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Showbiz Tonight
Dueling Documentaries Discuss Wal-Mart; 50 Cent Film Stirs Controversy; Jennifer Aniston Dishes on Private Life, New Movie
Aired October 31, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JASON CARROLL, CO-HOST: I`m Jason Carroll.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And I`m Brooke Anderson. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the world`s No. 1 store, two very explosive movies. Tonight, the stories about Wal-Mart you haven`t heard. Is it the evil empire or America`s shopping sweetheart? Battle lines drawn in the aisles all across the country. Get ready for a "SHOWBIZ Showdown."
CARROLL (voice-over): Also, a small community wins a big movie battle with rapper 50 Cent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want an end to this violence.
CARROLL: But he`s not backing down one bit. Exclusive, what 50 Cent told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the gun-toting billboard that has people enraged and outraged.
ANDERSON: And, Jennifer Aniston`s revealing one-on-one sit-down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Tonight, Jennifer opens up about her career, her personal life and her never-ending battle with the paparazzi.
JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: They are bottom feeders.
ANDERSON: Jennifer Aniston in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANISTON: Hi. I`m Jennifer Aniston. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Hello, there. I`m Brooke Anderson.
CARROLL: And I`m Jason Carroll, in tonight for A.J. Hammer.
And tonight, the war over Wal-Mart is not just about selling movies. It`s starring in them, and the result is an explosive documentary.
ANDERSON: That`s right. Call them dueling documentaries, one claiming Wal-Mart is a corporate bully. The other says the nation`s biggest store chain is a misunderstood success. CNN business news correspondent Kathleen Hays for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT joins us now live.
Hi, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Doesn`t it seem, though, that Wal- Mart is the store that many people love to hate? The small business owners complain, but the customers say they love the low prices.
Now as you say, this love/hate relationship is coming to the big screen in dueling documentaries.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Wal-Mart is not a monopoly, I don`t know what is.
HAYS (voice-over): Wal-Mart as the evil empire or Wal-Mart as the good old American success story.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They gave my son his first job.
HAYS: Two rival documentaries about Wal-Mart are duking it out on DVD shelves. It`s a regular "Store Wars" story, and its stake is the very image of the world`s largest retail store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve seen a lot of small communities crucified and forced out, Ma and Pa operations that have been in business for years, that are on the street. They just had to close their stores, just because of one entity. And it appears that that is their intent, to come into a community and force everybody out.
HAYS: In one corner is "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices," a documentary that pulls no punches in going after the giant retailer. Former employees claim that Wal-Mart treats its workers badly and pays them little.
DIANE DEVOY, FORMER WAL-MART EMPLOYEES: It was just impossible for me to pay my bills and pay for day care and work.
SUSANNA SCHROBSDOROFF, NEWSWEEK.COM: When you see that they have that many employees and that they don`t give them the kind of benefits that make it possible for them to -- to live on a, you know, reasonable wage, you get -- and then you get confirmation from a DVD like this, it -- it just solidifies in people`s minds that this is a company that they may not want to support.
HAYS: Wal-Mart takes in $285 billion in sales and employs more Americans than anyone except the U.S. government. So it`s a tempting target for media controversy and satire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at us. We all don`t like the Wal-Mart, but we can`t stop coming here.
HAYS: "South Park" went after Wal-Mart`s dominance in an episode last year, "Something Wal-Mart This Way Comes."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wal-Mart isn`t run by anybody. First it reels you in with the bargains. Next thing you know, you`re working at Wal-Mart, because it has all the jobs.
HAYS: But Wal-Mart is coming out swinging against the new documentary. Wal-Mart officials tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that they haven`t seen "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices," which was documented by documentary film maker Robert Greenwald.
Wal-Mart tells us, quote, "All we know about Mr. Greenwald`s piece is that, in his zeal for drama, he plays fast and loose with the facts. In his video trailer alone, he made three errors in three minutes and we do not expect the full video to be any more reliable."
But Wal-Mart is throwing its support behind a rival documentary called "Why Wal-Mart Works and Why That Drives Some People Crazy." This film looks at what it calls the pathology behind the Wal-Mart bashing and holds the chain actually improves communities and its workers` lives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many people have so many negative things to say about it. But what about the positive things? What about saving that mother that`s trying to, you know, get back everything that she`s lost? Those are the people that they look out for.
HAYS: The film`s co-director, Ron Galloway, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT there`s a good side to Wal-Mart that`s not being portrayed in the media.
GEORGE CO-DIRECTOR, CO-DIRECTOR, "WHY WAL-MART WORKS": The point of my film is people are smart. Wal-Mart is doing a good job for its customers, but they`re being punished for that.
