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Showbiz Tonight

Real-Life Drama of Trapped Coal Miners Turns Tragic; Lindsay Lohan Opens Up About Eating Disorder, Drug Use; New Show Features Women of Roller Derby; David Letterman Has a Heated Interview with Bill O`Reilley

Aired January 04, 2006 - 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 miners, the media, the tragedy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the gripping television, and the outrage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel like we`ve been lied to.

HAMMER: We watched with joy at the news the Virginia coal miners were alive. But then, a terrible turn.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Much of the United States has gone to bed tonight thinking the best, and they`re going to wake up tomorrow...

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And see the worst.

HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the scenes we will never forget.

Confessions of a teen star. Tonight, Lindsay Lohan admits the startling rumors are true. Lindsay on taking drugs. Lindsay on her eating disorder. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the inside story on Lohan`s lowest and darkest days.

The "Late Show Factor." David Letterman and Bill O`Reilly face off.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, CBS`s "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I have the feeling 60 percent of what you say is crap.

HAMMER: Tonight, the sometimes ugly and riveting exchange. What happened when David met Bill?

ERIC MCCORMACK, ACTOR: I`m Eric McCormack.

DEBRA MESSING, ACTRESS: I`m Debra Messing.

MCCORMACK: If it happened today...

MESSING: ... it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Hi, there. I`m Brooke Anderson, live in Los Angeles.

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

Tonight, a sad and angry nation is wondering what went wrong in West Virginia. This is the story everyone is talking about on television, on radio and online.

First, a riveted America heard that 12 of the 13 miners trapped underground for days were alive and well. But then the horrible news that it was all a mistake. Get ready now to ride an emotional roller coaster as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the real life drama that played out on television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: They are ringing the bells of the church.

HAMMER (voice-over): TV viewers who followed the tense 41-hour drama of the 13 trapped miners went to sleep thinking there was a happy ending.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve families are going to go home happy tonight.

HAMMER: And this morning, Americans turned on the TV morning shows only to hear a heartbreakingly different story.

MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, NBC`S "THE TODAY SHOW": There has been a tragic turn of events.

HAMMER: Answered prayers turned into a living nightmare for all of America to see. And today, stunned relatives of the victims and a nation full of people who anxiously watched the drama unfold on television are asking the same question.

LYNNETTE ROBY, FRIEND OF MINERS` FAMILIES: I don`t know how something like this could happen.

HAMMER: For almost two days, an eager nation had their eyes upon Upshur County, West Virginia, where a coal mine explosion trapped 13 miners 260 feet underground.

The media kept a constant vigil as rescuers raced against time to search for any sign of life from the men, who had long run out of breathable air. Hopes were dimming. But at around 11:50 p.m. Eastern Time, CNN`s Anderson Cooper got some welcome news from a friend of one of the miners.

COOPER: What have you heard?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`ve just come out of the mines. They`ve got 12 alive. Good news.

COOPER: Where did you -- who told you that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just came out of the mines and sent an official down, said we`ve got 12 alive. They`re going in now with -- going in now with the rescue crews.

HAMMER: Soon family members and the media were saying the same thing: 12 of the 13 minors were found alive.

JOHN MENENDEZ, ANNOUNCER, NBC`S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": It`s "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

HAMMER: As "The Tonight Show`s" Jay Leno interviewed actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, NBC broke in with a crawl telling viewers the good news. And that`s the way it went for hours until...

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, let me ask one more question of Dr. Long.

COOPER: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Charlie -- Charlie, we`ve got to come back to us.

HAMMER: Just before 3 a.m., CNN`s Sanjay Gupta was interrupted by some shocking news from reporter Anderson Cooper in West Virginia.

COOPER: Come here. What`s happening?

ROBY: There`s only one -- there`s only one made it out alive. I think the name is Randal Ware (ph). The governor is in there and this big in-charge CEO of the mine is apologizing. And it`s all -- they did nothing but -- I don`t know how this information could come out.

COOPER: Where have...

ROBY: There`s one person alive and he`s en route to the hospital.

COOPER: Where have you gotten this information?

ROBY: From -- from the CEO who`s been in the news.

COOPER: You were inside the church?

ROBY: We were inside the church and...

COOPER: And you say there`s fist fighting now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ROBY: People are screaming, "You`re a liar. You lied to us."

COOPER: Wait. Come over here, please.

ROBY: It`s misinformation and it`s awful.

COOPER: This is unbelievable.

ROBY: It`s totally -- it`s the worst thing that I`ve heard. I don`t know how this information could get this far. And -- and now.

HAMMER: CNN was the first network with word of the shocking turn of events.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To see these family`s faces after the joy that they were experiencing just a couple hours ago, in tears.

HAMMER: And sometime after 3 a.m., viewers had their worst fears officially confirmed.

BEN HATFIELD, CEO, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: There was an error in the previous communication. We have 12 individuals, but they are not all alive. It appears that one is alive, 11 are deceased. It`s beyond belief. Welcome to the worst day of my life.

