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Showbiz Tonight

Secrets of Hollywood Prenups; "Brokeback Mountain" Stirs Controversy; Howie Mandel Dishes on New Game Show

Aired December 15, 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: And I`m Brooke Anderson. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the rules of engagement.

KANYE WEST (singing): Holla we want prenups! We want prenups!

HAMMER: The shocking details of Hollywood prenups. Kanye West says they`re golden in "Gold Digger." From Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey to Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, we`ll tell you who`s got one, who doesn`t and why. Are celebrity prenups common sense, or are they an indecent proposal? It`s the story you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

"Brokeback Mountain`s" cowboy controversy. The gay love story is breaking new ground, but conservatives are throwing punches. They say it spurs gay lifestyles. We`ll bring you the "Brokeback" backlash.

And did "Kong" make a killing? It`s "King Kong Week." We have the first box office numbers from its roaring debut.

LEO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: I`m the king of the world!

HAMMER: Will "Kong" sink "Titanic`s" record and be the new king of the world? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is live with the latest tally.

JAMES DENT, ACTOR: Hi, I`m James dent from "Desperate Housewives." If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, live in New York.

ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood.

Tonight, Hollywood marriages are known for being short-lived, which is why an increasing number of celebrities have turned to prenuptial agreements to protect themselves. But some of the Clauses in these contracts are outrageous and shocking. In a "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Special Report," we`re giving you the inside story of celebrity prenups.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SIMPSON, SINGER: We definitely anticipate having a family. My gosh, that`s one of our biggest dreams in life.

ANDERSON (voice-over): You can`t pass a newsstands without seeing that the dream seems to be over for Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Christina Applegate and Jonathan Schaech, Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen, and Nicole and Eddie Murphy. All celebrity couples no longer feeling the love. They`ve all announced recently they`re calling it quits.

(on camera) So, when stars split up, who gets what? According to California law, all assets earned during the marriage must be split down the middle 50/50, regardless of possible infidelity and regardless of who brings home the bacon. But if a prenuptial agreement exists, that takes precedence over the state`s divorce law.

WEST: Now, I ain`t saying she a gold digger.

ANDERSON: Prenups are so important to celebrities rapper Kanye West is even singing about them in his No. 1 song.

WEST: Holla, we want freedom. We want a prenup, yes it`s something that you need to have or when she leaves you she`s going to leave with half.

ANDERSON: And there`s reason to be singing. Lawyer Harvey Levin told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT prenups are often essential.

HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: I mean, a prenup basically closes the bank vault for a star who has lots and lots of money who marries another person who doesn`t have a lot of money. There is a huge amount at stake with stars, again, especially young stars, who don`t have a lot of maturity, and these prenups save them.

ANDERSON: Los Angeles divorce attorney Joe Langlois knows first-hand the power of the prenup. He`s from the Los Angeles law firm that represented baseball star Barry Bonds, and you wouldn`t believe some of the stuff that goes on.

JOE LANGLOIS, BEVERLY HILLS DIVORCE ATTORNEY: Craziest thing I`ve ever drafted probably, we have to have sex five to six times a week. You can`t talk to my family in a certain way. You have to be at a certain place at a certain time. You have to keep the house clean. Weight Clauses, I see those. Guy can`t get over 180 pounds. A woman can`t get over 120 pounds.

ANDERSON: Even here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT where we see everything, that made our jaws drop. But Harvey Levin says some of those Clauses might not be so easy to enforce.

LEVIN: The problem with these Clauses is, it`s not really clear to me that a judge would ever enforce it. Judges don`t like jumping into the beds of stars who may be cheating with somebody else.

ANDERSON: And judges can do whatever they want if there is no prenup at all, which is reportedly the case with Simpson and Lachey, who married when Lachey was the bigger star.

LEVIN: He wanted a prenup. And he was smart and said, "Hey, you know, I want to protect my money if this doesn`t work out." She was ready to sign it. He had it drafted, and we know what happened here. Her dad basically convinced her to say no to the prenup.

Well, it turns out she has made a wild amount of money since they got married, and this is going to come back to bite her, because Nick is now entitled to half of what she made. And that is going to be a fortune.

ANDERSON: Case in point: Steven Spielberg`s ex-wife, Amy Irving, got half of what he earned during their four-year marriage because their prenup was written on a napkin, and she didn`t have a lawyer, $100 million for Irving.

But sometimes, a prenup can do more harm than good.

LANGLOIS: A bad prenuptial agreement will plant the seeds of the destruction of your own relationship.

ANDERSON (on camera): Explain that for me.

LANGLOIS: An unfair prenuptial agreement, one that really takes advantage of the other party, will grate, will just simply grate on the disadvantaged party. And year after year, that party will remember this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And Langlois told me that, in his experience, most of the time when one party feels unfairly treated in a prenup, the marriage ends in divorce.

HAMMER: Welcome to the O.K. Corral. Tonight, in a "SHOWBIZ Showdown," the growing controversy over "Brokeback Mountain." Is it gay propaganda?

The Golden Globe nominated movie about two cowboys set in the `60s is being embraced by gay activists and being slammed by some conservatives. Gay activists say the movie has the tremendous potential to break down barriers. Some conservatives say the film has an agenda, and they hope it flops.