HAYS: But in these store wars, the No. 1 question is which one of the dueling documentaries will win out with filmgoers, good Wal-Mart or bad Wal-Mart?
SCHROBSDOROFF: Unfortunately, bad news travels a lot faster than good news. And I think that the bad news DVD will get a lot more attention than the good news DVD.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAYS: The maker of the pro-Wal-Mart documentary tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT his movie was not financed by Wal-Mart. He adds that Wal-Mart doesn`t even plan to sell it. I don`t know about you, Brooke, but I`m eager to see both of them.
Back to you.
ANDERSON: I am, as well. All right. Thank you, Kathleen.
And this is a rare match up you definitely couldn`t buy at Wal-Mart. In just a few minutes, we`ll have more on this. The makers of the two dueling Wal-Mart documentaries will join us. They`ll be here live. And that`s coming up in what`s sure to be a fired up "SHOWBIZ Showdown."
CARROLL: An emotional tribute today to Rosa Parks from Oprah Winfrey. The talk show host joined thousands paying their respects to the woman who helped inspire the civil rights movement. At a memorial service this afternoon in Washington D.C., Winfrey said it was her duty to carry on Parks` legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I am forever grateful to Sister Rosa for your courage, your conviction. I owe you to succeed. I will not be moved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Alabama, an event that influenced Dr. Martin Luther King. Rosa Parks died last Monday. She was 92.
ANDERSON: And what an amazing woman she was.
And now for a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive. Tonight, for the first time, 50 Cent speaks out on camera about the controversy surrounding billboards for his new movie, "Get Rich or Die Tryin`."
The billboard has the rapper-turned-actor armed, and that has community groups up in arms. And I learned the rapper, who never is shy about speaking his mind, isn`t backing down, even if he is under the gun.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
50 CENT, RAPPER/ACTOR: Is you going to be a man? Be a man and shoot me.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Guns and violence, clearly a part of rapper 50 Cent`s soon to be released movie, "Get Rich or Die Tryin`." It tells the story of the artist`s move from the drug trade to the music industry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you do?
50 CENT: I`m a rapper.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seriously, Marcus. What do you do?
50 CENT: I`m a gangster rapper.
ANDERSON: I sat down with 50 Cent today, and he told me that the movie`s violence shouldn`t be singled out.
50 CENT: You`ve got to look at how often we put out action films and other films that utilize weapons as a marketing tool at that point. You look at the cover -- we walk into our local video store. They`ll rent us a DVD or sell us a DVD. We`ll find guns and weapons on the cover of films probably more often than we find people`s faces.
ANDERSON: The rapper is on the defensive because the movies billboards have caused an outrage from South Central Los Angeles to Brooklyn, New York. They show rapper 50 Cent holding a microphone in one hand, a gun in the other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The message is violence is OK.
ANDERSON: The billboards caused a fury. One hung near a nursery school in South Central L.A., and the community cried out for their removal.
LITA HERRON, MOTHERS ON THE MARCH: We are charging 50 Cent and Paramount equally responsible for this vile message.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
HERRON: Now bring something else to the community or stop asking us to spend our hard earned pennies, nickels and dimes to buy this type of trash.
ANDERSON: And Paramount, the movie`s distributor, listened, removing the billboard near the preschool and many others. It was an astonishing victory for a community over a corporation.
But 50 Cent told me the controversy wasn`t so bad for him either.
50 CENT: It was great publicity.
ANDERSON: What would you say to those folks who are concerned, if you had the opportunity?
50 CENT: If there are kids in that neighborhood that can be -- that impression can actually make them do something that`s wrong, then those kids need to -- they should be trying to sit down and talk to those kids. You know, because if you take down a poster board that`s right next to the school, so what? Those kids are living that area. Right after they get out of school. So when they go home, you didn`t take down the poster board near their house. See, you didn`t do anything.
ANDERSON: 50 Cent told me even his 9-year-old son will see the R- rated movie. He says the important thing is talking to him about what he`s watching.
TERRENCE HOWARD, ACTOR: You need a manager.
ANDERSON: But "Get Rich" co-star Terrence Howard told me he doesn`t allow his kids to see R-rated films and says this film is not a glorification of violence. It`s simply the truth.
HOWARD: Why couldn`t he have a book in one hand, you know, and a microphone in the other? Because he wasn`t giving the education or opportunities that would enable him to use his poetry in that sense.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Terrence Howard also told me that the image on the billboard should be a reminder of what`s happening in inner cities, a reminder that something needs to be done to change the circumstances that turned this young poet into a drug dealer. "Get Rich or Die Tryin`" opens in theaters this weekend.