HAMMER: Happiness turned to anger among the grieving relatives.

ANNA CASTO, COUSIN OF MINER: Now we have no survivors. Family members is gone. Not only mine, but 12 other people. I mean, and we want to know why.

HAMMER: And even reporters on the scene.

COOPER: Why in God`s name did they wait three hours.

OSIAS: To tell.

COOPER: To tell family members?

HAMMER: To make matters worse, newspapers that went to press before the sad announcement ran headlines that proved to be embarrassingly inaccurate. And all day, media critics were fuming at how journalists got it all wrong.

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, all of them were not exercising the kind of caution that you need to bring to a story where developments are happening minute by minute and you need to be cautious. Sometimes official accounts are wrong. Just a heart rending embarrassment for the press.

HAMMER: But news blogger Brian Stelter tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that we`ve seen this kind of mistake before.

BRIAN STELTER, BLOGGER: Some people are comparing it to Katrina. The initial reports were a lot worse than the actual devastation. There were reports of hundreds of murders at the convention center, when it actually was just a few.

When you look at "Munich," we have a new movie out about Munich. And at that time as well, for a couple of hours the entire world thought the athletes were alive. They thought they had been rescued. And then only hours later, Jim McKay came on and said, you know, they`re all gone.

And so, you know, there is a history here of going on air with the facts as we know them at the time and then turning out to be very wrong later.

HAMMER: Yes, viewers have seen good news reported and tragically retracted before. But that doesn`t mask the heart break the nation feels after hopes were raised and then dashed by a happy ending that never came.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: May God bless the good people of West Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Well, as you saw, CNN`s Anderson Cooper was up late this morning for every twist and turn in this very sad story. In just a few minutes, Anderson will join us live from West Virginia to share with us what happened, how he was feeling during all of that, and what went wrong.

ANDERSON: Tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, confessions of a teenage star. Today the shocking news that Lindsay Lohan has admitted she took drugs and had an eating disorder, confirming the stories that have filled the tabloids for months.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT now with an in-depth look at what Lohan said and what it all means.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): With eight movies under her belt, two albums, and countless magazine covers, Lindsay Lohan is one of the biggest teen stars in the business.

But behind the smiles and glossy pictures, there are problems, like bulimia and drug use and stress from family drama and a very public breakup with actor Wilmer Valderrama. And now Lohan is talking in an explosive interview with "Vanity Fair," saying, quote, "I was sick. I had people sit me down and say, `You`re going to die if you don`t take care of yourself`."

Lohan spoke with "Vanity Fair" contributing editor Evgenia Peretz, who reveals all to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

EVGENIA PERETZ, "VANITY FAIR": She started to lose weight when she was in the hospital. She was hospitalized during the filming of "Herbie Fully Loaded," and she lost about 15 pounds in the hospital. And then when she got out of the hospital, she really liked the way she looked, and I think she felt, well this is fun to be really thin.

But she definitely took it too far. And she really talks about how she, you know, didn`t eat so much. And certainly had bulimic episodes to the point that it got very scary.

ANDERSON: Rumors that Lohan had an eating disorder have haunted her for the longest time, as she went from a curvaceous, healthy looking teenager in movies like "Mean Girls" to this, a skin and bone shadow of her former self.

Lohan forced herself to throw up so frequently she was wasting away to nothing, something the paparazzi and media focused on incessantly.

DR. DREW PINSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: When you see these pictures of the young celebrities in the media who look uncomfortably thin, looks uncomfortable to look at, looks unhealthy, where there`s smoke there`s fire. It usually is something more going on.

ANDERSON: She looked frighteningly thin while hosting Saturday night live last May, prompting executive producer Lorne Michaels to stage an intervention and plead with her to get control of the eating disorder.

Lohan says, quote, "I knew I had a problem. I saw that `SNL` after I did it. My arms were disgusting. I had no arms."

PERETZ: That made a huge impression on her. And she said she started bawling, and I think that was probably the turning point for her.

ANDERSON (on camera): Lohan`s confession that she battled bulimia was a far cry from what she told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT around the same time she hosted "SNL." She said she dropped the weight through exercise and insisted she did not have an eating disorder.

LOHAN: Everyone has their own reason for why they want to be thin and what -- how they get that way or. I`m healthy, and I`m not an idiot. And I have people around me that would say, "Hey, stop it" that I can trust and that I will actually listen to.

PINSKY: I`m sure there`s no doubt that they feel that they have to be thin. They have to be young. They have to be beautiful. Their careers depend upon this things.

ANDERSON: Still, it wasn`t just an eating disorder that Lohan was battling. She also tells "Vanity Fair" that at one point, she began using drugs.

PERETZ: Well, she admitted that -- that she`s taken drugs, which is something she hadn`t really mentioned before. But I do think it`s a very touchy subject. And you know, she quickly said, "I`ve gotten that out of my system." And you know, when I prodded her a little bit more on the subject, she became very rattled and wanted to change the suggest.

