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Showbiz Tonight
New Broadcast Network to Replace UPN, the WB; Celebs Snag Swag at Sundance; Actress Shares Experience with Eating Disorder; Matt Dillon Dishes on New Film; Behind the Scenes at "Commander in Chief"; Sex Industry Workers Working For Jesus
Aired January 24, 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 in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, changing channels. A brand- new TV network enters the fray, and two others are fading to black. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is there for the big announcement that will change the way you watch TV. Plus, with all the channels already out there does a new network have a remote chance?
On a mission from God. A former stripper walking the streets, this time, armed with a fuzzy pink Bible getting porn stars and dancers to come to Jesus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It really started hitting me that nobody cares about that.
HAMMER: Tonight, a "SHOWBIZ Special Report, the porn again Christians.
SHOWBIZ at Sundance. We`re sundancing with the stars in Park City, Utah, live. Tonight, Kevin Smith got started at Sundance with "Clerks." Now he`s back with a controversial new film. Plus, Paul Giamatti and Matt Dillon in the interviews you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
JESSICA BIEL, ACTRESS: Hi. I`m Jessica Biel. And if it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Hi there, I`m Brooke Anderson, live from the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer, live in New York City. We`re going to go back live to Brooke from the latest at Sundance in just a moment, but first, two bombshell announcements. Earth-shaking news from Hollywood that`s going to affect the way you watch TV and movies.
For that, let`s go straight to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, who`s in Hollywood for the latest -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First up, your channel lineup is about to change dramatically. In an announcement that shocked everyone, both here in Hollywood and in New York City, we learned today that the first new national broadcast network in 10 years is launching this fall.
It`s a joint venture between CBS and Warner Brothers. The two smaller networks that CBS and Warner Brothers currently own, UPN and the WB, are going off the air this fall. Are your favorite shows in danger of going away, too?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LES MOONVES, CBS CHIEF EXECUTIVE: We are here today to announce the creation of a brand-new broadcast network.
VARGAS: It was the announcement heard round the TV world, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was front and center. A new broadcast network called the CW, half owned by CBS, the other half owned by Warner Brothers, is launching this fall. The goal, to form a fifth broadcast network aimed squarely at young viewers.
MOONVES: The new network will broadcast six hours, six nights, and 13 hours of primetime programming targeting the demographic of 18- to 34-year- olds.
ANNOUNCER: You`re watching UPN.
VARGAS: It all means the show`s over for the UPN and WB networks, which will go off the air this fall. But CBS head Les Moonves tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that chances are your favorite shows from both networks could end up on the new CW.
MOONVES: Obviously, the best shows of both WB and UPN will be on. And there`s an awful lot of big hits there, so I`m looking forward to putting the schedule together. And it will be pretty dominant.
VARGAS: Those hits include UPN hit shows like "America`s Next Top Model," "Veronica Mars", "Everybody Hates Chris" and "WWE Smackdown" and WB hits like "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls" and "Reba."
ANNOUNCER: The Pokemon phenomenon is here on Kids WB.
VARGAS: Kids WB, the Saturday morning children`s lineup that includes Pokemon, will also be on the new CW network. TV industry experts tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it`s a good move.
ALAN FRUTKIN, "MEDIAWEEK": I believe it will be a stronger network combined than the sum of its parts.
P.J. BEONARSKI, "BROADCASTING & CABLE": The WB and UPN both have little pockets of popularity. "Everybody Hates Chris" on UPN and WWE, the "America`s Next Top Model," they`ve done well with an urban audience. The WB has traditionally done very well with young adults. I think if you mush that together, you might come out with a better one network than two.
ANNOUNCER: And watch the WB.
VARGAS: With singing frogs and a great deal of fanfare, both the WB and UPN debuted back in 1995. While shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Star Trek Voyager" helped put both networks on the map, both channels found themselves in a fierce, no holds barred battle for young and urban viewers that neither one of them was able to win.
FRUTKIN: I think both networks, you know -- while both networks had some strong programming, I think both also had more holes in their schedules than they did viable programs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re still in the running towards becoming America`s next top model.
VARGAS: On the strength of shows like "America`s Next Top Model," UPN gets about 3.4 million viewers a week, while the WB, which is seeing some success with "Beauty and the Geek," gets about 3.2 million. Not exactly "CSI" numbers. But remember...
BEONARSKI: The fact of the matter is that UPN and the WB do do very well, considering basically most cable networks. They do better than most cable networks. The WB and UPN, while they don`t do as well as ABC and CBS and NBC and FOX, they do reasonably well, all things considered.