CARROLL: OK. Right now, you may be hearing a knock at your front door as trick-or-treaters head out to collect some candy. Today, daytime hosts got into the Halloween spirit. Throughout SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`ll be showing you the best costumes from today`s talk shows.
We start with "Live with Regis and Kelly." Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
REGIS PHILBIN, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": I`m Ashley.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": And I`m Mary Kate.
PHILBIN: It`s the first time twins have been able to host this show.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Those were some fancy moves.
CARROLL: You know, I want to know if those were dance doubles or something that they had going on.
ANDERSON: Maybe. Regis was -- and Kelly even had the mannerisms of Mary Kate. I thought it was Mary Kate.
CARROLL: Did you see abs in those shots?
ANDERSON: Good. OK. And in line with all the Halloween festivities, we want you to go online. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Happy Halloween. Do you believe in ghosts? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us an e-mail at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
CARROLL: And coming up, it`s going to be anchor versus anchor. What Mike Wallace said to Dan Rather and how that reportedly led to a men`s room screaming match.
ANDERSON: Plus, Jennifer Aniston, the powerhouse words against the paparazzi, who just can`t seem to leave her alone. Her passionate comments. It`s the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, next.
CARROLL: And it`s the party that everyone wants to get into. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your invite to the "Playboy" Halloween party. Which celebrities showed up for a wild and crazy time? Find out in just a bit.
ANDERSON: That should be interesting.
CARROLL: Yes.
ANDERSON: Now, in honor of Halloween, tonight`s scary "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz. After viewing the videotape, how long before you die in "The Ring"? Was it 24 hours, two days, five days or seven days? We`re going to be right back with your answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So again, tonight`s scary "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz. After viewing the videotape, how long before you die in "The Ring"? Twenty-four hours, two days, five days or seven days? Naomi Watts stars as a newspaper reporter in the 2002 thriller, who tries to figure out why seven days after you watch a videotape, you die. The answer is D.
CARROLL: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Jason Carroll, in for A.J. Hammer.
Tonight, stunning words from one of Dan Rather`s colleagues. Mike Wallace thinks the former CBS news anchor should have resigned. In an interview on this morning`s "Today" show, Wallace, the 87-year-old "60 Minutes" correspondent, told Katie Couric that Rather should have gone down with the ship, when the President Bush memogate scandal broke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WALLACE, CORRESPONDENT, CBS`S "60 MINUTES": It seems to me that Dan should have said, "If they go, I go." If the people on whom he depends are fired, lose their jobs, he was -- he was the guy on camera. Absolutely. He should have resigned.
(END VIDEO CLIP0
CARROLL: And Rather apologized on "60 Minutes II," but a CBS producer was fired, and three others were asked to resign after the report on the president`s military record was discredited last year.
"Radar" magazine reports that when Wallace told Rather about the "Today Show" interview, they got into a shouting match in a bathroom. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reached out to both men. Neither had any comment.
ANDERSON: Tonight, a revealing "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" with Jennifer Aniston. The former "Friends" star has been quite busy. She`s got a slew of new movies out, including her upcoming thriller, "Derailed." But it`s her personal life that`s been making headlines, from her much talked about breakup with Brad Pitt and the rumored relationship she has with Vince Vaughn.
I asked her about her career, the always prying paparazzi, and how she balances her private life as a very public figure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You`re a private citizen with a very public job.
ANISTON: Yes.
ANDERSON: How do you deal with the stories, the pictures splashed across the publications, monthly, weekly, daily?
ANISTON: You just try to -- you don`t pay attention to it, you know? Just tune it out. Do not pay attention. Don`t read it. Don`t hear about it. It`s just not real.
There`s always going to be a thread of truth, I`m sure, on some level. But for the most part, as long as you`re not contributing or, you know, emotionally attaching yourself to it in any way, it`s just -- you don`t know it`s there.
ANDERSON: The stories, the pictures originate -- they originate from the paparazzi many times.
ANISTON: Yes.
ANDERSON: How do you view the paparazzi?
ANISTON: They`re bottom feeders. It think they`re just the lowest form of cheap, easy money. Cheap, easy money. They should try to make a living doing something that they can wake up in the morning and feel good about.
ANDERSON: Well, the new anti-paparazzi law will put harsher penalties on paparazzi who use aggressive tactics.
ANISTON: They`ll still -- Do you think they`ll stop. That`s the thing. I hope so.
ANDERSON: Do you think it will help? Do you think things will...
ANISTON: No. They don`t have -- they don`t have any -- unless they get caught. I mean, you think -- we have laws now, privacy laws that obviously don`t hold, that don`t really stick and do very much. You know, there are still people taking pictures from helicopters. You still have all of that, in the magazines. Print of a photograph that`s taken from a helicopter. And they`re still in those magazines.