ANDERSON: Lohan also opened up to "Vanity Fair" about the night she wrote her latest single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart." The song is very personal, about a daughter`s abandonment by her father. Lohan`s father, Michael, is now in prison for driving under the influence. He and Lindsay`s mother are divorced. The very public settlement went through last month.

PERETZ: The night that she wrote that song, which was about her father and how painful it was growing up with him, it seemed to really unleash a lot of pent up feelings, and she said that she started sobbing hysterically. And she tried to get him on the phone, actually. He was in jail.

Lindsay`s going to do what she`s going to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: The February issue of "Vanity Fair" is on newsstands in New York and L.A. today. It`s everywhere else on Tuesday.

Now as for Lohan, she`s recovering after being hospitalized Monday in Miami after suffering a severe asthma attack.

HAMMER: So how does this all resonate with you? We`d like to know. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Lindsay Lohan: do you feel sorry for her? You can vote by going to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Our e- mail address, if you have more to say, is ShowbizTtonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of what you have to say later on in the show.

ANDERSON: He broke the news that the miner story had changed drastically, and for the worse. CNN`s Anderson Cooper joins us live from West Virginia. That`s coming up next.

HAMMER: Plus, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards have already had a bumpy ride. Love, marriage, kids, divorce, reconciliation. And tonight, there`s a new chapter in their story. That`s also coming up.

ANDERSON: And, they`re wives, mothers, career women by day, and hell on wheels with names like "Punky Bruiser" by night. Roller derby is back, and we have the Rollergirls here live. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Well, now our coverage of the mining tragedy in West Virginia continues tonight. As the story unfolded through the night, reports that 12 of the 13 miners were alive dramatically changed, when it was discovered that, in fact, all but one had died.

CNN`s Anderson Cooper was right in the thick of it. He was up all night, live, reporting the story. Anderson joins us now from the site of the tragedy in West Virginia.

Anderson, like so many Americans, I went to bed after seeing you report that miraculous news, that 12 of the miners had been found alive. And then I went to sleep. A short time later, you`re still working that story on one moment. The next moment, you`re learning on live television yourself that only one survived. I believe the word you used was "stunning."

What was actually going through your head at that moment?

COOPER: You know, I think a lot of people described it as a punch in the stomach. And in that moment, it really did feel like that. I mean, it had been some -- almost three hours since mine officials, people intimately involved with the rescue efforts called -- started calling family members inside the church to tell them that, in fact, those miners were alive.

Company officials -- I mean, the thing I think a lot of people find a hard time dealing with today -- and even early this morning -- was that company officials knew about 20 minutes later, once they saw the pictures of the family members elated, and the governor gave the thumbs up, saying, you know, miracles do happen -- company officials knew that the information was not quite so rosy. In fact, they got a report that only one miner was alive. They didn`t know whether to believe that report or not.

But I think what a lot of families here wish they had done is that they should have just come down to the church and said, you know what? Don`t be so elated so quickly. We simply do not have the facts on the ground yet. We do not have the information. They were the only ones in a position to know exactly what was going on in that mine, and they chose to withhold that information for several hours, until -- until it was close to 3:00 a.m., when they talked to mine families. So it was a very obviously just devastating morning for an awful lot of people here in West Virginia.

HAMMER: And as your were describing it last night and this morning, very emotional. And obviously, a lot of outrage was going on.

Have we lost Anderson?

COOPER: I`m back. I`m sorry?

HAMMER: OK, Anderson. You know, with all -- with all of the outrage going on around you, you know, you were not shy in expressing the outrage that you were experiencing. Was it a bit overwhelming at times?

COOPER: You know, I mean, I think the outrage is on the part of the families here. I mean, you know, these people have been through so much. They have been holding a vigil here. Some of the families I`ve talked to had been here for 41 hours straight.

And you know, it is cold and it`s wet up here. They were huddled under blankets. You know, reporters would come and go. And the families were still here, standing in this wet mud together, just kind of searching for hope.

And to know that this company, which had controlled information so carefully -- you know, we asked to be up at the coordinating center, we asked to be, you know, even inside the mine if they would let us, we wanted to be able to verify things as much as possible -- for them to have been so misled in these final hours, and for information to have seeped out like that and had not had the company come forward, I think a lot of people were very upset. And I think we all felt that frustration.

HAMMER: Well, Anderson, I know you`re never looking for thanks when you`re covering these very difficult stories, but thank you for your continuing good work and hard work out there. I know it has not been an easy task. CNN`s Anderson Cooper. Thanks for joining us.

COOPER: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Tonight, it looks like the on-again, off-again relationship between Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards is off again. Richards filed for divorce last year, but since then the couple had been trying to reconcile. Today, Richards` publicist confirms to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the divorce is moving forward once again. Sheen and Richards have two children together.

