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Showbiz Tonight
Wilma Makes Landfall in Florida; Car Bomb Kills 20 in Iraq
Aired October 24, 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, HOST: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hurricane Wilma moves in. Tonight, the most dramatic video you`ll see anywhere, the reporters on the scene and in the line of danger. And the secrets behind how they manage to stand out in the storm and not get hurt.
The war in Iraq. Today, a frightening bombing near a hotel filled with reporters from around the world. Plus, the heart-wrenching tales of U.S. soldiers separated from their families.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be careful, Matt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, Mom. Quit crying.
HAMMER: Tonight, the sights, the sounds, the stories of war.
Beyond ring tones. Calling all cell phone addicts. From games to TV shows, now more than ever, you`ve got the whole entertainment world in your hand. Tonight, our exclusive series, "Extreme Cell Phones."
JON VOIGHT, ACTOR: Hi, I`m Jon Voight. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, the wrath of Wilma. And right now, Florida is staggering from yet one more powerful hurricane in a year of unprecedented storms. Hurricane Wilma blew through Florida today. And tonight, we bring you the breathtaking images seen on television, images of power and destruction that are painfully familiar and shockingly unique. The very latest now with our David Haffenreffer, live in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: A.J., it`s the 21st storm of the 2005 season. And Wilma definitely left its mark. Hot on the heels of headline-grabbing storms Katrina and Rita, Hurricane Wilma`s journey through the state of Florida provided an almost day`s worth of heart-stopping television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): She rode in this morning...
MILES O`BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The monster storm is on Florida`s doorstep right now. And it is giving hurricane-force winds from coast to coast.
HAFFENREFFER: ... and rode out this afternoon.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Wilma moving out into the Atlantic after pounding Florida from coast to coast.
HAFFENREFFER: And in the meantime, Hurricane Wilma embarked on a spectacular and destructive 7 1/2-hour march across America`s fourth most populous state, Florida.
M. O`BRIEN: Wilma`s wrath being felt right now.
HAFFENREFFER: And cameras, reporters, and a nation full of fascinated TV viewers anxiously rode along with the storm.
Wilma slammed ashore early this morning at Florida`s west coast, Marco Island to be exact. All morning, viewers watched as Wilma`s 125-mile-an- hour winds knocked around CNN reporters Anderson Cooper and John Zarrella.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the worst it`s been now. It`s really blowing now.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, but you get -- we were down there...
ZARRELLA: Whoa!
COOPER: We were down there probably about 20, 30 minutes ago. And the entire beach now is gone.
ZARRELLA: Just incredible.
COOPER: Take a look at that.
ZARRELLA: That water just whipping off the pool like that. The winds are clearly, clearly 100 miles an hour now, clearly.
HAFFENREFFER: TV storm-watchers got an eyeful, as Wilma then made its way to Naples, where more than a few reporters were waiting for her.
AL ROKER, "TODAY SHOW" WEATHERMAN: As you can see, we`re getting the back side of the eyewall here.
HAFFENREFFER: The "Today Show`s" Al Roker was one of them. On live TV, Roker had to brace himself against a cameraman, as Wilma cruelly reminded him of his recent weight loss.
ROKER: You know, our truck operator, Tom Vare (ph) said, `Don`t you wish you had your weight back?` Right about now, I do.
KATIE COURIC, HOST, "TODAY SHOW": Are you OK?
ROKER: We`re OK. We`re OK. We`re OK.
HAFFENREFFER: CNN`s Jeanne Meserve provided viewers with a riveting account of the havoc that Wilma wreaked.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Look at all this water. This down here was driveways and roadways. And now it is a river.
And look at these trees, just collapsing under this wind. They`re down all over the place.
Underneath us, down here, is a parking garage. It was empty just a couple hours ago, except for some cars, of course. And water is just blowing around this corner and right down into the parking garage. It`s now about chest-deep down there.
Look at that door. It`s up past the door knob. It`s filthy. It really reminds me of New Orleans and what we saw there.
HAFFENREFFER: Fortunately, we TV viewers weren`t reminded too much of New Orleans, as the TV images Wilma provided were nowhere near as horrific as those we saw after Katrina, but some of the sights were amazing indeed.
BLITZER: In Marco Island, Florida, man versus nature. This guy blown down the hall of his apartment building. In Pappato Beach, Florida (ph), meanwhile, check this out: 120-miles-per-hour wind gusts lifting a tree from its root.
HAFFENREFFER: And as Wilma reached Florida`s east coast, viewers held on for one last round of devastation.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There have already been numerous reports of flooding and damage. And that is just going to get amplified here. So now`s the time to hunker down.
HAFFENREFFER: And then it was over.
BLITZER: Wilma moving on, after a hammering of the southern part of the state.