VARGAS: So could the newly consolidated CW network make a serious run at the big four, including the young-skewing FOX network? Our experts say not exactly.
FRUTKIN: When you have something like "American Idol" on your schedule, I think it`s going to take a lot to scare anyone. Anyone at FOX, at least. Competition is good for the business. I think it certainly forces everybody to up their game.
VARGAS: And now that there`s a new player on the block, the TV game is going to get more interesting indeed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Again, the CW network is half owned by Time Warner, parent company of this network.
And as if the news of the new CW network weren`t enough, word of another big joint venture is rattling cages here in Hollywood. Walt Disney announced today that it`s buying Pixar Animation, the studio behind such hit films as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." The price, $7.4 billion. And that`s with a "B," A.J.
HAMMER: What`s almost as big, Sibila, as this announcement of the new network today, the fact that they were able to keep it under wraps. This really caught everybody by surprise.
VARGAS: Sure is incredible.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Thanks very much.
ANDERSON: I am here live at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival. And I have to tell you, this place is swarming with Hollywood big wigs. I`m talking studio executives, directors, celebrities.
But, aside from the terrific films that come out of Sundance, the festival is also known for its swag. Now when I say swag, I`m talking free stuff for celebrities. I mean, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of luxury items. You`re looking at some of them right now. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got the inside look at what kind of great stuff celebrities are going to walk away with, free of charge.
Let`s look at those sunglasses. Daniel Swarovski Crystal Eyewear is giving away tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise to A-list celebrities like Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Junior, Paris Hilton. And I had a chance to get the inside scoop on these glasses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUELINE JORDAN, DANIEL SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL EYEWEAR: UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is 2006 collection. That`s launching in about two weeks. They`re 23 carat gold and Dennis Swarovski crystal.
ANDERSON: Whoa.
JORDAN: And all the crystals are matching the frame so you see pretty colors and they`re matching the frames.
ANDERSON: You definitely don`t want to drop a pair of sunglasses.
JORDAN: No. These retail for between $550 and $950.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Can you imagine? All right. Aquanautic watches has given away 25 of these watches to celebrities including Joan Cusack and Daryl Hannah. Each one costs around -- get this -- $2,500, but they have also watches that can cost up to $11,000. Now they told me they haven`t given away one of those watches just yet.
But Sundance, of course, is not all about swag suites. It`s also about great films. Coming up in just a few minutes, Matt Dillon will join us live. He is the star of one of the films debuting here at Sundance this week. It`s called "Factotum." And that`s coming up.
HAMMER: Well, the pressure on young Hollywood stars to be thin is overwhelming and many feel that the need to meet the skinny standard, no matter what the cost, is always present.
Scarlett Pomers plays Reba McIntyre`s daughter, Kyra Hart, on the WB show "Reba" and is opening up on her struggle with anorexia. Scarlett joins me live from Hollywood.
Thanks for being with us.
SCARLETT POMERS, ACTRESS: Hi.
HAMMER: Hello there. Let us start were the very beginning, Scarlett. You`re 17 years old. You`re an aspiring actress. You land the big gig. You get on a big-time TV show. Things were going well for you. When you look back at it now, what triggered your eating disorder, do you think?
POMERS: It`s really, you know, it`s really an accumulation of things, I think. For a lot of people with eating disorders, they kind of have, you know, the predisposed genetics. A lot of us are perfectionists. We have really high standards for ourselves.
And the whole weight thing kind of came about around Christmas time of 2004. I had put on a little bit of weight around the holidays, and it started out innocent like that. I just kind of wanted to shed those few pounds and then -- but around that time, it started to -- other aspects of my life started to feel out of control, like relationships.
I`m a musician and I`ve been working on a CD for a really long time. And you know, I`d be working with singers or I would be working with songwriters and producers. And, you know, they would try to take control of my music, even though I knew what I wanted, and I knew the vision that I had for my music.
And it pretty much felt like I wasn`t in control, and I think that especially anorexia is an eating disorder where it`s very much about control, you know. So that`s kind of how I was able to keep the control in my life.
HAMMER: And then things actually began to spiral out of control, and you got down to what was it, 73 pounds, at your lowest weight? Something like that?
POMERS: Yes. Yes.
HAMMER: And would you look in the mirror at that point and say, "Hey, I look good," or were you really uncertain of that?