HAMMER: It is time now for our "SHOWBIZ Sitdown." Tonight, stars from the new reality series "Rollergirls." They are women with regular jobs by day, but by night they`re strapping on their helmets, their pads and their rollerskates to become rough and tumble roller derby athletes.

"Rollergirls" chronicles the battles that these women face inside and outside the brutal roller derby track.

Joining us live tonight, rollergirls La Muerta, Punky Bruiser, and Chola. Lovely to have you here. Thank you for being here.

CHOLA, "ROLLERGIRLS": Thank you.

HAMMER: With the skates on, by the way. Do they always stay on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We try to roll everywhere.

HAMMER: So do I have this right? It`s basically women who have basic day jobs by day, and then at night, you`re beating the crap out of each other in the rink?

CHOLA: Yes, that`s about right. Roller derby right now is just a hobby for us. And we skate and we train really hard, but we still have to keep day jobs to pay our bills. So...

HAMMER: Now, the competition we`re seeing on TV. Everybody, of course, familiar with WWE wrestling. And we know that it`s staged. They don`t make any -- there`s no pretense about the fact that they know the outcome going in. Is this for real or is this all sort of scripted and set up?

PUNKY BRUISER, "ROLLERGIRLS": This is for real. I mean, that`s the one thing that the show really captures, is that -- the reality, the realism, the dedication that we put into every game. And we don`t have any stunt doubles. People ask us, "Do you have stunt doubles?" No, it`s really us taking those falls.

HAMMER: OK. So all the scoring is for real. Nobody said, "OK, you`re going to get knocked down. But ha-ha, it`s all for fun." I just want to clear that up.

I want to play a little bit -- we were just seeing a bit, but I want to show a little bit more. Because it gets pretty rough out there. Can you sort of go through with me exactly how rough? It`s coming any moment now. But basically, you know, as you said, you really are getting hurt out there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely.

HAMMER: You can see it up there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go.

HAMMER: So give me a little play by play where you can look in the monitor over here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s Chola jamming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She just got, you know, taken around the neck and taken down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s during practice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes it gets heated.

CHOLA: The thing really builds up. We practice the week before a bout. The two teams do bout practice, and the intensity build up. They always tell us during practice, take it 50 percent, take it 50 percent. But by the end of the game, the refs are yelling at us, telling us to save it for the game.

HAMMER: And clearly, people must get hurt when this is going on. Now, it`s Punky Bruiser. That`s correct? I have your name correct? Coming from "Punky Brewster." Were you a big Soleil Moon Frye fan?

BRUISER: A little. I actually got to go to one of the tapings of the show when I was a kid.

HAMMER: OK. Did you come up with the name yourself? That`s your own little...

BRUISER: One of my friends did. I just really loved bruises, and so she said, "Punky Bruiser."

HAMMER: And Punky, you`re also a waitress and a part-time Gap employee. Is that correct?

BRUISER: Yes. That`s right.

HAMMER: So when you`re showing up to sell T-shirts with, let`s say, a black eye or, you know, a bruised hand...

BRUISER: You get looks. Yes.

HAMMER: I was going to say, do you explain to the employees what the heck is going on?

BRUISER: The employees know what`s going on. However, a lot of the moms coming in with their kids in the stroller, trying to buy jeans, and they`re just cashing them out, like, "Look at all those bruises." I started wearing long sleeved shirts.

HAMMER: All right. Well, I know that there`s a lot of different terminology that gets thrown around in the course of the roller derby. And for people who might tune in and get thrown, I`d like to throw a couple of the words up, and maybe you can explain.

Now, "pull a Chola" I imagine has something to do with you?

CHOLA: Yes, it is. I`ve a little bit of a reputation off the track, you know, just hanging out with the girls, having a good time. Someone starts in with the mouth, you know, "pull a Chola."

HAMMER: You`re a bad girl. And real quickly, "Spank Alley," La Muerta. What is "Spank Alley?"

LA MUERTA, "ROLLERGIRLS": Spank Alley is a penalty when somebody has been really bad on the track. They have to actually go and skate past the audience members, and they get to spank them with a flyswatter.

HAMMER: Don`t want to get sent to "Spank Alley."

Ladies, I thank you for joining us. La Muerta, Punky Bruiser and Chola.

BRUISER: Thank you.

CHOLA: Thank you for having us.

HAMMER: And "Rollergirls" airs Monday nights on A&E.

ANDERSON: All right. If you`re very observant, you`ll see a picture that doesn`t quite fit in the trailer for Mel Gibson`s new movie. And we will show it to you, coming up next.

HAMMER: Plus, it wasn`t all fun and games when Bill O`Reilly stopped by for a little chat with David Letterman. Some of the laughter coming from the audience was of the nervous variety. We`re going to show you why, coming up.