HAFFENREFFER: Wilma then moved out into the Atlantic, after taking Florida residents and TV viewers on one wild ride.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAFFENREFFER: Hurricane Wilma now gone, but simply not forgotten, of course. It left millions of people without power and caused some fatalities. The big concern right now, the remnants of Wilma might merge with Tropical Storm Alpha and march up the east coast and slam it with a nor`easter later on in the week -- Brooke?
ANDERSON: All right. David, thank you so much. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer.
Well, tonight, the secrets of how reporters stay safe, even in the eye of the storm. Reporters on the scene are braving the hurricane, but there are safeguards in place to minimize the risk. Today on "AMERICAN MORNING," CNN`s Miles O`Brien pulled his producer into the shot, literally, to explain how it`s all done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is a testimony, really, to how well we plan a hurricane. And maybe it looks like they`re, you know, they`re being cowboys out there, but they are not.
M. O`BRIEN: You know what, Chad? Chad, Richie Phillips, come on in here. I want to have Richie explain exactly what we did. This is our site producer.
Come here. No, you`re come on out here. And you`re coming on TV. (OFF-MIKE)
RICH PHILLIPS, CNN PRODUCER: Hi, Chad.
M. O`BRIEN: Chad is asking how we were able to get the satellite truck parked in a place, why we`re still on TV. Basically, it`s a horseshoe building. Explain what you did.
PHILLIPS: That`s exactly what we did. You know, one of the things that we look for is to make sure we have protection. And in this area, we found the perfect location, where we`re actually protected on three sides.
So we`ve got perfect protection right now. The dish hasn`t moved an inch. We`ve had more problems today trying to shoot through the clouds, the clouds and the rain earlier on.
But right now, it`s been absolutely great. This is as good a situation for television as you can find.
M. O`BRIEN: All right. So, you know, when people see us on TV, they always think how insane it is to be out there, but, you know, we reiterate this point. It`s a calculated risk. The truck is in a very safe place. We`re still on television.
I don`t think I`ve been able to broadcast with this type of wind before. So, you know, a tip of the hat to you for finding this site. But it`s also important to know, when it gets this crazy out, we`re not out of it, either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Miles O`Brien and CNN producer Rich Phillips reporting today from Naples, Florida.
HAMMER: Time for you now to sound off. We want to hear from you in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Hurricane Wilma: Are you following it as closely as Katrina? Please vote by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. You can also e-mail us. Showbiztonight@CNN.com is our address. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later in the show.
Well, When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, it left most of the city flooded and it severely damaged the New Orleans Saints Superdome. Well, the team has now been left to play all of its games somewhere else. A lot of people in the city are afraid that the Saints will never march in again.
Here`s CNN`s Ed Lavandera reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tom Benson owns the New Orleans Saints football team, but, these days, a lot of people here think he`s a lot closer to the devil.
LEE ZURIK, NEW ORLEANS SPORTSCASTER: If you would go in the history of the state right now, he would rank number one on the list of most despised Louisianians, no doubt. No doubt.
LAVANDERA: Benson wants to move the Saints from New Orleans to San Antonio. Lee Zurik is a life-long Saints fan. Now he covers the team for his hometown television station, WWL. He says you have to live in New Orleans to understand why so many people cherish the Saints, even if the team is usually pretty mediocre.
ZURIK: They`re not only a big part economically, but just as far as people`s hearts. And they love the Saints. And it will be like losing a family member to a lot of people.
LAVANDERA: For a city already worried about how its cultural landscape will change after Hurricane Katrina, that kind of news is just depressing for fans, like street musician Nick Molina.
NICK MOLINA, MUSICIAN: It`s a horrible thing, horrible thing for the city. And for Benson to kick us when we`re down, he`s really a horrible person, probably.
LAVANDERA: Refrigerators on the streets have become billboards for people`s anger. They say, "Mail your maggots to Texas," and, "Don`t open, because Tom Benson is inside."
Even politicians are less than diplomatic in their disgust for the Saints` owner.
RAY NAGIN, MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: And I will tell you this -- and this is probably going to be very controversial -- but I`m going to say it anyway. We want our Saints. We may not want the owner back.
LAVANDERA (on-screen): If the Saints football team in the city of New Orleans do divorce, the fight will be over this, the team name and the team logo, two things that have come not only to symbolize a football team, but an entire city.
(voice-over): Saints officials say they`ve made no decisions about the team`s future. Fans say that this is crunch time, when Benson`s loyalty and friendship to this city will be truly tested.
MOLINA: If he loves his city, he will stay in New Orleans. If he loves money, he`ll leave. I guess he loves money more than he loves the city. And he has plenty of that.
LAVANDERA: Nick Molina is back on Bourbon Street, but all he wants is a chance to strum this old familiar tune, on the day his favorite team comes back home, even if they are loveable losers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Ed Lavandera reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: The United States is approaching a grim milestone in Iraq. Plus, personal stories of U.S. troops heading to war. That`s next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Plus, that ubiquitous cell phone. Not just for calling home anymore. From games to cameras to video, we`ve got a lot to talk about. Our series, "Extreme Cell Phones" begins, coming up.