POMERS: You know, it gets to a point where it`s really not even about do I look good or not or, you know, it gets to a point where you know that you are sick and you know that you`re too thin.
And like I said, it really becomes about control and it goes from, you know, maybe certain foods being scary to all food is scary.
HAMMER: Sure.
POMERS: You don`t know -- everything is so chaotic that you don`t know what to expect, but you know that, you know, losing weight and having a certain number that you see every day is -- it`s a certain thing. And you feel certain about it. So...
HAMMER: How did you end up getting help?
POMERS: Actually, my family did force me to go into treatment at first.
HAMMER: Through an intervention of some kind?
POMERS: Yes. I mean, I went -- I went back to work on "Reba" this past season, and I was obviously really underweight. And you know, it was easy also to see that my personality was like night and day. I`ve always been really outgoing and, you know, joking around with everybody, and having a good time, but I think people just kind of sensed sickness in you.
HAMMER: You seem to be doing well. You look great. How are you doing now?
POMERS: I`m doing really well. I`m -- it`s, you know, an eating disorder is a constant battle, I think. And it would be so easy to go back to the way I was, but you know, when I -- when I feel like there`s something in my life that maybe would trigger that, I have to think back to how miserable I was before and how much better my life is this way, and when I`m healthy.
HAMMER: Well, we really appreciate your sharing your story. And we wish you continued success in your ongoing battle, as it will continue to be. But it`s nice to have you on the program, Scarlett Pomers. Appreciate you being with us.
POMERS: Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, we`re going to be going back to the Sundance Film Festival in just a moment, and we`re going to be talking to Matt Dillon live. It`s the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s next.
ANDERSON: Plus a former stripper armed with a Bible, buying lap dances and trying to get strippers to convert. Porn again Christians is a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, and that`s coming up.
HAMMER: And we are behind the scenes at "Commander in Chief." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes you to the set and speaks with Madam President herself, Geena Davis. That`s still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson. And I am here live in Park City, Utah, for the 22nd annual Sundance Film Festival. And Sundance, of course, it`s mission is to be a launching pad for independent films.
And right now, joining me live is Matt Dillon, the star of one of the films premiering here at Sundance Film Festival this week. It`s called "Factotum."
Matt, good to see you.
MATT DILLON, ACTOR: Good to see you.
ANDERSON: Congratulations. The film has been picked up for North American rights by IFC Films. Already a huge hit in Europe and other countries. We were talking yesterday. You said it`s a date movie. But not your traditional date movie, right?
DILLON: Well, it is in the sense that I think, you know, it`s Charles Bukowski. It`s based on his second novel. And I think it is -- it -- you know, one thing about him, even though he was, like, a skid row alcoholic, kind of an iconoclast, the one thing about him was that I think he never really -- sometimes he`s been accused of being a, you know, misogynist, but I really don`t think that was the case. He really loved women.
So the females protagonists in the story are just as interesting as he is, you know? And so I think one of the big themes in all of his stories was the sort of battle between, you know, men and women.
ANDERSON: Well...
DILLON: So I think it`s fun. It`s a date movie for the dysfunctional.
ANDERSON: OK. Dysfunctional date movie, OK.
DILLON: It`s good. It`s a fun movie.
ANDERSON: Well, you`re not just an actor. You`re also a director, and you brought your directorial debut here to Sundance three years ago, "City of Ghosts." So you know first-hand why Sundance is important. Why do you think it is and what is its mission and what does it provide for actors and directors?
DILLON: Well, I think it`s really -- it`s a festival where film makers who -- who have the courage to go out and find their own voice are really welcome. I think that -- I think that festival has always been that way. I mean, there`s obviously been more merchandising over the years.
But in fact, the festival is, I think, as strong as ever for, you know, its desire to -- to sort of showcase independent-minded films, and you know, maverick film makers.
ANDERSON: You`ve had a great week here already. Just a couple of nights ago you received the Ray-Ban Visionary Award. That`s the only individual award given here at Sundance. Holly Hunter has received it here in the past. What does that award mean to you? Does it mean you have the vision of Sundance, the mission is clear?
DILLON: Well, for me, you know, when I think of visionaries, I think of a lot of the film makers I`ve worked with, who are -- Bent Hamer, the director of "Factotum." He`s a brilliant, you know, film maker from Norway. You know, I`ve worked with people like Gus Van Sant, Coppola, and these people really are visionaries, and I learn from these people.