And I don`t know. I don`t know what`s going to happen. Because it`s becoming a public safety issue. I mean, people are -- they`re dangerous. These guys drive onto sidewalks where there are pedestrians. They are -- they drive recklessly, just for some easy thrill.
ANDERSON: Well, do you think celebrity and paparazzi go hand in hand? Will it ever get better?
ANISTON: Let`s hope so. I don`t know. I don`t know the answer. I`d love to say it would. You know, something will happen.
ANDERSON: It has been hard to keep up with you lately. How many films have you done this year?
ANISTON: It`s actually only two movies this year. There was "The Breakup" and "Friends with Money." And then "Rumor Has It" and "Derailed" were last year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like a trust-able guy.
ANDERSON: Well, you have just really, really taken off. And "Derailed," this one, unlike what your fans are used to seeing you do. What drew you to this dark, intense, psychological role?
ANISTON: Well, that, which is that it was dark and psychological and it was really well written.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You like to gamble?
ANISTON: Well, it`s not really gambling when you never lose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve got a bet.
ANISTON: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bet you $20 that I can kiss you without ever touching your lips.
ANISTON: Kiss me.
All of the elements, everything, the scripts, it just sort of all fell into place. There was no real -- there wasn`t a choice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re worth every penny.
ANDERSON: You seem, post-"Friends," you seem very, very happy. How are you feeling?
ANISTON: I feel great. So happy to be here in New York, promoting this movie, which I love. I`m doing great. Thank you.
ANDERSON: What does Jennifer Aniston still want to do with her life? You`ve been so successful. What is left?
ANISTON: There`s a lot I have to do. I have a lot -- hopefully I`ll still work.
ANDERSON: I have no doubt.
ANISTON: A lot of traveling. I want to travel. There`s a lot. There`s a lot to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Jennifer Aniston`s latest movie, "Derailed," opens in theaters November 11.
CARROLL: OK. New music from Santana, Nickelback, and a husband-and- wife duo. That`s in the "SHOWBIZ Guide" to new music. That`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: Also, the usually cheery Al Roker has some nasty words for one group of media. Find out what got "The Today Show" weatherman storming mad. His powerful rant, still to come in "Showblog Tonight."
CARROLL: And, how President Bush`s new nominee for the Supreme Court could change what you watch on TV. And a crucial decision in the R. Kelly case, the pornography case. That`s coming up in tonight`s "Legal Lowdown."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CARROLL: Time now for the "SHOWBIZ Guide," where throughout the week we help you decide where to spend your dollars on movies, music, DVDs and more. Tonight in "People`s Picks and Pans," new music from Santana, Nickelback and a husband and wife neo-soul duo, Kindred the Family Soul.
Joining us now from "People" magazine is senior editor, Julie Dam.
Julie, we`re going to start off with Santana. The new CD is "All That I Am." The cut off the CD, "I`m Feeling You." That`s Santana featuring Michelle Branch. First of all, let`s take a little listen, see what it sounds like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: OK. Not bad. Kind of similar to the last CD in one way, in terms of he`s collaborating with a lot of different artists this time.
JULIE DAM, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: With lots of younger people.
CARROLL: Right. He`s got Mary J. Blige, Joss Stone, as well.
DAM: It`s not just Mary J. Blige. It`s Mary J. Blige and Big Boy on a song, you know? It`s Joss Stone and Sean Paul. It`s really a star studded album. But you know, the best songs are actually the ones where he`s just jamming with his band, Santana the guitar God. So that`s going on.
CARROLL: Santana at his best, right?
DAM: Yes.
CARROLL: Let`s talk about the next one. Let`s get -- it`s also your critic`s choice of the week. This is the husband and wife duo from Philadelphia, Kindred the Family Soul. The CD is "In This Life Together."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END AUDIO CLIP)
CARROLL: A little slow groove there. I`m feeling that one.
DAM: This is actually their second album. And you know, most people haven`t heard of them, but this is a really great album. It`s a great introduction to them.
The album is actually titled after the memoirs of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, who of course were married forever.
CARROLL: Right. Legendary. Legendary.
DAM: And that`s what this album is all about. It`s sort of, you know, showing the family soul, that you can have romance after kids.
CARROLL: A little mood music there late at night. I`m feeling that. That one looks good.
OK. Also the last one, Nickelback, and the CD is "All the Right Reasons." Now I know that we`ve heard this song, "Photograph," all over the radio.
DAM: Yes.