ANDERSON: And like Cher and Madonna, she needs only one name. Charo joins us live. It`s ahead in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Tonight, dramatic sights from the war in Iraq, after three explosions near hotels housing international journalists and contractors. Police in Baghdad say at least 10 people, passersby on the streets, were killed during the explosions, which they characterize as suicide bombings. No coalition forces or journalists were hurt in the attack.
Now, this comes as the United States is approaching a grim milestone in the war in Iraq of 2,000 U.S. troops killed. Yesterday, a Marine was killed in action, bringing the number to 1,998.
HAMMER: Well, the war`s impact is being felt every day in U.S. troops` hometowns. Two brothers, who are young filmmakers, decided to investigate that impact.
They would follow 3,000 members of the Arkansas National Guard as they headed to Iraq. It`s part of an award-winning documentary called "Off to War" that might do more to showcase the sacrifice National Guard families are making than anything you have seen before.
Here is CNN`s Kelly Wallace reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I didn`t realize how hard it was going to be, you being away and me being here by myself all the time, either.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A couple struggling with the separation...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be careful, Matt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will, mom. Quit crying.
WALLACE: A mom worrying about her 19-year-old son...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to say I`m sorry for what happened, because it`s one of the reasons you went back in the military is because of me.
WALLACE: And a son coping with the guilt after his father is severely wounded in the war. Two brothers from Arkansas decided to follow a National Guard unit from the small town of Clarksville, but they didn`t just focus on the soldiers. They also followed their families at the same time, during the 18-month deployment to Iraq.
BRENT RENAUD, CO-DIRECTOR, "OFF TO WAR": Being part-time soldiers, these guys have civilians lives, just like you and I do, outside of the military. And we knew it was going to be an incredible ordeal for the families and the soldiers.
And so, right away, I said, you know, "We`ve got to do this, but we`ve got to -- it`s got to be about the families, too. We`ve got to show their sacrifice and their burdens."
WALLACE: Did you feel that was something that wasn`t getting covered, really, in terms of the costs of the war, what the families back here in the United States were going through?
RENAUD: I definitely do. And I think, when people see soldiers on television, they basically just see the uniform. They think they`re all the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s what it`s all about, right there. He was a good kid. And that`s all he was, was a kid. And it`s not -- it`s not worth it. It`s not worth it.
WALLACE: One of the men profiled, Sgt. First Class David Short, a police officer turned combat platoon leader, who lost two of his men within 72 hours of arriving in Iraq. He says that was hardest on his youngest soldiers.
SGT. FIRST CLASS DAVID SHORT, ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD: You will start seeing some changes in some of the younger guys, especially Matt and Tommy, the maturity level that you see at the first part of the show. And as they progress, you start seeing a little more hardened, eyes are more open.
WALLACE: One of the men Short mentioned, Specialist Matt Hertlein, before his deployment...
SPC. MATT HERTLEIN, U.S. ARMY: I think it will be fun.
WALLACE: ... and during his time in Iraq.
HERTLEIN: Just don`t watch the news. We`re all all right. We`re all good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody sends their love.
HERTLEIN: Sorry it`s been so long since I got to call. I`ll try to call again within a few days.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s all right.
HERTLEIN: Love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. I love you.
HERTLEIN: I love you, too.
WALLACE: Did you ever feel, "I don`t want to be rolling right now. I don`t want to be capturing this moment. I want to step out of the room"?
RENAUD: There was never a point where we felt like we shouldn`t be rolling, because the most difficult moments, where it`s the most uncomfortable, is the times that you really need to get across to the viewer, for them to really under what the families are going through.
WALLACE: And what the families could go through again. Because although these Arkansas National Guardsmen are home now, they know they could be called up for another mission to Iraq.
RENAUD: Unless you have a loved one that`s serving in Iraq, I don`t think you really truly comprehend what all these families are going through.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: CNN`s Kelly Wallace reporting for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. "Off to War" airs on the Discovery Times Channel Saturday nights through the end of November.
ANDERSON: Heart-wrenching stories.
All right. Tonight, a startling admission from George Clooney. The actor says the past year has been the worst of his life, and at one point, he was suicidal.
It all started with an injury on a movie set. Clooney was tied to a chair that was kicked backwards and his head smashed on the ground, which damaged his spine. In an interview with National Public Radio, Clooney said there is a history of addiction in his family, so he didn`t take painkillers. And the pain was so unbearable, he thought, quote, "You`ll have to kill yourself at some point. You can`t live like this."
Since then, Clooney has had a series of operations to ease the pain, but says he still has problems with his short-term memory.
HAMMER: Well, tonight, in our "Showbiz Sitdown," she is a one-woman show who has been entertaining fans for more than 30 years. She was a staple on television shows over the years like "The Love Boat" and "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." And she is beloved as a singer and musician and an actress.