Joining us live here in New York, Stephen Bennett, radio talk show host for Straight Talk Radio, and Bradley Jacobs, movie editor at "Us Weekly." I want to thank you both for joining us, gentlemen.

Stephen, I want to begin with you. Now the filmmakers are not hiding the fact that this is a love story between two men, two male cowboys. So why then, do you consider it to be propaganda?

STEPHEN BENNETT, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, at first, it was not billed that way. At first they were trying to bill it as a love story. And let`s just be clear, this is about a gay cowboy love story, a modern day Romeo and Julie or "Dr. Zhivago."

But the fact of the matter is, what people are really bothered about this movie, this movie is -- this movie clearly implicits (sic) anal sex between homosexuals, heterosexuals. It`s anti-family. It promotes promiscuity; they`re cheating on their wives.

I mean, it`s just a very tragic story. And it`s a tragic story from the sense of the wives and the children who are hurt by this.

We don`t want the movie to flop. I`m not telling people, you know -- you know, boycott it or protest it. Just be informed. That`s all we`re asking. And then you know what? Let the viewers make their own decisions.

HAMMER: Well, in terms of it being propaganda, what do you think, Bradley, does this movie actually have an agenda?

BRADLEY JACOBS, MOVIE EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": I think the movie`s goal is to tell a story, a very true-to-life story, about what it was like for people who found themselves attracted to those of the same sex in the `60s and `70s. This movie begins in 1963 in Wyoming, and it takes place over the next 20 or so years in that state and in Texas.

These men, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, find themselves attracted to each other, but they live in a world where they can`t be in a relationship. They never even use the word "gay" in the movie. They use the word "queer." That was the word at the time.

BENNETT: They say, "I`m not queer," actually.

JACOBS: Right. Well, they`re fighting it.

BENNETT: Right.

JACOBS: These men are tortured by the fact that they are gay, and they fight it. And they marry women and they father children, and they continue their relationship together, which you point out is adultery. I guess, technically, yes, that`s adultery. But if you focus on that you`re missing the point, which is that these men really had no choice back then, and that`s the beauty of this film.

HAMMER: I think it`s -- hold on a second. Let me just back up to something you said earlier about some of these adult themes that are in this movie. It is an R-rated film.

BENNETT: Yes.

HAMMER: It has adult themes.

BENNETT: Yes.

HAMMER: R-rated films have adult themes. Look at last year`s "Million Dollar Baby," the Oscar winner in 2005. Adult themes but not necessarily propaganda for, say, euthanasia. So as you say, why can`t parents or adults just go in and make their own decision about this?

BENNETT: Well, of course, and that`s what we want people to do. We want people to make their own decisions.

But listen, I`m a former homosexual. I left the homosexual lifestyle. I was in it for 11 years. I`ve been up "Brokeback Mountain," and I`ve come down it. I`m happily married now 13 years to my wife and two children.

The message that this movie is sending -- what Bradley said was true; back in the `60s, things were totally different. These guys felt clamped. But I think that, if they were struggling with this, they should not have gotten married. They should not have gotten involved with women and children now and all of this kind of stuff.

So the message that we`re trying to bring to people is when they use the line, "Love is a force of nature," listen, I could tell you up front, we firmly believe no one is born gay, that people can change. I`m living proof, one of thousands of men who have done this. And we just want to let people know that this movie is sending a wrong message.

I understand the time setting and everything, but just make people aware of what this is about and then if you`re interested going seeing two men have anal sex, you know, that`s your business.

HAMMER: All right.

BENNETT: We just want to let you know.

HAMMER: Bradley, give me your reaction to that.

JACOBS: I guess I`m not here to discuss the origins of homosexuality. We`re here to discuss -- to discuss the film. I`m here to say that I think America is ready to see a romance between two men. It`s not a happy movie, either. It`s a tough movie about...

BENNETT: It is.

JACOBS: ... how these men struggled with...

BENNETT: It sure is.

JACOBS: ... where they were in their life. I do think, you know, America is ready.

BENNETT: I disagree on that.

HAMMER: Well, we`re going to find out in the coming days how America will embrace this movie. And Bradley Jacobs, Stephen Bennett, I want to thank you both for joining us.

BENNETT: Thank you.

HAMMER: The "SHOWBIZ Showdown" tonight.

ANDERSON: "The Sopranos" family just got a little bigger. Soon, you`ll be able to watch clips of the hit HBO show on your cell phone. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there today when Tony Soprano and his crew showed up at the announcement, cell phones in hand, to promote the new partnership. It`s just one of the many HBO shows that will soon be available on Cingular mobile phones.

HAMMER: And now we want to hear from you. This leads us to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. TV on cell phones: will you be watching? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. If you`ll be taking part in the technology or not, let us know. Or send us e-mails with more of your thoughts on the subject at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. And we`ll read some of your e-mails later on in the program.

ANDERSON: Coming up, Jennifer Aniston`s ambition. "The Good Girl" wants to be the good mother. We`ll have the scoop on her family plans.

HAMMER: And germ warfare with one of my favorite guys, Howie Mandel. He`s joining us live. The comic is going to tell us why phobias are funny and about the big deal he has in store for America. Howie Mandel joins us live for the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

ANDERSON: And "King Kong" roars into theaters. Is the gorilla a "thrilla" at the box office? We will tally the bananas, coming up.