ANDERSON: And everyone has insecurities about their looks. But for some people, it`s a devastating problem. Keeping them isolated, and sometimes considering suicide. Our special report on body dysmorphic disorder is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Mel Gibson`s upcoming movie is about the demise of an ancient Mayan society. Pretty heavy stuff, but Gibson isn`t above injecting a little humor into the trailer, even if it is subliminal.

In the "Apocalypto" trailer, everything looks normal so far. Right? But about one minute and 45 seconds into it, there`s a fleeting shot of Gibson himself, smoking and looking kind of "Mad Max." You can`t see it watching the trailer at regular speed. But fans online have been going frame-by-frame to see Gibson`s cameo, and it is all the buzz on the Internet. And you can see why.

HAMMER: Well, 38 years after Johnny Cash played his most famous show, Joaquin Phoenix is following in Johnny`s black boot steps. We`ll tell you why Joaquin was at Folsom Prison, coming up next.

ANDERSON: Plus, David Letterman isn`t buying what Bill O`Reilly is selling. Things got a little tense on "The Late Show." We will show you the whole fair and balanced exchange, coming up.

HAMMER: And, for thousands of people, it`s a debilitating problem. They look in the mirror and see a monster. Our special report on dysmorphic disorder coming up as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT returns in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

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 -- it`s the only one -- it`s TV`s only live entertainment news show.

A.J., Bill O`Reilly and David Letterman go head to head. Coming up, we are going to have their heated discussion from late night last night. And I tell you, they didn`t hold anything back. They talked religion, they talked politics, they even talked the war in Iraq, and they didn`t agree on much, if anything at all.

HAMMER: No.

ANDERSON: That`s coming up in just a few minutes.

HAMMER: It was riveting television, and Letterman truly at his best. I`m looking forward to that in a moment.

Also, Brooke, imagine looking in the mirror and, no matter how good you may appear in reality, you look in the mirror and you see a monster, you see somebody who is just literally disgusting to you. Imaging needing to spend 30 minutes brushing your teeth and never being satisfied that they`re clean. It`s a disorder called body dysmorphic disorder. We have a fascinating SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report coming up about this disorder, suffered by as many as 5 million Americans.

ANDERSON: Many, many people, absolutely.

HAMMER: But first, we`re going to get to tonight`s "Hot Headlines" with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, who joins us live from Hollywood. Hi, Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, A.J.

Well, this week is shaping up to be one with a lot of celebrity political chatter. First, there was talk about "Apprentice" star Donald Trump running for governor of New York. Tonight, it`s Lynn Swann. The former Pittsburgh Steelers football star and commentator for ABC Sports declared his candidacy today for Pennsylvania governor. If Swann, a Republican, wins, he would become Pennsylvania`s first black governor.

Joaquin Phoenix spends some time behind bars. The actor hosted a screening of "Walk the Line" and played some tunes at Folsom State Prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOAQUIN PHOENIX, ACTOR (singing): I spied the sheriff coming down the line. And he coughed as he clears his throat. He said, "Come on, you dirty"...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: Phoenix plays the late Johnny Cash in the film. Cash performed that famous concert at the California prison in 1968. Phoenix dressed in Cash`s trademark black colored clothes and sang some of his most famous songs.

And Lindsay Lohan`s stunning confessions. In a shocking and revealing interview, the actress and pop star admits to using drugs and struggling with an eating disorder. In the February issue of "Vanity Fair," she also chats about her violent father and how her family troubles led to the breakup with "That `70s Show" actor Wilmer Valderrama.

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

HAMMER: All those rumors that have been floating around about Lindsay for years actually true. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood, thank you very much.

And our Lindsay Lohan story leads us once again to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Lindsay Lohan: Do you feel sorry for her?

If you`d like to vote, just go to the Web, at CNN.com/showbiztonight. Or write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of what you have to say coming up at 55 past the hour.

ANDERSON: Tonight, the story of the amazing late night fight that had the audience squirming and everybody talking. David Letterman invited FOX News`s Bill O`Reilly on "The Late Show" last night. While Letterman usually exchanges pleasantries with his guests, this war of the words was anything but pleasant. And nothing was off-limits.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): It started out cordial enough.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW": How were your holidays, good?

BILL O`REILLY, HOST, "THE O`REILLY FACTOR": I had a nice winter solstice, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: OK.

ANDERSON: And then a launch right into the hot button topic: religion.

O`REILLY: You can`t say "Christmas."

LETTERMAN: You can`t say "Christmas"?

O`REILLY: No.

LETTERMAN: Why is that?

O`REILLY: Because it`s politically incorrect.

ANDERSON: But P.C. made Dave a little uneasy. And the gloves came off in round one of the "Late Night" fight.

LETTERMAN: I don`t think this is an actual threat. I think that this is something that happened here, and it happened there, and so people like you are trying to make us think that it`s a threat.

(APPLAUSE)

O`REILLY: Wrong.