But the fact is, at the end of the day, she is best known for two words.
CHARO, SINGER/ACTRESS: Coochie coochie.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Charo is here live. Thank you for joining us.
CHARO: Thank you.
HAMMER: Nice to meet you. You`re like a walking party, aren`t you?
CHARO: I love life.
HAMMER: The energy swirls around you.
CHARO: Well, I was born with a lot of energy. My family, we`re move like we have ants in the pants.
I am so happy to be in your show. I love "Showbizness Tonight." I`m a big fan. The interviews that you do, and the class, and the timing, and the energy, I got to tell you, that I`m thrilled that you invite me.
HAMMER: Well, thank you. Now I feel a lot of pressure in the next few minutes that we have together.
CHARO: I know, I know.
HAMMER: So let me make it really good.
CHARO: I`m ready.
HAMMER: First of all -- and you probably told the story a thousand times -- but, of course, you`re known for "Coochie coochie." You`ve been known for it throughout your whole career. Tell us the story, for people who don`t know, where did that come from?
CHARO: Well, it`s a short story. I come from -- I copied it from a dog called "Cuchillo," the name of the dog, knife for Spanish.
HAMMER: Your dog?
CHARO: My dog. The dog was very ugly. It was a mix between a bulldog and a St. Bernard.
HAMMER: OK.
CHARO: First, he bite you, and then he run for help.
(LAUGHTER)
And the dog, well, he go like he was out of his mind, like when you have a panic attack and the fur come out, and the (INAUDIBLE) come out. It was a very country dog. We never watch it.
HAMMER: Country dog, OK.
CHARO: So the dog shake a lot. I copied the dog and I tried to say to the (INAUDIBLE) "I can wiggle, coochie-coochie, coochie-coochie, coochie-coochie, coochie-coochie," but they didn`t watch the dog. They watch me, and they give me pesetas, Spanish money.
HAMMER: What`s it called?
CHARO: Pesetas.
HAMMER: Pesetas.
CHARO: Now it`s call euros, but it was called pesetas. And they give me candies. I figured it out. There is some business here.
HAMMER: So ever time you say, "Coochie-coochie," to you it means -- means "money money"?
CHARO: Please don`t misconstrue me. "Coochie-coochie" show me the way to the bank.
However, now I was trained by (INAUDIBLE) I take several-odd years in this country, listening what the producer asked me to do, because his rating, ever time I say, "Coochie-coochie." But I come to a time in my life that I was trained by such a great (INAUDIBLE) Antonio de Cordobi (ph), gypsy, OK? Flamenco gypsies. And I decided to do the best CD ever can do.
HAMMER: Guitar and Charo.
CHARO: "Charo and Guitar."
HAMMER: So this -- can we put the video up?
CHARO: Please.
HAMMER: OK. I want to put this video up here, because I was looking at this earlier today. And, first of all...
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: ... it is the scale, and the regatone (ph) music, but what`s amazing, look how good you look, and you`re in incredible shape. How do you stay in such amazing shape?
CHARO: Good question. I run after my son all the time. (INAUDIBLE) No, I dance. I`m a choreographer.
This dance that we`re watching right now, I wish I can show it to you. It`s called regatone (ph).
HAMMER: Regatone (ph).
CHARO: And the regatone (ph)is a mix between reggae and Latin. I am the first, the pioneer, to introduce regatone (ph) by guitar. And all the dances you can (INAUDIBLE) it`s a hip motion, very sensual. You move your hip, you come down, you got to -- it`s very sensual.
I am trying to bring the dance together, because, when I choreograph the "Macarena," everybody looked like a robot (INAUDIBLE) but this one...
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: A whole different thing. It involves the whole body. And the albums a lot of fun.
CHARO: It`s called "Charo and Guitar."
HAMMER: It`s "Charo and Guitar." I had it backwards. And you`re a lot of fun.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: And I wish I had to spend more time. And I saw the scale. And I want to thank you for coming on.
CHARO: I`m so thrilled to be here.
HAMMER: It`s a pleasure to meet you.
CHARO: You know that I have fun. And I want to congratulate you for a beautiful show.
HAMMER: Thanks for being a part of it.
CHARO: Until we meet again.
HAMMER: Until we meet again. And the album, once again, the new CD, "Charo and Guitar," available in stores now.
CHARO: Thank you so much, A.J.
ANDERSON: I know how she stays in shape. She doesn`t sit still, moving and dancing that entire interview.
All right. Bob Vila has built a hurricane-proof house, which is getting the ultimate test from Hurricane Wilma right now. And we`ll find out how it`s faring from Bob Vila himself, coming up.
HAMMER: Plus, we all know it isn`t the safest thing to talk on your cell phone while you`re driving. But how about driving a racecar on your cell phone, huh? Well, our special series, "Extreme Cell Phones," begins tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Halloween hits Hollywood over the weekend. And some top starts got ready to scare a week early. Celebs, including Heather Locklear, Brendon Fraser, Jon Voight and Paula Abdul turned out for the Camp Ronald McDonald Annual Halloween Carnival in Universal City, California.