HAMMER: First, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Here it comes. Where was Balki from on the `80s era sitcom "Perfect Strangers"? Was it Malki, Maypo, Mypos or Pluto? Think you know? We`ll be back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." Where was Balki from on the `80s era sitcom "Perfect Strangers"? Was it Malki, Maypo, Mypos or Pluto? He was actually from, C, Mypos.

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

Howard Stern is throwing himself a "Sirius" sendoff as he makes the switch to satellite radio. Tomorrow, Stern ends his career at Infinity Broadcasting and plans a parade through New York City. Yahoo will stream audio and video of the event, and of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be there, and we`ll bring you all the highlights. Stern starts at Sirius Satellite Radio January 9.

HAMMER: All right. Let`s move from a Howard to a Howie. It is time now for our "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" with Howie Mandel. You know him, of course, from his work on the `80s hospital drama, "St. Elsewhere," the animated "Bobby`s World," and his hidden camera segments on "The Tonight Show." Well, now he`s the host of a new NBC prime-time show which is for everyone. It`s called "Deal or No Deal."

Joining me live here in New York, self-confessed germophobe, Howie Mandel.

It`s nice to see you. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HOWIE MANDEL, HOST, NBC`S "DEAL OR NO DEAL": It`s good to be here.

HAMMER: And I mentioned the germophobe thing, because the last time you were here...

MANDEL: Right.

HAMMER: ... we talked a great deal about the fact that you have pretty severe OCD.

MANDEL: Yes. I don`t know if it`s severe. It`s not severe, but this is one of the deals is I won`t touch, but that`s cool. It`s all right. But that doesn`t mean I`m anti-gay cowboy or anything.

HAMMER: Well, no, I wouldn`t lump you into that category just for that.

MANDEL: Right.

HAMMER: And did you have any trouble getting up here to CNN and the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT headquarters tonight, everything, you know, in terms of having to touch things or open doors?

MANDEL: Doors? No, no. I have people with me who actually touch the doors, and no, I didn`t touch anything. I got here hands-free.

HAMMER: And you`re feeling cool, not jittery or shaky?

MANDEL: Yes. I`m not shaky. I`m really -- I`m really excited about being here, and your studio audience, just lovely people.

HAMMER: And I don`t mean to make light of it or anything...

MANDEL: No.

HAMMER: ... or goof about it, but you talk it about it. I notice seeing you on other shows and just hearing you in various interviews. It is something that is almost a primary component of your personality.

MANDEL: It`s who I am. I am a germophobe, and I use Howie because germophobe is hard to pronounce. Yes, it`s exactly who I am. If you go to my hotel room, there are pathways made with two dozen towels through everywhere I walk because I won`t step on the carpet. And yes, I`m nuts.

HAMMER: Well, no, but I hear...

MANDEL: Is that -- speaking of nuts, "Deal or No Deal" is a terrific...

HAMMER: Just a second -- I hear -- I`ll ask you that in a second, but just -- I hear you talk about this but do you get help for this? Are you in counseling for it?

MANDEL: Yes.

HAMMER: Is it something you`re trying to get past?

MANDEL: Yes, I am in help but I didn`t get therapy today so thank God I get this opportunity to talk to you.

HAMMER: Sit with me about it.

MANDEL: And this is a giant group therapy on CNN.

HAMMER: OK.

MANDEL: No, I am in therapy, and I do -- I am getting help.

HAMMER: All right.

MANDEL: I need help and the lines are now -- are the lines open?

HAMMER: The lines are open.

MANDEL: Right, they`re open.

HAMMER: Next 16 callers.

MANDEL: ... for me and know how I can be touched.

HAMMER: Well, you are helping out a great lineage of Canadian game show hosts, Monty Hall...

MANDEL: Yes.

HAMMER: ... Alex Trebek...

MANDEL: Yes.

HAMMER: ... and now Howie Mandel.

MANDEL: Right.

HAMMER: "Deal or No Deal." It`s the show for everyone. I love the premise.

MANDEL: The premise -- it`s in 41 different countries. It`s huge all over the world. In Italy, the king of Italy actually offered the host of "Deal or No Deal" $100 million to stop doing it, because it was knocking his own broadcast system off the prime-time...

HAMMER: You don`t want to compete with the king. How does this work, though?

MANDEL: Twenty-six different increments of money in 26 cases carried by 26 beauties, OK? All you have to do is pick one of those cases.

HAMMER: You don`t have to know anything?

MANDEL: No trivia, no stunts. You can be an idiot. You pick a case. That case is yours to take home. You could be a millionaire. You want to know if you are, so what we do is we open the other cases that you didn`t pick to see what`s in your case, right? Obviously, what`s in those cases that we reveal is not in your case.

So say we reveal six cases and there`s $100,000, $5,000, $10,000. We know that you can still have a million. I`ll make you an offer, $100,000 right now to go home, sell your case, and that`s it. Deal or no deal?

HAMMER: So kind of like the old "Let`s Make a Deal" without all the...

MANDEL: No, because you`re so aware of what -- in "Let`s Make a Deal" you had to -- "Do you want this, or do you want what`s behind door No. 1." And you didn`t know. So the best case scenario, there`s two cases left, two cases left.

