LALAMA: My pleasure.
ANDERSON: There`s still time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The "West Wing" factor: Do primetime shows influence your politics?
Vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Or write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
"The Fog" rolled into the number one spot at the weekend box office. In final numbers out just this afternoon, the update of the 1980 horror movie took the top spot. "The Fog" bumped last week`s number one into second place, which was "Wallace and Gromit`s The Curse of the Were- Rabbit."
Director Cameron Crowe`s romantic comedy "Elizabethtown" opened in third place, followed by the Jodie Foster thriller "Flightplan." And "In Her Shoes," starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette was number five.
ANDERSON: Throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The "West Wing" factor: Do primetime shows influence your politics?
Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far: 6 percent of you say, yes, they do; 94 percent of you say, no, they don`t. That might be the widest gap we`ve had so far. Not too surprised though.
Here`s some e-mails that we`ve received.
Tim from Missouri writes, "Only an idiot would allow fiction, be it television or Hollywood, to influence any portion of their life."
And Crystal writes, "My politics are for good television and a good storyline."
We appreciate your e-mails. You can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: Ladies and gentleman, thank you for all your e-mails, your letters, your phone calls over the last couple of months. I`m happy to say he`s back. It is time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow with the Marquee Guy.
Take it away.
MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, hello Dolly! She`s the southern belle who still gets whistles wherever she goes. (whistle) That was a lame whistle. Now the country superstar is singing folk songs -- are you kidding me? -- and working 9:00 to 5:00 on a new Broadway show. Dolly Parton is on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, your favorite bartender from "Cheers" is back on the big screen, playing a coal miner`s "Lawyer." Woody Harrelson tells A.J. about what he`s been doing in his downtime. And he`s been having fun, Woody, not A.J. Tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
This is the Marquee Guy. I`m back. Did you miss me?
HAMMER: More than could you possibly know.
And I take exception to that, Marquee Guy. I do have lots of fun. But the interview with Woody is going to be fascinating. We`ll find out what he likes to do in his spare time.
ANDERSON: Woody and A.J. tomorrow, right, A.J.?
HAMMER: Right, and Dolly.
That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I am A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
END