Celebrity and entertainment industry kids heard stories and played games to support the Ronald McDonald charities. Michael Chiklis, star of "The Fantastic Four" and "The Shield," brought his kids and said he hoped the event meant more than treats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHIKLIS, ATTENDED CHARITY EVENT: I want them to enjoy the carnival, but I also want for them to understand what it is that we`re doing here and have an awareness of giving back, and giving to the community, and why we do things like this, why the community does things like this, you know, to benefit children that are less fortunate than themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Money from the event will go to the Ronald McDonald sleep- away camp, benefiting children with cancer and also their families.
HAMMER: So why is Steve Martin standing on a stage, listing numbers from one to five? You know it`s going to be funny, so just stick around.
ANDERSON: Plus, remember when cell phones were just for calling people? Well, those days are long gone. Our special series, "Extreme Cell Phones," starts tonight.
HAMMER: And Bob Vila, a big stake in a home down in Florida. How`s it doing? Find out, coming up, in the interview you see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZNESS TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer -- I`m just kidding. It`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s the Charo thing.
ANDERSON: Oh, she`s an influence on you already. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: I have Charo on the brain here.
Well, Bob Vila, certainly known as America`s ultimate home-improvement guru, but that took on a whole new meaning when Hurricane Charley last year destroyed a couple`s home in Florida. Bob Vila rebuilt it to massive hurricane-withstanding standards. How`s that house doing today under Wilma`s force? We`ll find out from Bob in just a few moments.
ANDERSON: Looking forward to see how it fared.
And also, A.J., souped-up cell phones, ones that allow you to do oh- so-much-more than make telephone calls, like play video games, watch television. It seems cell phones are a one-stop shop for the entertainment world. Our special series, "Extreme Cell Phones," kicks off tonight, in just a few minutes, actually.
HAMMER: Great for the gadget gurus.
But first, let`s get tonight`s "Hot Headlines." David Haffenreffer joins us live again from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom.
Hi, David.
HAFFENREFFER: Hi, A.J.
Tonight, one web site is apologizing to Britney Spears, but will it be enough? TangibleBrit.com says, "Sorry." The web site is just one of places where stolen picture of Britney`s newborn baby, Sean Preston, were posted. And she says she`ll sue anyone who shows them. The pop star says they were taken from a private photo shoot.
Tonight, we now know why William Shatner was rushed to the hospital last night. The 74-year-old "Boston Legal" star says he passed a kidney stone, went to the hospital, but returned to the set of the ABC show the very next day. Shatner is being inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame tonight.
And it`s said that talk is cheap, but not when it comes to Donald Trump. "The Apprentice" star took home $1.5 million for an hour-long lecture on real estate in New York City over the weekend. That`s $25,000 per minute, in case you were counting.
By the way, the Donald also made his daytime debut today on NBC`s "Days of our Lives." We don`t know how much he was paid for that.
And that`s a look at your headlines. A.J., back to you.
ANDERSON: Well, you just couldn`t keep your eyes off the TV all day long, as Hurricane Wilma whipped Florida. Twenty-four-hour news channels have been on the story since the get-go, and one of those who braved the storm is CNN correspondent David Mattingly. And he`s joining us now from Hollywood, Florida, that is.
David, set the scene for us right now. Hollywood in the Miami market. Power still off there, I`m told. How are people in that area getting information?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the hurricane seasons go by, you see more and more people with generators to get through these dark nights like this. Most people are relying on those battery-powered radios, however.
Throughout the storm, we were able to hear a lot of the local television stations broadcasting nonstop the news of what was going on with this storm over the radio waves, so that is how they`re reaching most of their market.
The reporters, in a sense, were actually being careful to be a lot more visually descriptive with the words they were choosing, just for that radio audience throughout the day, something I found very interesting, appealing to that radio audience, with so many people with no televisions at all, being able only to listen to the news of the day.
ANDERSON: Interesting. Well, David, how did you personally prepare for this assignment? Because I know weather-related assignments are obviously very different from other assignments?
MATTINGLY: When you go into a hurricane, you always have to make sure you`re carrying enough power, you`re carrying enough gasoline, and you`re carrying enough food, at least for a couple days. Water is also very important.
You never know when you`re going to be able to get to that 7-11 to buy your next bottle of water, so we take a lot of that with us. We take our rain gear. We try to prepare as much as possible.
But I tell you what. No matter how many of these you go through, every single hurricane, no matter how strong or how weak it is, always has its own individual signature that really makes it unique, so there`s really -- you can`t be completely prepared when you come out to these.
ANDERSON: Kind of expect the unexpected. All right, David, thank you so much. We appreciate it. CNN correspondent David Mattingly coming to us live from Hollywood, Florida.