CARROLL: I believe it`s No. 4 on "Billboard`s" Hot 100. But you know, we`ve been talking about this a little earlier. Is it worth buying the whole CD or do we just stick with, you know, downloading the single?
DAM: Yes. I mean, they have a huge fan base. It`s just, I have to say, you know, they`re kind of indistinguishable from a lot of the post grunge bands. Dare I say it, they`re a nickel a dozen.
CARROLL: Right.
DAM: But you know, the song is going to do really well. And the album of course, debuted at No. 1 on the charts. So...
CARROLL: All right. Fair enough. Julie Dam, thank you very much, "People" magazine. Thanks very much for joining us.
And for more "Picks and Pans," you can pick up a copy of "People" magazine. That`s right out on newsstands now.
ANDERSON: Up next, Al Roker blows his top. He is steaming mad, and we`ll tell you what got the smiley "Today Show" weatherman scowling. That`s next.
CARROLL: Plus, a movie battle is brewing that will touch almost every community in America. Tonight, Wal-Mart under attack and being defended. It`s a live "SHOWBIZ Showdown" you won`t want to miss, next.
ANDERSON: And what Martha Stewart had planned for Donald Trump and his famous boardroom. No, it`s not a homemade basket of Halloween goodies. But it`s something that could have the Donald saying, are you kidding me? Find out what she said, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues in just a minute. Hello. I`m Sophia Choi with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."
A heated partisan debate could be shaking up in the U.S. Senate. President Bush has tapped Circuit Court Judge Samuel Alito to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O`Connor. Alito is a conservative and is considered to be cut from the same mold as Justice Antonin Scalia. Last week, White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew after receiving heavy criticism.
And in Iraq, at least 15 people are dead, another 50 wounded, after a car bombing in a crowded commercial district in Basra. Officials say the Shia-dominated city has been the scene of rising violence in recent months.
Also, in Canada, officials say they found several migratory birds infected with bird flu. However, health officials don`t know if it`s the same type that`s lethal in humans. That strain has killed more than 60 people in Asia. Experts are afraid the virus could mutate and cause a pandemic among people.
That`s the news for now. I`m Sophia Choi.
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 31 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson.
CARROLL: And I`m Jason Carroll. A.J. Hammer has the night off. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
And tonight, you know, Brooke, when you think about Wal-Mart, what do you think of?
ANDERSON: A big-brand corporation...
CARROLL: Bargains, big stores...
ANDERSON: Cheap, yes, low prices.
CARROLL: Which most people don`t think of entertainment. But, you know, Wal-Mart is right in the middle of an entertainment debate. You know, a lot of people like the store. Some people despise the stores. Well, there are two directors out there who`ve made documentaries, both on each side of the issue. We`re going to have them here live in their own little debate.
ANDERSON: That should be very, very interesting.
Also very interesting today, Republicans who blasted Harriet Miers are now uniting in support of President Bush`s latest Supreme Court nominee. Samuel Alito has tons of judicial experience. But, Jason, the Democrats are not happy about this.
CARROLL: Of course not.
ANDERSON: It could be a fight when it comes to confirmation hearings.
Also, R. Kelly, that case against him in the child pornography case, been out there for three years. Well, Friday he lost a major court battle.
CARROLL: Oh, that`s right, yes.
ANDERSON: He could be one step closer to trial. We`re going to get details on what a conviction could mean for R. Kelly coming up in tonight`s "Legal Lowdown."
CARROLL: Sounds good.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. But first, let`s get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines." And for that, we go to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas. She joins us live from Hollywood.
Hi, Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke.
Well, tonight, Martha Stewart reveals she thought she was going to fire Donald Trump. Stewart tells "Fortune" magazine that she thought she was replacing Trump as host of "The Apprentice" and that it was even discussed that she would be firing him on her first show. Stewart says she doesn`t think Trump ever knew that was her intention.
Trump`s "Apprentice" has been averaging about 10 million viewers a week. Stewart`s version gets about 7 million.
Well, they came, they "Saw," and a horror sequel conquered the weekend box office. In final numbers out today, "Saw II" was the top film of the weekend, slaughtering the competition on the Halloween weekend. The film raked in more than $31.7 million.
The Live 8 concerts weren`t meant to be fundraisers, but they made a whole bunch of money, as well. Today we learned the 10 free concerts back in July have generated a surplus of more than $12 million. "Billboard" says that`s mostly from selling the DVD rights to the shows. Now, the money is going to relief projects in Africa.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." Brooke, back to you. Happy Halloween.
ANDERSON: Happy Halloween to you, as well. Have fun with your little son tonight.
VARGAS: Well, he`ll be (INAUDIBLE) tonight.