HAMMER: A lot of pressure.

MANDEL: Wait. One dollar or a million dollars. I offer you half a million dollars to go home now. Do you take the half a million dollars, deal or no deal, or do you go for a 50/50 shot at being a millionaire?

HAMMER: I`ve got an easy gift for you, Howie.

MANDEL: What`s that?

HAMMER: A little Hanukkah gift, a little early. I just -- now what`s the score? Can I -- will you go through this?

MANDEL: OK.

HAMMER: Because we had one of our interns scrub it. Will you actually go through it?

MANDEL: Yes, I will. I will.

HAMMER: Howie bag.

MANDEL: I should also mention on "Deal or No Deal," you know, you can play at home and win tens of thousands of dollars. All you have to do is text in live. You text in live and you win tens of thousands of dollars.

HAMMER: Will this help you?

MANDEL: Anything that wipes up is of help to me. This is plenty. And I didn`t mean that -- I`m not -- and what else do we have here?

HAMMER: We have various products.

MANDEL: This is plenty -- this is Fantastik. This is plenty of Fantastik and you have anti- -- anti-septic -- this is -- you have no idea.

HAMMER: I want to give you this, the happy Hanukkah lollipop. Will you actually eat it?

MANDEL: I won`t eat a lollipop. I won`t eat a lollipop. I won`t hold that, but anything -- this is Purell and this, is this a hint?

HAMMER: Listen, they threw the -- my stage manager threw that in because of the breath.

MANDEL: OK. And toothbrush and soap. You can never have enough -- do you know how comfortable you`ve made me? This is the most -- this is my favorite show in the world, SHOWBIZ. In lieu of shopping, in lieu of the AM/PM.

HAMMER: Howie, thanks for dropping by.

MANDEL: This is like a day`s worth of stuff for me.

HAMMER: Enjoy your booty.

MANDEL: "Deal or No Deal" all week long on NBC.

HAMMER: Premieres on Monday night.

MANDEL: And you can win at home.

HAMMER: Thanks for dropping by.

MANDEL: My pleasure.

ANDERSON: I`ll eat the lollipop. I`ve got a sweet tooth.

All right. Moving on, it was a pretty rough year for actress Jennifer Aniston, but it looks like she`s moved on and is ready to settle down. Aniston tells January`s "InStyle" magazine she hopes to be on the road to having a family in the next year, and children are definitely in her future.

She said, quote, "Ideally, I`d like to have a couple, but who knows? That`s part of the unknown that I like."

Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with Polly Blitzer of "InStyle" magazine to get the rest of the scoop on Jennifer Aniston and what she said, in our "Thursday InStyle."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLLY BLITZER, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: "InStyle" chose the beautiful Jennifer Aniston for the cover subject of our January issue, because it is our "Fresh Starts issue." And who better than Jennifer to be our spokesperson for a year of fresh starts, new beginnings and amazing things to come?

Jennifer was wearing a beautiful long Grecian goddess white Oscar de la Renta gown on our cover that was more than a couple thousand dollars and more than we might want to spend on a dress. But you can get a very similar look with a beautiful Nicole Miller long silk gown for just $595.

In the opening spread of the cover story is a close-up of her in her own sunglasses, and what`s funny about that shot is that she actually hijacked the RV that was on the beach for our shoot and just went up and down the beach on it.

Amidst all that fun, Jennifer still loves to relax, whether it`s yoga or just laying out by the pool. You can see her in the cover story in a Calvin Klein collection, beautiful dress. And it`s just really breathtaking.

Jennifer said that she`s an Aquarian and she loves the water, and she proves it by wearing a Calvin Klein Collection bikini and John Galliano tunic. And she`s sopping wet but looks better than ever.

With a rough year behind her and an amazing year ahead, Jennifer looks beautiful in a Catherine Malandrino lace halter top and shorts, and she`s just breath-taking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Yes, she is. And if you want to read more of the revealing article with Jennifer Aniston, pick up a copy of January`s "InStyle" magazine on newsstands tomorrow.

HAMMER: Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, what do Santa and Christina Aguilera have in common? The answer is coming in "Talk of the Day."

ANDERSON: And the impossible dream comes true. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your first look at "Mission: Impossible 3." Ethan Hunt is back, and the third time is definitely the charm. That`s coming up in the "SHOWBIZ Showcase."

HAMMER: And the upside of anger. Life`s annoyances can make you crazy, but revenge can be sweet. Some frustration salvation just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, development may be arrested for "Arrested Development," but don`t count the show out just yet. There have been reports that the cable network Showtime may be interested in picking up the FOX series, and today, "Variety" says ABC might want the show, as well.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was the first to bring you the scoop when executive producer Brian Grazer was here, and I asked him about the show`s future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN GRAZER, PRODUCER: I have hope that it will stay on the air.

ANDERSON: Well, is that in the works, it moving to possibly another network, another home?

GRAZER: Well, it`s -- yes. It`s in the works. I`m hoping that it`s in the works.

ANDERSON: What can you tell us about that?

GRAZER: I can`t tell you anything other than I`m hoping that it works out in the way that we want it to. But I`m optimistic, Brooke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And there is still some ground to be covered before any deal can be signed. FOX hasn`t officially said it`s canceling the show. It just cut the third season order. And until that happens, producers can`t take the series to another network.