LETTERMAN: Nobody said "Happy Holidays" to me and then said, "Oh, Merry Christmas. Oh, I can`t say Merry Christmas."

ANDERSON: And as Bill gave examples, Dave became agitated.

O`REILLY: There was a church that wanted to advertise a Christmas pageant, so they brought in the manger scene. And the library said, "You can have the manger scene," in Memphis, Tennessee, "but you can`t have the baby Jesus, Joseph, or Mary, or the wise men. We`re not sure about the shepherds." That was a big debate. Now, how stupid and crazy is this?

LETTERMAN: I don`t believe it.

O`REILLY: It`s true!

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: I just don`t believe you. I don`t...

O`REILLY: You know I`m telling the truth.

LETTERMAN: No, you`re not. I don`t believe you.

O`REILLY: You think I`m making this up?

LETTERMAN: I do. I think you`re making it up.

O`REILLY: Then I could write for your show.

ANDERSON: Round two: politics.

LETTERMAN: Let`s talk about your friends in the Bush administration.

O`REILLY: They`re not my friends in the Bush administration.

ANDERSON: And the battle heated up. Round three: Iraq.

O`REILLY: The soldiers and Marines are noble. They`re not terrorists. And when people call them that, like Cindy Sheehan called the insurgents "freedom fighters," we don`t like that. It is a vitally important time in American history, and we should all take it very seriously, and be careful with what we say.

LETTERMAN: Well, and you should be very careful with what you say, also.

O`REILLY: Exactly.

(APPLAUSE)

ANDERSON: Nothing was off-limits.

LETTERMAN: How can you possibly take exception with the motivation and the position of someone like Cindy Sheehan?

O`REILLY: Because I believe she`s run by far-left elements in this country. I feel bad for the woman.

LETTERMAN: Have you lost family members in armed conflict?

O`REILLY: No, I have not.

LETTERMAN: Well, then you can hardly speak for her, can you?

ANDERSON: Round four: getting personal.

LETTERMAN: I`m very concerned about people like yourself who don`t have nothing but endless sympathy for a woman like Cindy Sheehan. Honest to Christ.

O`REILLY: No, I`m sorry.

LETTERMAN: Honest to Christ.

(APPLAUSE)

O`REILLY: No way a terrorist who blows up women and children is going to be called "freedom fighter" on my program.

(APPLAUSE)

ANDERSON: And trash talk in the ring.

LETTERMAN: I`m not smart enough to debate you point to point on this, but I have the feeling -- I have the feeling about...

(CROSSTALK)

LETTERMAN: I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Even Paul agreed.

LETTERMAN: Would you say 60 percent?

PAUL SCHAFFER, CO-HOST, "LATE SHOW": Sixty percent.

ANDERSON: With both sides battered and bruised, the standing eight count.

LETTERMAN: This "fair and balanced," I`m not sure that it`s -- I don`t think that you represent an objective viewpoint.

O`REILLY: But you have to give me an example if you`re going to make those statements.

LETTERMAN: Well, I don`t watch your show, so that would be impossible.

(LAUGHTER)

O`REILLY: Then why would you come to that conclusion if you don`t watch the program?

LETTERMAN: Because of things that I`ve read, things that I know.

O`REILLY: Oh, come on. You`re going to take things that you`ve read? Do you know what they say about you?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Whew. Even I was uncomfortable watching that. Nobody was backing down. That`s for sure. And one thing the audience may not have caught, before Bill came out, Dave stirred up his drink with a pencil, then smirked as Bill took a sip. Of course, we couldn`t quite tell if his pencil actually went fully into the cup.

HAMMER: I was watching. I`m pretty sure it went in the cup.

Coming up, a revealing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report on body dysmorphic disorders, a startling mental condition where one obsesses over their physical appearance. And how it nearly destroyed some women`s lives. That`s coming up next.

ANDERSON: And fitness expert Richard Simmons stops by and gets a real SHOWBIZ surprise. Find out what happened when he ran into one of his favorite people, Headline News` Nancy Grace. It was right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, their emotional meet-and-greet, next.

HAMMER: Here comes tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz." What famous musician is Nora Jones` father, a, George Harrison, b, Ravi Shankar, c, Philip Glass, or, d, Tom Scott? Stick around. We`re coming straight back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Once again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz." What famous musician is Nora Jones` father -- a, George Harrison, b, Ravi Shankar, c, Philip Glass, or, d, Tom Scott?

The answer: b, Ravi Shankar.

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

Well, of course, everyone has some insecurities about their appearance, but imagine being so obsessed with your perceived flaws that you can`t leave the house. It`s called body dysmorphic disorder. And tonight, we have a special report on the disorder and the people who suffer from it. Here`s CNN medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like this sense of ugliness, not fitting in and being awkward looking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My face is hideous, like a troll under the bridge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I took the mirrors down, I covered them up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely deformed, just extremely unattractive.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These four people are terrified by the monster in the mirror. Take the worst worry you`ve ever had about your appearance. Multiply it a hundred times, a thousand times.