As you can see from this live radar, the storm has headed into the Atlantic. There are worries it could turn into a so-called perfect storm, just like the movie of the same name. That flick was based on a 1991 monstrous storm that killed a crew of fishermen in New England.
Hurricane Wilma has been on the minds of all Americans today. And that leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Hurricane Wilma: Are you following it as closely as Katrina? Please keep voting for us, CNN.com/showbiztonight, and write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming up at 55 past the hour.
HAMMER: Tonight, Hurricane Wilma is challenging a new home built specifically for a couple whose home was completely destroyed by Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda, Florida. Television`s most famous home expert, Bob Vila, built the storm-ready house just for them for his television show called "Bob Vila."
So how did it hold up? Well, Bob Vila joins us tonight. Thanks for being with us.
BOB VILA, HOST OF "HOME REPAIR": Thank you.
HAMMER: So give us the back story on this. This family lost the home. It was destroyed in Charley, and then you came along?
VILA: Yes, the house that they were living in was from the 1960s. It did not meet current codes, in many ways. And what happened to that house was some of the windows broke, blew in. The winds literally picked the roof off of the house and put it into the canal in front of their house.
HAMMER: And that`s just from pressure building up?
VILA: Exactly. Think of it as trying to blow up a balloon. When you`ve got a hole in a window or, worse case scenario, a big garage door fails, you`ve got all that wind rushing in, and it`s got nowhere to go except up. It`s going to blow the roof off.
HAMMER: Well, a big challenge today. As Wilma was rushing in, I actually had the opportunity to log on to bobvila.com.
VILA: Yes.
HAMMER: It`s great. You`ve got the webcam set up there so people can keep an eye on it. How did it hold up today?
VILA: The house is fine. They`ve had a little bit of landscape damage, but absolutely no problems with the house.
And, you know, the key things is that, this is a house that`s been built with all sorts of different components in mind. We don`t just have a slab down on the sand there. We have a stem wall around the perimeter of the slab, so that, if there is flooding, floodwaters can`t get in under the slab and create voids that would crack it. The entire wall system of the exterior of the house is cast in place reinforced concrete. It doesn`t get any sturdier than that.
HAMMER: So there`s a lot of steel and rebar...
VILA: There`s a lot of rebar, a lot of concrete, exactly. But then some of the simpler things that go into putting a house like this together involves just, you know, steel strapping that sticks out of the top of the concrete and wraps around all the roof trusses, so that, at every point that a roof truss meets the wall, it`s tied down with steel.
HAMMER: So that whole blowing-the-balloon thing you mentioned a moment ago...
VILA: Exactly.
HAMMER: ... not going to happen with this house?
VILA: It`s not going to blow off. And then the actual surfaces, for example, on this house, we have Spanish tile roofs, cement tiles. And in the past, builders usually stuck them on with a little patio cement and that was it. Now the code requires that each one of these tiles be mechanically fastened, that is with 2 1/2-inch stainless steel screws, two of them per tile, so that they can`t blow off.
HAMMER: Now, it sounds like this house was built well beyond what code would mandate, I imagine.
VILA: In many ways. I mean, we have impact-resistant glass windows in this house. They`re not required by code, but they are state of the art. And they have the kind of laminated glass that, if you have some -- you know, flaying object hit it at 120 miles an hour, the glass will shatter, but it will not break. And the wind will not be able to penetrate.
HAMMER: And for your show, you`ve dedicated 13 episodes to building these storm-ready homes. What inspired you to do this? Was it the current state of weather and hurricanes, or was it the experience with this particular house?
VILA: Last year -- I mean, I`m a native Floridian. I live in Florida a fair amount of the year. And last year, we had four of them that just knocked us out. I mean, it was incredible.
And I`ve also had a home in Massachusetts for many years, and I`ve been hit by, you know, Hurricane Bob and the no-name Halloween hurricane over the course of the years. So it`s not just in Florida.
I just figured it was time that we did something that focused entirely on state-of-the-art construction that can make a house withstand hurricane winds.
HAMMER: And people can learn quite a bit, too.
VILA: Hopefully.
HAMMER: Bob Vila, thanks so much for joining us.
VILA: You bet.
HAMMER: For more information on this series and Bob Vila`s television program, you can visit his web site, simply titled bobvila.com.
ANDERSON: Coming up, the latest news about "World News Tonight," who won`t be in the late Peter Jennings chair.
HAMMER: Also, now ear this, cell phones, "Extreme Cell Phones." We`re going way beyond dialing and texting messages. We are talking a complete entertainment system right in the palm of your hand. The secrets of your celly revealed, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special series.
ANDERSON: Plus, we`re also there as the stars come out for Steve Martin. Find out why they all had a really big laugh in our nation`s capital. That`s up next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIKLIS: Hi, I`m Michael Chiklis. And these days, I`m watching "Curb Your Enthusiasm," because Larry David is the funniest man on Earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Tonight, our special series, "Extreme Cell Phones." More than half of the people of America have a cell phone. I`m extremely embarrassed. It`s really not intention. It`s nobody important.