HAMMER: Well, a lot of people remember getting their photo taken with Santa Claus. But would you ever want to get your picture taken with a Santa who had a mullet? Take a look at this "Talk of the Day" clip from "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: This is Susan Nelson from Robbinsdale, Minnesota. She`s not happy at all. And his hair is so nicely done. Very -- I`ve seen that hair before, actually.

You know what? I know, he`s wearing a wig. He`s wearing the Christina Aguilera wig. I`ve seen that.

Yes. Yes. No, I know that guy. He never finds the right -- the year before, he wore a Billy Ray Cyrus wig and -- and then the year before, I believe it was Cher. He`s never right -- yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: He`s got to try new things to relate to the kids. That`s all that that`s about.

Well, coming up, why the cast of "Lost" is keeping company with "Hawaii Five-O." We`ve got the story just ahead in our "Hot Headlines."

ANDERSON: Also ahead, is "King Kong" headed for a monster success? It`s "King Kong Week," and first numbers box office numbers are in, coming up.

HAMMER: And we say, "Guten Tag," to Guttenberg. Steve Guttenberg live, talking about taking over for Santa Claus, plus his work with victims of Hurricane Katrina. It`s on the way in the interview you`ll see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VIRGINIA CHA, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues in one minute. I`m Virginia Cha with your "Headline Prime Newsbreak."

Was the most wanted man in Iraq captured and then let go? According to a top Iraqi official, Iraqi security forces had Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in custody last year but released him because they didn`t know who he was. U.S. officials have yet to confirm that report.

Some southern states have been put on ice. Early this morning, a blast of freezing rain and ice swept across parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. The wintry weather forced some schools to shut down, jam traffic, and knocked out power to more than 350,000 customers.

And more than 8 million New Yorkers could be looking for a different way to work tomorrow. The city`s subway and bus workers union is up against a midnight strike deadline. Union leaders are locked in intense negotiations with the city`s transit authority and have threatened to walk off the job if a deal isn`t met.

And that`s the news for now. I`m Virginia Cha. Now back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.

Well, A.J., "King Kong" roared into theaters yesterday, highly anticipated film, some of the best critics reviews we`ve seen in a really long time. So how did it do? We have the numbers, coming up in just a few minutes.

And also, A.J., Conan O`Brien, thinks a little "King Kong," a little Ann Darrow, a little Marvin Gaye makes for a steamy scene. And we will show you that, too.

(LAUGHTER)

HAMMER: I`m interested to know what that`s all about.

ANDERSON: Yes.

HAMMER: What`s one of your biggest pet peeves in life, Brooke?

ANDERSON: Bad drivers. Just this morning on the way, at a four-way stop, A.J., a woman flew through the intersection, did not wait her turn, didn`t pretend to stop. She could have caused an accident. Bad drivers.

HAMMER: I`m here to help you with your pet peeve, whether it`s bad drivers, people walking and talking on the cell phones all the time, there`s a new solution. We will visit that in just a few minutes.

ANDERSON: Can`t wait.

HAMMER: But first, we`ve got to get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines" with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas joining us live here in New York.

Hi, Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, A.J. Well, police in Hawaii are getting to know the cast members of "Lost" a little too well. We reported earlier this month about two actresses pulled over for suspected drunk driving. It now turns out that five other cast members have been pulled over in the past year. Four were accused of speeding, one was missing insurance papers. Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros face a hearing later this month on those drunk driving charges.

And Fantasia discovered yet another perk to being an "American Idol." It gets you off jury duty. Last year`s "Idol" was in the middle of deliberations on a case in North Carolina, but the judge let her leave to attend a benefit concert in New York. Not a bad deal at all.

In the online world, this past year people were hungry for information about -- or maybe just pictures of -- two famous young women in particular. Yahoo! says Britney Spears was the most-searched celebrity of 2005, followed by 50 Cent. And AOL says that Paris Hilton was the most-searched, followed by Oprah Winfrey.

And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: All right. Thanks very much, Brooke. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s -- Sibila, I`m sorry. I`m just so used to saying that. It`s just I wasn`t paying attention. Sibila Vargas, thank you very much, joining us live in New York.

Well, earlier on the program, we reported that Cingular made a deal with HBO to send clips of its hit television show "The Sopranos" to mobile phones. This is a growing trend at various networks these days, and now we want to hear from you on the subject. TV on cell phones: Will you be watching?

You can keep voting by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. You can also write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your e- mails at 55 past the hour.

ANDERSON: A lot of people will be watching "King Kong" at the theaters this weekend, but will the movie live up to the hype? Not since "Titanic" or even Peter Jackson`s "Lord of the Rings" series has a film received such universal buzz from critics.

Some say "Kong" might be big but won`t shatter box office records. "King Kong" week continues now on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Joining us live in Hollywood, Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. It`s a company which tracks box office results.

Hey, Paul.

PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, PRESIDENT, EXHIBITOR RELATIONS: How you doing?

ANDERSON: I`m doing well. Thank you. "King Kong" opened yesterday. Give us the numbers. How did it do?

DERGARABEDIAN: Well, it did about $9.8 million, which, for a movie like "King Kong," with the buildup that it`s had, and the hype, and Peter Jackson directing, made a lot of people seem like not the biggest gross in the world. Certainly, it doesn`t shatter any type of record.