As many as five million people in the United States -- normal, even attractive -- are crippled by this mental torment everyday, a psychiatric illness called body dysmorphic disorder or BDD.

Robin was diagnosed with the disorder in 2002.

ROBIN: You`re just really so unattractive that people are going to make a comment about you. You don`t even really deserve to be out in public.

COHEN: Kathy was diagnosed just two years ago.

KATHY: It`s hair, teeth, eyebrows, obsession with my body itself. It`s extreme, to the point where it can almost overtake your life.

COHEN: Kathy and Robin are too ashamed to show their faces on television.

DR. KATHARINE PHILLIPS, AUTHOR: They are obsessed that there is something wrong with their appearance when to other people they look fine.

COHEN: Dr. Katharine Phillips, who wrote the book, "The Broken Mirror," directs the Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Body Image program at Butler Hospital in Rhode Island.

PHILLIPS: Genetic makeup probably plays a role and increases a person`s risk of getting BDD. Life events may play a role. For example, if you`re teased a lot as you`re growing up, or teased about your appearance specifically. Maybe that increases the risk of BDD. And our society`s incessant focus on appearance may also play a role.

COHEN: The problem started when they were just children. Robin believes her obsession with the mirror and her flaws came from her father, who she describes as a perfectionist.

ROBIN: If there was just one pimple on my face, then my whole day was ruined. It affects your social life, family, academics, your health. It just affects who you are.

COHEN: Kathy`s obsession with her appearance started with the urge to be neat, clean, and well-groomed.

KATHY: My showers, since I was a little girl, were like an hour and a half. And to this day, I still take about 30 minutes to brush my teeth. And I still take like an hour to an hour and a half to take a shower. So, I think it`s always been there.

COHEN: Kathy says an abusive relationship with a high school boyfriend drove her into a deeper despair.

KATHY: I started to feel that my appearance was hideous and really became obsessed with my appearance and having to always look either perfect or obsessing about it. I`ve just never outgrown it.

COHEN: Kathy draws us a picture of what she sees when she looks in the mirror.

KATHY: This is the stringy hair that I have. This is the messed up eyebrows that I have. Long, narrow, thin face, big nose.

COHEN: It`s that image that drives her to change her appearance.

KATHY: I`ve had one surgery, breast implants. And I`ve had that done twice, because I wasn`t happy with the first job. If I could have it done again, I would have it done again, I just can`t afford it. I just feel like it`s never right. My goal is to kind of be, "Playboy" bunny image. That`s what I think the men want and that`s what I feel like I want to look like.

COHEN: An impossible goal that sent Kathy into a deeper depression and her BDD spiraling out of control.

PHILLIPS: BDD is a very serious mental illness and we have found that a surprisingly high percentage of people with BDD have an alcohol or drug problem -- about half.

COHEN: Kathy used illegal drugs to numb her pain and did not leave her room for five years.

KATHY: As low as can be. Depressed, out of my mind. Sleeping 18 hours a day, and then use drugs while I was awake. And then go back to sleep for 18 hours. It was a living hell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: That was CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

HAMMER: Well, as most people know, Richard Simmons has been helping people everywhere maintain a positive body image for decades. And we got a tremendous response to his appearance last night here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Richard stopped by to chat all about healthy ways for you to get in shape for the new year.

Well, we happened to hear earlier in the day that he was a huge fan of Headline News` Nancy Grace, and we know that Nancy is a huge Richard Simmons fan. So we gave Simmons a very special SHOWBIZ surprise. In case you missed it, here`s a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Do you watch the NANCY GRACE program here on Headline Prime?

RICHARD SIMMONS, WEIGHT LOSS EXPERT: You better stop it right now.

HAMMER: She happens to be a big Richard Simmons fan.

SIMMONS: You better stop it.

HAMMER: Would you like to meet Nancy Grace?

SIMMONS: You better stop it right now. OK, don`t do this.

HAMMER: Because, Richard Simmons, we`d like to introduce you to...

SIMMONS: Oh, no, I can`t. No, oh, no, please...

HAMMER: ... Headline Prime`s Nancy Grace. Welcome to the program.

SIMMONS: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

HAMMER: Here come the tears.

SIMMONS: Oh, my God! Oh, hi. You`re so teeny. Oh, my God.

NANCY GRACE, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: I have to tell you a story about you.

SIMMONS: Oh, my God, she`s next to me. I thought I`d never meet her because I never committed a crime.

GRACE: Listen, this weekend -- this weekend, I was on the treadmill trying to run. I made it to three miles. And I was about to quit. And you came on the Fit Channel. And you -- it showed your workout club, and you had fat people, you had regular people, you had skinny people, you had old people, regular people like me, working out. And they interviewed you, and you teared up, and it made me tear up, and I ran four miles because of you.

SIMMONS: Oh, Nancy Grace is here, everybody.