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: OK, tonight, in a "Showbiz Show-down," a show-down over Wal- Mart. A new controversial documentary is about to be released. It`s accusing Wal-Mart of hurting families and America.
"Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" examines the negative impact the world`s largest retail chain has had on America and American families. And another documentary, "Why Wal-Mart Works and Why That Drives Some People Crazy" disagrees, saying the discount store is a success story, with only positive contributions to the country.
The producer and director of that film, Ron Galloway, is live tonight in Atlanta. And tonight, live in New York, Robert Greenwald, the director and producer of "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price."
And, Robert, I`m going to start with you. Why did you feel compelled to do this type of movie?
ROBERT GREENWALD, DIRECTOR: I felt compelled after hearing a personal story from a neighbor of mine who had recently been employed at Wal-Mart and was telling me that he couldn`t afford the health care they offered him and the plan had too many restrictions, but the very, very nice managers at Wal-Mart were helping him fill out forms so he could apply and get state aid.
I really was shocked. I mean, the thought that a corporation with $10 billion in profit should not be taking care of its employees. And therefore, every single one of us, every single taxpayer, is winding up paying for the Wal-Mart benefits that the corporation is not giving to their employees.
CARROLL: Ron, I`m going to let you jump inhere. What did you think of what Robert just had to say there, in terms of why he decided to do the movie? How about you?
RON GALLOWAY, DIRECTOR: I think he has totally valid reasons for making his movie. I disagree with the effect on the American taxpayer. Let`s say -- the figure bandied about is $1.5 billion that Wal-Mart costs taxpayers. Well, Wal-Mart pays $22 billion in taxes and their vendors generate another $40 billion in federal taxes.
So Wal-Mart`s pretty much a cash cow for the U.S. government.
CARROLL: But, Ron, how do you respond to some of those who say, "Well, look, Wal-Mart may do good things, but it hires undocumented workers, it doesn`t pay their workers fair wages," things like that? Did you explore any of those sort of points, or did you run across any of that type of criticism when you went out and interviewed people?
GALLOWAY: I did not explore the undocumented workers, but I think most people -- 1.3 million people work for Wal-Mart. I think people are smart and they generally do things that are in their own best self- interest.
And I think 1.3 million people decided it was good for them to work at Wal-Mart. Now, I don`t agree with everything they do. And I started off neutral when making the film. But I did, through the course of the film, start going their way.
CARROLL: Well, very quickly, what are some of the things you disagree with, in terms of what they do?
GALLOWAY: With Wal-Mart, I think they do not present their story very well. I think they do -- what they do is great, in terms of delivering cheap goods to consumers. But they do not know how to tell their story. And they spend a lot of money trying to tell their story, and I don`t think they spend it effectively.
CARROLL: OK, fair enough. Robert, what about you? Now, you approached this from a completely different sort of point of view. You interviewed a lot of people who were negatively sort of impacted by Wal- Mart, former workers, small businesses, et cetera, et cetera. Did you happen to run across any people who had a positive reaction to Wal-Mart?
GREENWALD: Yes. And in fact, the most troubling, the most heart- breaking, were people in the film who`ve worked at Wal-Mart for years, managers who`d been there 10, 15, 20 years, and they loved Wal-Mart, and then the company changed. The corporation changed.
They had been loyal, committed employees. And now they had to turn against Wal-Mart because what it was doing was really wrong. It was wrong for American families who were getting torn apart by this corporation.
But by the way, I just also want to respond to what you guys said in the beginning about entertainment. We do have some entertainment. And if you go to our web site, walmartmovie.com, you`ll see those, terrible cheesy Wal-Mart commercials. We`ve done satires on them, and we`ve posted them on our web site. And they`re playing in movie theaters now.
CARROLL: Got to get your plug in there.
OK, Ron, what do you think of that?
GALLOWAY: Of what are we talking about now?
CARROLL: Well, in terms of what Robert just says there, in terms of what Wal-Mart has done...
GALLOWAY: The impact on the American family?
CARROLL: Absolutely.
GALLOWAY: Well, 138 million people shop there every week because it`s the lowest price deliverer of goods. And so those families therefore have more freedom because money is freedom to go out and spend on other things.
A hundred and thirty-eight million people vote with their feet every week to go to Wal-Mart. And Americans are pretty smart. And I think Wal- Mart if Wal-Mart were really doing something genuinely wrong, the American people would be able to figure it out and not go.
CARROLL: Well, Ron, very quickly, devil`s advocate here, what do you say to some of those critics who claim that Wal-Mart in some way directly or indirectly financially helped you put together your film?
GREENWALD: They didn`t pay me to do their film. And if you call putting out a press release saying they`re not going to carry my film at Wal-Marts promotion, I carry it demotion. And, Jason, could I say one other thing?