But I think we have to look at "King Kong" as a movie that`s going to play for the long haul. This is a film like "Titanic" -- you know, "Titanic" didn`t open with that big of an opening weekend. It had $28.6 million, went on to earn $600 million. I think this is a film that will play throughout the holiday season, well into the new year, and should do very, very well.

ANDERSON: Well, speaking of "Titanic," some people are comparing it to "Titanic," as an epic type of movie and that it will surpass "Titanic." That is a tall order, as that "Titanic" is the highest grossing movie ever, right? Will it do it?

DERGARABEDIAN: That`s right. Well, I don`t know. I hate to put any movie up to the test of "Titanic." "Titanic" earned $600 million domestically, $1.2 billion internationally, for a worldwide total of $1.8 billion. No film has ever even come close to that.

Certainly, I think "King Kong" is one of those movies -- it`s a period piece, like "Titanic," has a love story. It has all those elements to it. Whether or not it can beat "Titanic" remains to be seen. Certainly, the opening weekend, we`re going to be looking at those numbers.

But I think, again, this is a marathon run for this movie. It`s not a sprinter. It`s one of those movies that I think is going to generate a lot of buzz. And like you said at the beginning of the piece, you know, the critics are really enjoying the film and giving it, you know, two thumbs up and giving it great reviews. So I think the audiences will do that, as well, and they`ll keep turning out over the long haul.

ANDERSON: Well, maybe not "Titanic." Let`s try this one, the "Lord of the Rings." Peter Jackson also directed that one. What will "King Kong" have to do to beat the best number from the "Lord of the Ring" series?

DERGARABEDIAN: Well, "The Lord of the Rings" movies were interesting, because each one earned more than previous one, both in terms of the opening weekend and the final figures. I mean, those are films that -- you know, that`s one of the most successful franchises of all time. And Peter Jackson has set the bar so high for himself that now "King Kong" has the unenviable task of trying to live up to the box office of those three films.

But certainly, I think "King Kong" is one of those that can do it. I think, in the big scheme of things, in terms of worldwide gross, we`re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars.

ANDERSON: Very quickly, just a few moments left, will it bring the box office out of its long-term slump?

DERGARABEDIAN: Well, that`s interesting, too, because we have been in a slump pretty much all year. And this combination of Harry Potter and then "Chronicles of Narnia," and now "King Kong" certainly knocking down the deficits that we`ve been running all year long. So we`re going to end the year on a very strong note. We`re going to go out with, I think, a positive feeling about the box office. And that`s good going into `06, because we definitely need better news in `06 than we`ve had in `05.

ANDERSON: Well, that sounds good, Paul. "King Kong," a gentle giant yesterday. We`ll see how he does next weekend. Paul Dergarabedian from Exhibitor Relations, thank you so much.

DERGARABEDIAN: Thank you.

HAMMER: Well, on "Late Night with Conan O`Brien," Conan must have gotten Peter Jackson`s director`s cut of "King Kong" because this one has a very special soundtrack, as you`re about to see in tonight`s "Laughter Dark."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O`BRIEN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": Check out this emotional scene between King Kong and Naomi Watts. You`ll see what I mean.

MARVIN GAYE, MUSICIAN (singing): I`ve been really trying, baby...

(LAUGHTER)

... trying to hold back this feeling for so long...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Nothing quite sets the mood like a little Marvin Gaye.

Well, you know those little annoyances in life that can just ruin your day, from the bad drivers, to the loud cell phone talkers. Why not take some action? Some ideas on how to turn the tables, coming up.

ANDERSON: Also, our "Showbiz Sitdown" with Steve Guttenberg. He`s got some new projects for the silver screen and his work off-screen is truly golden. It`s the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, next.

HAMMER: And, speaking of nail-biters, the mission begins. Your first look at "Mission Impossible 3" coming up in tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase."

ANDERSON: But first, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT birthday shoutout. And this is where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday. Tonight, a birthday shoutout to former "Miami Vice" star Don Johnson. He`s celebrating his 56th birthday today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, this is John Bayer (ph) wishing Don Johnson a very happy birthday. Don, just so you know, I got you a new pair of decks (ph). They`re coming your way for your birthday. Happy birthday, buddy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

Whether it`s tailgaters or cell phone talkers, life is filled with little annoyances which can add up to big headaches. But fear not. In many cases, your pet peeves can be tamed. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Name your pet peeve. Is it cell phones, junk mail, crazy drivers? Well, thanks to life`s little annoyances, we`ve got strategies to fight back.

Take those subscription cards that cascade out of magazines. Some folks mail them back blank just to make the publisher foot the bill for the prepaid postage. And there`s one guy who fills junk mail reply envelopes with actual junk to make them heavier and cost the sender more.

"New York Times" reporter Ian Urbina collected such anecdotes for his book, annoyances, like Starbuck`s lingo. They want you to call a small a tall. Resist.

(on-screen): I`ll get a small skim latte.

IAN URBINA, AUTHOR, "LIFE`S LITTLE ANNOYANCES": The same thing as kicking the Coke machine when it keeps your coins. It`s not going to get your soda, but it feels pretty good doing it.