So in fact, I know what it`s like to, you know, to -- to get out there and try to find your own voice. I did it with my own film, "City of Ghosts," which I brought here. And so you know, that`s -- that`s the way. I mean, the visionary thing I think is really for me, that it`s really exciting to be able to help -- help film makers bring their -- their vision to the screen.
ANDERSON: What an honor.
DILLON: Yes.
ANDERSON: And you`re receiving accolades left and right, also for your recent role in "Crash," nominated for a Golden Globe, a SAG Award. There`s the possible Oscar nomination, as well.
DILLON: Yes.
ANDERSON: Do you think about that sort of thing? What does it mean to you?
DILLON: Well, it`s nice when your film gets recognized, because God knows you do enough films and some of them are worthwhile but they don`t get recognized. And so for this one, I`m really delighted, you know, to be a part of it and proud to have been a part of that ensemble of great actors. Paul Hagis and Bobby Moresco worked really hard to get the film -- the film finally off the ground.
ANDERSON: And it has been really well.
DILLON: It`s really great. It`s nice to get the attention that the film is getting, you know.
ANDERSON: You`re getting a lot of recognition. So is the film. Congratulations. Best of luck with everything, Matt Dillon. Thanks so much for joining us.
DILLON: Hi, Mom.
ANDERSON: And hello to Matt Dillon`s mom.
And SHOWBIZ at Sundance. The coverage continues. Coming up, we`re going to have Kevin Smith live. He got his start here at Sundance in 1994 with "Clerks." He`s got a controversial new documentary. He will be here live to share that us.
Also, I sit down with "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti. We talk about how Sundance has impacted his career.
Remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only live entertainment news show live at Sundance all week long. We bring you one-on-one interviews with the biggest stars, also the side fascinating stories from Sundance and, of course, all the best films and a look behind the scenes. OK, stay with us.
HAMMER: Now we`re going to get into our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. President Bush was talking to students at Kansas State University, and during a question and answer session, he was surprised with a question that came to him about Golden Globe winning "Brokeback Mountain," the story, of course, of a gay cowboy romance. Take a look at what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re a rancher. A lot of us here in Kansas are ranchers. I was just wanting to get your opinion on "Brokeback Mountain," if you`ve seen it yet. You would love it. You should check it out.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I haven`t seen it. I`d be glad to talk about ranching, but I haven`t seen the movie. Heard about it. I hope you go, you know -- I hope you go back to the ranch and the farm is what I was about to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, what do you think, President Bush, should he see "Brokeback Mountain"? If you`d like to vote go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight or e-mail us at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts later in the show.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is behind the scenes at "Commander in Chief." We`re going to take you to the set. We`re going to speak with Madam President herself, Golden Globe winner Geena Davis. That is still ahead.
ANDERSON: Plus, SHOWBIZ at Sundance. Director/actor Kevin Smith will join us live. He will talk about the controversial new documentary he is bringing to Sundance. Kevin Smith live. We`ll also take you to one of the many parties here at Sundance, and this one had a really surprising guest list.
HAMMER: And a former stripper armed with a Bible, buying lap dances and trying to get strippers to convert. A SHOWBIZ special report on porn- again Christians, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight a special inside look at one of TV`s most talk-about dramas. ABC`s "Commander in Chief" has had everybody buzzing about it since it put a woman in the Oval Office. And star Geena Davis` Golden Globe win for her lead role in the show only brought it more acclaim.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood to take us behind the scenes -- Sibila.
VARGAS: That`s right, A.J. Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got the VIP invite to the set of ABC`s "Commander in Chief" as they shot tonight`s episode. We`re going to bring you an up-close and personal chat with Golden Globe winner and star of the show, Geena Davis. Here`s your special first look at tonight`s episode.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEENA DAVIS, ACTRESS: Are you running for something?
VARGAS: Politics and polls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does this qualify for the mile-high club?
VARGAS: Sex and secrets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My friends are kind of over the whole being followed around by men with guns thing.
VARGAS: Family tensions and teenage angst. It`s all part of your first look at tonight`s "Commander in Chief" episode and all part of a show that just scored Geena Davis her first Golden Globe for playing the first female president.
DAVIS: I think we need to, as a country, get more used to the idea of female leaders.
VARGAS: It`s a ground-breaking role on a ground-breaking show, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT got the exclusive invite to visit the set as tonight`s episode was being filmed.
DAVIS: It`s really the first part I`ve had since "Thelma and Louise" where I can sense a sort of heightened reaction to it.
VARGAS: It`s been a good 15 years, yes, 15 years since "Thelma and Louise," and Davis told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this role is just as inspiring.