HAMMER: We`re going to get you a pair of these shorts, Nancy.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMMONS: I don`t know what to say.

GRACE: I have a question. I have a question. How do you give people hope? I try to do that, and you do it so well.

SIMMONS: You do a great job, Nancy. I watch your show. And what`s so good about you, girlfriend, is that you love everybody and you want the truth. And that`s what I try.

I want people in 2006 to be honest with each other. I want people to be honest about their weight, how much they have to lose, their goals and their dreams.

As a little fat kid in New Orleans eating mufalattas (ph) and fried oyster sandwiches, I used to dream about what I wanted, you know, what I wanted in life. And all I wanted to do was help people and make them laugh. So now I`m a court jester. And that suits me fine. Look, I`m sitting next to...

HAMMER: Maybe Richard can autograph those for you.

GRACE: Would you? I called my father right before I came on the air...

SIMMONS: How is Mom?

GRACE: "Quick, quick, quick, make sure you turn on"...

SIMMONS: How`s Mom?

GRACE: They`re great. They`re great.

SIMMONS: OK.

GRACE: My father works out five times a week.

SIMMONS: Oh, god, do you believe this, A.J.?

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Well, you know, your little New Year`s gift from SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Richard.

GRACE: Can I have a kiss? Dare I ask? Wait, just a tiny one, just on the cheek? Happy New Year.

SIMMONS: Happy New Year`s.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Well, you know, a lot of people...

ANDERSON: What a moment, A.J.

HAMMER: ... a lot of people, Brooke, think that the whole court jester/emotional guy that Richard Simmons appears to be is an act. It`s not an act. I witnessed it last night. Real tears coming out of his eyes because he was sitting next to Nancy.

ANDERSON: Seemed very sincere. Yes, he really wears his heart on his sleeve. And, you know, A.J., he`s done -- made a positive difference in many people`s lives and seems genuine that that is what is most important to him, right?

HAMMER: Well, we were happy to make a positive difference in his life by introducing him to Nancy Grace. Good times, Brooke. Good times.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Love-fest.

All right, moving on now, A.J, there is still time for all of you to sound off in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Lindsay Lohan: Do you feel sorry for her? Vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight or write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We will read some of your e-mails live, next.

HAMMER: It`s time now for a birthday shoutout on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday. Tonight, it`s a birthday shoutout to the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, REM frontman Michael Stipe. He is celebrating his 46th birthday today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, I`m Catherine Hesty (ph), and I am here to wish Michael Stipe a happy birthday. Happy, happy birthday, Michael. Love you. Love REM. You guys are amazing. So I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day. And rock it out, baby. Happy birthday. Bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.

It is time now for the best in late-night laughs. We call it "Laughter Dark."

On "The Tonight Show," Jay Leno tries to help out with information. He tries to fill us in. He`s going to show us how you could rent a home for free, find out where lightning will hit, and why one resident isn`t all that happy about a change in her small town, all in this week`s "Headlines."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": "Border fence is first obstacle to illegals." And look at that fence. What are the odds of somebody getting over that?

(LAUGHTER)

This is, like, the most dangerous thing I`ve ever seen. The stroller cover.

(LAUGHTER)

"Free rent in exchange for elderly woman."

(LAUGHTER)

"How old is she? All right."

U.S. (INAUDIBLE) the amazing life-saving sky scan, lightning storm detector. Why, there it is over there.

(LAUGHTER)

It is says strippers forced to clock out early. And, boy, does she look -- she looks furious, furious.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: They must have a problem with the whole stripper union, I guess.

ANDERSON: Must have. And the stroller? That can`t be real. That was terrible.

All right. Moving now, we have been asking you throughout the show to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Lindsay Lohan: Do you feel sorry for her? Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far: 17 percent of you say, yes, you do; 83 percent of you say, no, you don`t.

Here are some of the e-mails we`ve received. Alyssa writes, "I don`t feel sorry specifically for her. She is no different than any other young woman who has an eating disorder."

But Sue from Ohio says, "Have we all forgotten what it`s like to be 19 years old and to have our fathers in prison? Leave Lindsay alone."

We do appreciate your e-mails. And you can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.

HAMMER: Well, this is the point in the program where we find out what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow night. To do that, we hand it over to our Marquee Guy for the "Showbiz Marquee."

MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, so the calendar says January, but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is getting ready for June, July, why even August, right now. We`ve got your sizzling look at what`s going to be hot at the box office this summer. I can`t wait, but I`ll wait `til tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, Beau Bridges is taking over the brig. This star is now the head of "Stargate" command. We`re talking some serious, out-of-this- world travel. Beau Bridges crosses the bridge and winds up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow.

This is the Marquee Guy. What shall I do tonight? I guess I`ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

ANDERSON: I`m sure you will.

HAMMER: I could`ve seen that coming.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Looking forward to Beau Bridges, a very versatile, talented actor. All right. That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.

END