MOOS (voice-over): What annoys David Terry (ph) is the adult video store near his Hamilton, New Jersey, home. He calls it a dump. So whenever he sees someone going into the porn store, he does the honk and wave to mortify patrons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re thinking, like, "Who was that? Was that my brother-in-law? Was that my boss?"

MOOS: Maybe bad parking drives you nuts. When Jason Bruney (ph) sees someone taking up two spaces, he leaves a leaflet offering a free parking tutorial at this website.

(on-screen): Wrong, wrong, correct.

MOOS (voice-over): But bad driving, rather than bad parking, spawned roadragecards.com.

(on-screen): Can you read?

(voice-over): There`s a card for every occasion, like this really mean one to flash when you see a driver putting on makeup. With signs like, "I Hope Your Cell Phone Gives You Cancer," no wonder the cards carry the disclaimer, "May result in injury or even death."

Though some folks can take a joke...

(LAUGHTER)

... each phrase comes in reverse, so you can insult drivers through their mirror. Who would think of this as a weapon against tailgaters? Alan Doeksen modified his rear wiper squirter...

ALLAN DOEKSEN, ANNOYED BY CARTS BLOCKING AISLES: ... to spray directly on their vehicle when they`re behind me.

MOOS: Allan also gets mad at shoppers who leave their grocery carts blocking the aisles.

DOEKSEN: I would put, like, expensive items in their cart or possibly some embarrassing items, like condoms, perhaps, in their cart, as well, when they`re not looking, so when they go to the checkout line they`re slightly embarrassed.

MOOS: What annoys Chris Baker (ph) is when the person in front of him in the express checkout has too many items.

(on-screen): So what this guy does is count the culprit`s items out loud as the cashier scans each one, five, six, seven.

(voice-over): But almost nothing annoys folks more than loud cell phone conversations. So a Chicago graphic designer has created cards you hand out to offenders.

(on-screen): "We are aware that your ongoing conversation about your husband`s vasectomy is very important to you, but we thought you`d like to know that it doesn`t interest us in the least."

(voice-over): If you`re very tall, maybe you`re annoyed by airline seats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was tired of being bopped in the knees by reclining seats.

MOOS: So Ira Goldman (ph) invented and now sells the knee-defender.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Table comes down, take the knee defenders, seat won`t recline.

MOOS: Whatever you do, don`t use this on us. TV-Be-Gone was dreamed up by a guy who was sick of seeing televisions everywhere. This universal remote turns off any TV. We caused confusion in the newsroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see our TVs? They`re all going black in and out?

MOOS (on-screen): Now, what could cause that?

(voice-over): Sometimes all these tactics do is give you a chuckle. But when facing life`s annoyances, laughter is music to your ears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Ah, I need to get that book. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: And now I know what I want for Hanukkah.

Well, it`s time now for another "Showbiz Sitdown," this time with Steve Guttenberg. You know him from his movies, of course, "Police Academy," "Three Men and a Baby," "Cocoon." But off-screen, Steve Guttenberg takes off his celebrity hat and dedicates his time to charities and the underprivileged.

And he`s joining us live here in New York. Steve, it`s a pleasure to have you here.

STEVE GUTTENBERG, ACTOR: Thanks for having me.

HAMMER: Pet peeves, any for you?

GUTTENBERG: Just actually not having anything to say on an interview. That`s why worst pet peeve.

HAMMER: Is that going to happen in the next four minutes?

GUTTENBERG: It`s happening right now.

(LAUGHTER)

HAMMER: OK, then, let`s move right along to something you do know about. I mentioned your charitable work. You know, you are one of these guys who just headed down after Hurricane Katrina happened to lend a helping hand and pitch in. What motivated you to...

GUTTENBERG: Well, I was watching CNN, like everybody else. And I was with my family in New York. And I said, "I got to go down." So I just got on a plane, hooked into a -- checked into a hotel, and went right into the Astrodome. They hooked me up. I became a volunteer.

You get an orange wrist band. And I collected cots, and went to food service, and I sterilized children`s toys, and went on patrol, and did errands for the Red Cross. And I spent five days there.

And you know what we saw was that our country did fail in its response. And it was very, very slow. But what was great about our country was the regular people, the teachers, the doctors, the construction workers, the moms and dads who came out from Houston and gave their time all over, actually, the country to all the different shelters.

And that`s what gives me such hope in our country, when we see such bad news in the paper, that we`ve got a great country, because the regular, average American, he`s the one who`s going to save us.

HAMMER: It had a great equalizing effect that transcended political barriers or racial barriers. None of that mattered.

GUTTENBERG: Absolutely.

HAMMER: Everybody just helped out. But you go down -- and one of the things that I`ve read about you, at least, and understand about you, is that you go down as you, not Steve Guttenberg, movie star. You go down as a guy, as an American.

GUTTENBERG: Absolutely. I went down -- and I just went down anonymously, but I had a great experience. I found one fellow whose eyes were blinking and he needed eye drops.

And what was great was, everywhere you -- there was purpose everywhere. Anybody you saw you could help. I went to CVS, which set up a pharmacy. I got some eye drops. I came back to the gentleman and I said, "Do you want me to put them in?" He said, "Sure." He leaned back, and I opened his eyes, and I put a drop in every eye.