Most people simply can`t leave home without them, obviously. Cell phones, though, not just about making the calls anymore or getting them in the middle of your television show. They`ve evolved into a whole new entertainment center right in the palm of your hand.
You can watch TV on it, listen to music, even play video games, and even download pornography. Our David Haffenreffer live tonight once again in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom -- David?
HAFFENREFFER: Busy times in this business.
Yes, the way you use your cell phone, A.J., is changing and changing forever how we think of them. Imagine live video conversations with loved ones on the other side of the country or perhaps watching an episode of "Lost" that you may have missed the night before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): This isn`t your grandma`s cell phone. Music, video games, and even television, a portable entertainment center right in your pocket. It`s happening now, and it`s only going to get better.
XENI JARDIN, BOINGBOING.NET EDITOR: I imagine providers are going to be offering much wider libraries of ring tones, of games, of music, of short video clips, MTV-style music clips, or maybe those little "Lost" scenes, from "Desperate Housewives," any other hit TV shows.
HAFFENREFFER: You heard her right: Television on your cell phone.
ERNIE, PUPPET, "SESAME STREET": Hi, Bert. What are you doing?
HAFFENREFFER: It`s happening now, with short news clips and sports highlights on your phone. Verizon offers clips of CNN and NBC, even "The Daily Show." And FOX Broadcasting has original minute-log "mobisodes" they created specifically for cell phones.
Granted, it`s a teeny-tiny screen. But the future holds great opportunities for mobile video, including full-broadcast TV.
JARDIN: You could certainly imagine short, live news clips on your mobile phone. You could imagine different kinds of short-form television content. You know, you can even imagine fan-generated stuff.
HAFFENREFFER: And even better, your phone will be able to talk with other devices in your house.
MARIBEL LOPEZ, FORRESTER RESEARCH: For example, if you had a DVR, like a TiVo, going forward, you`re going to be able to use your mobile phone to record things on your DVR back at home.
HAFFENREFFER: Already, cell phones have become a mobile arcade. Users can download just about any video game and play it anytime anywhere, games like Pacman, Frogger, Tetris, even poker. And just around the corner, networked gaming.
LOPEZ: You can participate in a video-style game on your mobile phone and play against another participant.
HAFFENREFFER: And while cool ring tones have long been a part of the cell phone market, cell phones are now morphing into music players. Already on the market now, Cingular and iTunes have teamed up for the first version iTunes phone. Think of a combination iPod and cell phone. And it`s only going to get better.
LOPEZ: We see next year being a huge year for mobile phones, having MP3 or digital music capability baked into them.
HAFFENREFFER: And, yes, you may have instant messaging on your phone now with texting, but what about live, real-time videoconferencing? It`s just around the corner.
LOPEZ: Video chat, so to speak, where you are standing in front of your cell phone, perhaps here in an outdoor environment where you want to show a statue that`s behind you, and you ring up a friend, and you want to video session.
HAFFENREFFER: Cell phones can already shoot video. The quality isn`t the best, but it worked for these guys. The group, Presidents of the United States of America, shot their entire music video on their cell phones.
And then there`s the sexy side of your cell phone, porn. You heard right. Already available on certain sites, you can download it straight to your phone and have your own walking peep show.
JARDIN: People will always want sex. And phones are no different. You know, people are going to want more risque content that they can watch in short-form while they`re moving around.
HAFFENREFFER: Even if porn isn`t your thing, the cell phone will stay embedded in American culture and continue to evolve because it keeps us connected.
JARDIN: I think that`s one of the biggest cultural things, that we`ll start seeing it happening more and more here in America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAFFENREFFER: Now, one of the things slowing down progress is a reliable broadband network to pump all that media into your cell phone. In Japan and many parts of Asia, they`ve got high-speed networks that bring unbelievable content right to the mobile phone user and fast. U.S.-based carriers are now playing catch-up. And many are offering the service so they can all put that multimedia stuff into your pockets and dollars into theirs, of course -- A.J.?
HAMMER: See, we always think we`re so far ahead with the technology, but, really, overseas they`re much further ahead than us.
HAFFENREFFER: In so many ways.
HAMMER: All right, David. Thanks very much. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s David Haffenreffer.
David will be returning tomorrow night with a look at the very latest technology that puts television and movies on your cell, even live news, where the technology is now, and exactly how long until you can have it, as our "Extreme Cell Phones" series continues tomorrow night here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Well, tonight, we know who will not be taking over for the late Peter Jennings. ABC News said today that "Good Morning America`s" Diane Sawyer will not be moving over to anchor the "World News Tonight" program.
There was a little buzz over a "Broadcasting and Cable" magazine report that said Sawyer might have been interested, so is morning co-anchor Charles Gibson. Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff have all been mentioned as possible candidates, but an ABC spokesman said there is no timetable to pick someone.