CARROLL: Absolutely.
GREENWALD: I`m missing a Halloween party tonight, and I kind of wanted to go "Boo!"
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: Glad you had the opportunity to do that.
Question to both of you now. Either one of you feel free to answer. What do you say to some of those people out there who say both of you are presenting extreme points of view, neither one of you are really telling the truth, that both of you are promoting propaganda, the truth basically lies somewhere in between? Either one of you.
GREENWALD: Well, I would say, first of all, people haven`t seen my film yet. And the irony is Wal-Mart is saying that. They`re spending millions of dollars attacking me and the film. They haven`t seen it. I asked Lee Scott to be in the movie, the CEO of Wal-Mart. He refused.
CARROLL: All right. We`re going to have to take it with that.
Gentlemen, thank you very, very much for joining us. Robert Galloway, producer and director of "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and Ron Galloway, producer and director of "Why Wal-Mart Works and Why That Drives Some People Crazy." Thank you both for joining us. We really appreciate it. Both of those documentaries are available on DVD next week.
ANDERSON: Did that scare you? "Boo."
CARROLL: No.
ANDERSON: Time now for "Show-Blog Tonight." Al Roker has had it with the news stories about him falling down while he was covering Hurricane Wilma. And he`s striking back on his blog.
As you may remember, last Monday, Roker had trouble staying on his feet during the "Today" show`s hurricane coverage. There he is. On his web site, alroker.com, Roker says he has read all the stories in which print journalists knock how broadcasters cover hurricanes.
Roker writes, quote, "Stop whining. Just because your medium is irrelevant when it comes to a breaking story like a hurricane doesn`t mean you have to trash others who are out there covering it."
Roker also says that the lieutenant governor of Florida saying she saw him on a beach with two people holding him down is like him saying he saw her drinking heavily on the morning of the hurricane.
CARROLL: OK. We continue now our special Halloween talk of the day with a look at the best costumes from today`s morning talk shows. So let`s take a look at what they did over at the "Today" show.
ANDERSON: Katie looks good as a blond.
CARROLL: Not bad. I also liked Ann as Holly Golightly. Not bad.
ANDERSON: That`s right.
And while we are on the Halloween theme, we`re asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Since it`s Halloween, we`re asking, "Do you believe in ghosts?" Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming up at 55 past the hour.
CARROLL: And a big decision on whether child porn charges against R. Kelly will make it to a courtroom. That`s next in the "Legal Lowdown."
ANDERSON: Plus, it`s the haunted Playboy Mansion. We`ll take you to one of the hottest Halloween parties around, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
CARROLL: And we have your exclusive look at "American Haunting," a new movie that will give you some of you Halloween chills. That`s coming up in the "Showbiz Showcase."
ANDERSON: But first, let`s take a look at what`s new on DVD. "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" is out on DVD tomorrow. Extras include a full-length documentary.
"Aliens of the Deep" is also coming out on DVD. It`s James Cameron`s IMAX documentary about unique sea creatures.
The Hillary Duff comedy, "The Perfect Man," is also new. "Heights," starring Glenn Close, is also in stores tomorrow. And last but not least, "Office Space." Love this one. Finally out on DVD tomorrow. Extras include a retrospective with Mike Judge and four deleted scenes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Time now for the "Legal Lowdown," a look at what`s going on in the world of entertainment legal news. On the docket tonight, judging Samuel Alito. President Bush today nominated him to fill the empty seat on the U.S. Supreme Court after the Harriet Miers fiasco. But where might he come down on important issues like obscenity and indecency on TV?
And Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly loses a major battle in court. A judge decides not to dismiss sex charges against the R&B superstar. Kelly is accused of allegedly engaging in videotaped sex with an under-aged girl.
Joining us live tonight from Glendale, California, Harvey Levin, the managing editor of the soon-to-be launched entertainment news site TMZ.com.
Hey, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: Hi, Brooke.
ANDERSON: All right. Let`s talk about Samuel Alito. We know he`s conservative. That`s why President Bush has chosen him. From what we know about him, where might he stand on issues of indecency on television?
LEVIN: Well, he hasn`t voted directly on that subject, but I did some checking today. And there really is kind of a glimpse into this guy. And he seems very slow to say, "You know what? We`re going to start restricting what people can and can`t see."
And I`ll give you one example. There was a law that basically prohibited a student newspaper from putting alcohol ads in the newspaper. And he said, "Hey, just because it may be offensive to do doesn`t mean that the First Amendment doesn`t protect it." So he seems to have some tolerance.