And as he started to focus, he looked up at me and said, "Hey, you`re Steve Guttenberg."

(LAUGHTER)

HAMMER: Very nice.

GUTTENBERG: And that was what the joy of being there was that those little surprises, as opposed to going down with a camera crew and doing that whole bit...

HAMMER: For the publicity, right.

GUTTENBERG: Yes, which I didn`t really think was a cool thing to do.

HAMMER: Well, I know you have other charities, like your Guttenhouse for foster kids. And I know you`re delivering toys, Toys for Tots tomorrow...

GUTTENBERG: Toys for Tots, yes.

HAMMER: But you`re going to be a Santa on the Hallmark Channel coming up. It`s "Meet the Santas." And this is a follow-up, a sequel, actually, to something you did last year for them.

GUTTENBERG: Yes. Last year for the Hallmark Channel, I did a movie called "Single Santa seeks Mrs. Claus," which is a romantic comedy. And it actually was the highest-rated Hallmark Channel in the channel`s history, the highest-rated show. So we did a sequel, and it`s now "Meet the Santas," which is sort of like a "Meet the Fockers"...

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Right, because you`re now getting -- your character`s now getting married...

GUTTENBERG: Exactly.

HAMMER: ... and you have to take over the whole Santa thing.

GUTTENBERG: Exactly. And I`ve got to meet her family, and she`s got to meet the Santas.

HAMMER: Now, we were talking about this earlier in the program tonight. Will there be a pre-nup between you and the new Mrs. Claus?

GUTTENBERG: There will be a pre-nup, actually, yes, yes. But we`ll be sleeping in separate beds, Ricky and Lucy style.

HAMMER: What kind of things will you write into it, in addition to that?

GUTTENBERG: I would say, actually, no touching the reindeer. And it would be a "Brokeback" Christmas, and no germs. No germs at the North Pole.

HAMMER: It will be a germ-free...

GUTTENBERG: Germ-free.

HAMMER: ... germ-free program.

All right. So I have to ask you because, of course, Mahoney, your character from the "Police Academy" movies, well known to all of your fans.

GUTTENBERG: Ah, yes, classic.

HAMMER: And, you know, it`s been buzzing around that there is going to be another -- what would it be, the seventh one?

GUTTENBERG: Yes. Actually, I was talking to several Nobel laureates. And everybody decided, "What are we going to do, world peace or have another `Police Academy`, Middle East or `Police Academy`?" Darn it, it was "Police Academy." It`s going to save the world.

HAMMER: Hey, there`s nothing wrong with that. So you are involved. You`re going to be on board with it?

GUTTENBERG: We don`t know. You know, it`s sort of a secret right now. We`re really not supposed to speak about it. Actually, we were at the Time Warner Center here, and the only thing I can say is -- nothing, I can`t say anything about "Police Academy."

HAMMER: Well, keeping it shrouded in secrecy certainly worked for "Munich," it`s working for "Da Vinci Code"...

GUTTENBERG: Absolutely.

HAMMER: ... and we hope it works for "Police Academy." It`s great seeing you, and congratulations for all you`re doing. Thanks for all you`re doing.

GUTTENBERG: Happy holidays to you.

HAMMER: Happy holidays, Steve Guttenberg.

Also, you can join Steve and catch him on "Meet the Santas." It`s on the Hallmark Channel this Saturday.

ANDERSON: It is time now for another "Showbiz Showcase." Tom Cruise is back in action in the third installment of the "Mission Impossible" series. We`ve got your first look at the explosive movie coming out next May.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, ACTOR: Who are you? Do you have a -- you have a wife, girlfriend? Whoever she is, I`m going to find her. And I`m going to hurt her. And then I`m going to kill you right in front of her.

(MUSIC PLAYS)

VING RHAMES, ACTOR: Welcome back, brother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: "Mission Impossible 3" comes out May 5th.

HAMMER: And there`s still time for you to sound off on tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Technology is rapidly changing. We`re talking about TV on cell phones. Will you be watching? You can vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight or write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your e-mails live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ve been asking you to sound-off online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." TV on cell phones: Will you be watching?

Well, pretty one-sided tonight. Despite the emerging technology, 10 percent of you say, yes, you will be watching; 90 percent of you say, no, you will not.

Here are some of the e-mails we have received. Gary from Oregon writes, "It will be great, if waiting at the doctor`s office, stuck in traffic jam, or a breaking major news event."

And Steven wrote us from California to say, "I can already watch TV and short movies on my iPod, full TV and movies on my computer. What`s next, TV on my remote control?"

We also heard from Darryl in Indiana who adds, "I cannot imagine why another would want to watch a small screen for a TV show."

If you`d like, you can continue to vote by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight.

ANDERSON: It is time to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. The Marquee Guy is off, so let`s take a look at the "Showbiz Marquee."

It`s a Stern good-bye. Howard ducks out of regular radio and goes satellite. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be there for the big sendoff tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, supermodel, super survivor. It`s been almost a year now since Petra Nemcova was caught in the devastating tsunami. She joins us live tomorrow for an update on how she`s doing.

A.J., she`s really turned her devastation into helping others, developed a children`s charity for the youngest survivors of the tsunami.

HAMMER: Looking forward to hearing that story. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for tonight. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Please stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.

END