ANDERSON: "The Jerk" got a big honor this weekend. Steve Martin, who got his big break in 1979 in the hit film, "The Jerk," he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, one of the nation`s biggest awards for making people laugh. And he accepted the award in classic Martin style.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE MARTIN, ACTOR-COMEDIAN: If, in my comedy career, I have made you laugh once, then I have done my job. If I have made you laugh twice, then I am very proud. If I have made you laugh three times, then I am thrilled. If I have made you laugh four times, which is twice as many as two times, I am ecstatic. If I have made you laugh five or possibly six times -- but I feel like I`m losing you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Oh, not at all. Stars who came out to pay tribute to the guy who has run the comedy gamut, playing zany "Saturday Night Live" characters in the `70s, to movies like "Roxanne," "Father of the Bride," and "Cheaper by the Dozen."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY DAVID, ACTOR, "CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM": I think he`s an enormously talented, funny guy, of course. And he can do anything, really. I mean, he`s -- I`ve never seen anybody in comedies as versatile as him.
LILY TOMLIN, ACTRESS: I think he has so many facets to him and he`s always been -- he`s always strived to do something different or something new.
CARL REINER, ACTOR: He`s got an angular mind. He never goes to the cliche. He must know every cliche in the world, because he never touches one. He never touches -- he goes down a straight line. And you expect him to go left, and he goes right, or he goes down, or up. You never know where he`s going to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: By the way, according to "The New York Times," "The Jerk" was Steve Martin`s most successful movie. That same year, he was in "The Muppet Movie," his second-most popular ever, followed by 1989`s "Parenthood."
HAMMER: Such a funny and talented man.
Well, it is time now for the best in late night laughs in "Laughter Dark." Halloween -- my birthday -- is just around the corner. What a better time for the "Tonight Show" to introduce some scary costumes for your kids. This is a little thing they do every year to keep you, you know, in the know, as far as what`s available and out there.
Well, Donald Trump might even be afraid of some of the offerings here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": This is Donald Trump`s hair. Come on out here, Donald. Come on out here. Oh, Curt, come on up here. Where`s Curt? There`s Curt. Look at that face. There you go. Take a bow, kids.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
LENO: Are you OK? Are you all right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s pretty good. I actually saw somebody walking a dog the other day in New York City. It was a little fuzzy thing. I said, "What`s your dog`s name?" They said his name was Trump. True story.
Nicolas Cage is juggling parenthood and a career as someone you love one minute and then hate the next in his new movie. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is at the premiere of "The Weatherman." We`ve got that, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Right now, the New York premiere of Nicolas Cage`s new movie, "The Weatherman," is going on just around the corner from the Headline Prime studios. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there just a short time ago. And we asked Nicolas Cage and his co-star, Michael Caine, what he thinks about weathermen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CAINE, ACTOR, "THE WEATHERMAN": I don`t trust a weatherman, no. They always get it wrong. Because you sometimes -- I always think when I`m watching, I say, "Hasn`t anybody looked out the window? You know, because he says it`s going to pour, but the sun is shining, or the other way around." And I said, "Look out the window, and you`ll see."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: "The Weatherman" stars Cage as a Chicago weatherman named David Spurtz. Yes, really, David Spurtz. He gets to tryout for a national morning show, but his personal life is kind of stormy. It hits theaters on Friday.
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Hurricane Wilma: Are you following it as closely as Katrina?
The vote so far: 24 percent of you say, yes, you are, but 76 percent of you say, no, you aren`t.
Here`s some of the e-mails we`ve received. Iloye from Minnesota writes, "I didn`t follow Wilma as much as Katrina because I could plainly see that no one was ready for it."
And Marilyn from Florida says, "Yes, I`m following it. Our family lives here, and we are interested to watch what happens."
Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
HAMMER: It is time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Let`s take a look at our "Showbiz Marquee" with the Marquee Guy.
MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, our special "Extreme Cell Phone" series. Watch your favorite TV shows on your celly. We`ll show you how. And it`s pretty darn cool. When you`re on the go, stay in the know -- hey, that rhymes -- tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, if I had a nickel for every singing award that Joe Nichols` got, I`d be a mighty rich Marquee Guy. Country star Joe Nichols tells us about his new album and his song, "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." OK, I`m in, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
This is the Marquee Guy, and I`ll drink to that, but I`ll drink to just about anything.
HAMMER: Oh, I bet you will. So it`s David Spritz, by the way. Nicolas Cage as David Spritz.
ANDERSON: Mr. Spritz, the weatherman. Got it.
HAMMER: I think I said "Spurtz." I`m sorry. I haven`t seen the film yet. I don`t know. It`s a tough time for weathermen, anyway, so it must be kind of strange doing that film right about now.
ANDERSON: And what a song title, the tequila song. Wow.
HAMMER: Yes. We will look into that.
(LAUGHTER)
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
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