ANDERSON: Interesting. And moving to the freedom of the press, say a case like Judith Miller crossed his desk. How might he feel about that?
LEVIN: You know, it`s interesting, because he does seem to really care about the First Amendment. On the other hand, he also says, "Look, there are times when the state has an interest in finding out certain things." And what he tends to do is he tends to balance.
The short story, Brooke, is that I don`t think this guy is dogmatic when it comes to the First Amendment. And he says, "You know what? You know, forget the press, I`m just going to nail him every time." That doesn`t seem to be who this guy is.
ANDERSON: President Bush wants him confirmed by the end of the year. We will wait and see how it all plays out.
Moving now to R. Kelly, involved in an ugly scandal here, 14 counts of child pornography. Those are the charges he`s facing. Lost a huge battle in court on Friday.
Harvey, he`s moving towards trial here. What`s going to happen?
LEVIN: Well, he lost the battle, but I`m not so sure he`s going to lose the war. This is a really tough case for prosecutors. They say that they believe this tape, this alleged tape with R. Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl, that it was shot within, like, a 33-month period.
And he was saying, "Hey, how do I come up with an alibi if you don`t even know when it was shot?" And the judge said, "Well, that`s for a jury to decide." But ultimately, the jury`s going to say, "Look, we don`t know when this tape was shot. And we don`t even know how old this girl was." And in fact, R. Kelly is not even conceding that he`s the guy in the tape. They may argue that it was digitally put in. So I think the prosecution in this case has some tough problems.
ANDERSON: Exactly. Sounds like they do.
And many celebrities who have had legal issues in the past say they`re being targeted because their celebrities. Do you think this is the case with R. Kelly?
LEVIN: I have to tell you, Brooke, this is a bizarre prosecution, where you`ve got a tape you don`t really know who this girl is, you don`t know how old she, you don`t know when it was shot, you`re not positive it was even R. Kelly in the tape. It seems like he kind of is, you know, the Martha Stewart of Chicago, if you will.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Interesting comparison there, Harvey. We will also see how that one plays out. We are out of time, but thank you so much for joining us, as always, with your insights.
LEVIN: See you, Brooke.
CARROLL: Well, the Playboy Mansion turned into the haunted mansion for a star-studded Halloween party. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there, of course, at the Playboy Mansion for what Hugh Hefner promised would be a night of ghouls and girls. Stars including Paris Hilton, and Jenny McCarthy, and Jeff Goldblum showed up to party with Hef. He said he has always been a big fan of Halloween.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH HEFNER, "PLAYBOY" MAGAZINE: Playboy and my life are kind of a response to my Puritan bringing. So that, you know, a party thematically has a lot of symbolism. And I think that throwing a good party has been what my life has been all about from the very beginning of Playboy.
The fact that one of the top parties is related to Halloween, that again comes from childhood. I`m a kid who was very much influenced by the horror movies in my childhood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: OK. As for the costumes, well, Hef says he likes it best when women show up in body paint and nothing else. And, sorry, even though this is cable, we`re not going to show you those particular costumes.
ANDERSON: I`m relieved we`re not showing those costumes.
Time now for the "Showbiz Showcase." Just in time for Halloween, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has a spooky world television premiere. Here is your exclusive first look at "An American Haunting." The film is about the only case in U.S. history where a spirit caused a person`s death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, scraping on the walls. After that, shuffling. And then a clap on the cheek half-a-score times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s something evil here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who`s there? Show yourself!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She appears to suffer from violent nightmares.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn`t imagine any of this. You were there. You saw it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are we all having nightmares now, Professor?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe in the Lord?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I used to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Whew. Look for "American Haunting" in 2006.
CARROLL: And there`s time for you to sound off on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." In honor of Halloween, we`re asking: Do you believe in ghosts? Vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight or write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your e-mails live coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CARROLL: Throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on the Halloween-themed SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Do you believe in ghosts?
Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far: 60 percent of you say, yes, you do believe in ghosts; 40 percent of you say you do not.
ANDERSON: And now it`s time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Let`s take a look at the "Showbiz Marquee."
Marquee Guy, take it away.
MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, you`ve loved the music for more than four decades, but there`s much more to Santana than "Evil Ways" and Smooth." It`s Carlos Santana and what he cares about most, in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, from daytime to the big time. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s inside look at Hollywood heavyweights who got their start in the soaps. Like sands through the hourglass, these are the stars of our lives.
This is the Marquee Guy. It`s Halloween, and I`m feeling young and restless.
ANDERSON: Oh, I bet you are.
CARROLL: That`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Jason Carroll. Happy Halloween.
ANDERSON: You don`t want to mess-up your hair, I know.
CARROLL: That`s right.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. Please stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
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