DAVIS: When I meet somebody that`s like "thank you for that" or "that`s so great that they`re doing that show," or it just has a cultural significance.
VARGAS: But at a time when polls show President Bush`s approval ratings have been rocky, it has also been rocky behind the scenes at this fictional White House.
Veteran producer Steven Bochco, of "NYPD Blue" and "L.A. Law" fame, recently took command of this White House, but Davis and cast mate Kyle Secor told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the transition has been a smooth one.
DAVIS: There was this sort of stunning transition that took place, but it was Steven Bochco, which -- which really mitigated whatever fears that we might have had.
KYLE SECOR, ACTOR: It is in a strange way like being in a different show but it`s the same characters and the same situations. But it feels like you`re in a different show. So I don`t know, we`ll see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And we certainly will see. "Commander in Chief" airs tonight on ABC.
A.J., back to you.
HAMMER: Thank you very much, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas in Hollywood.
Well, we have much more to come on our live coverage from Sundance. Just ahead, two darlings of the Sundance scene, director Kevin Smith and "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti.
And a former stripper armed with a Bible trying to get strippers to convert. A showbiz special report on porn again Christians. That`s coming up when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT returns next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival, and you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, I am eager to see more of what you have coming at us from Sundance, but we have a fascinating story tonight. Everybody, of course, is familiar with born-again Christians. Well, Tonight we will be telling you about porn-again Christians.
There`s a whole Christian mission that`s been founded by a former stripper who is basically trying to help lap dancers and porn actors and actresses find God and perhaps move away from their current profession. We`ll get to that in just a bit. And I don`t think I`m being out of line or going out on a limb here by saying a guy you`re going to be speaking with, Kevin Smith, has probably had a lap dance or two in his life.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: I`ll ask him about that, A.J. Kevin Smith will join me live in just a few minutes. And he really got his start here at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994 with the movie "Clerks." He`s bringing a controversial documentary here to Sundance this week about small-town gay bars. We`ll talk to him about that.
Also, "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti. I sit down with him. No, we don`t have wine together, A.J., but we do talk about his two films that he`s premiering here at Sundance. One is about a hawk trainer, and the other is about an illusionist. That is all coming up in just a few moments.
But first, we go to tonight`s "Hot Headlines." Let`s go to Sibila Vargas, who is staying very warm in Hollywood. Hi, Sibila.
VARGAS: I hope you`re staying warm, Brooke.
Well tonight, say bye-bye to the UPN and the WB and hello to the CW. CBS and Warner Brothers announced today they are merging their two struggling TV networks to form a new one. The CW will have shows from both the WB and UPN and launch this fall. Warner Brothers is a division of Time Warner, the parent company of CNN Headline News.
Grammy performers were announced today, and there are some pretty interesting pairings. Hip-hop`s Mary J. Blige sings with U2`s Bono. Pop princess Christina Aguilera will hit the stage with jazz great Herbie Hancock. And Grammy-nominated country stars Faith Hill and Keith Urban will also appear together. The 48th annual Grammy Awards air on February 8th.
And will she or won`t she be the belle of the ball? A wealthy Austrian playboy says he`s taking Carmen Electra to this year`s Opera Ball in Vienna. But Carmen`s camp tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that she merely agreed to appear and sign autographs but not be his date. By the way, no word on what Carmen`s husband, Dave Navarro, has to say about all this.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." And, Brooke, I hope you`re keeping a little hot out there.
ANDERSON: I`m trying to. I have hand warmers, Sibila.
And also, Carmen and Dave, they`re actually here at the Sundance Film Festival this week making the rounds and hitting the gift suites. Thank you for the "Hot Headlines," Sibila Vargas.
HAMMER: Well tonight, the story of a former porn star who fled the adult industry and barely escaped death. So why is she risking her safety again, heading back to strip clubs just like the ones that she used to work in? CNN`s Kareen Wynter has this SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report. And she joins us live from Rancho Mirage, California. Hi, Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, A.J. Talk about getting a second chance here, a second shot at life. You`re about to meet a former stripper who did just that. She managed to escape the mean streets of Las Vegas only to return there years later, this time with a new purpose.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): It`s after dark on one of the grittiest street corners in Southern California. Heather Veitch goes to work.
HEATHER VEITCH, "JC`S GIRLS": Doing something that`s risky, that`s dangerous, that you don`t know what`s going to happen to you.
WYNTER: Although she knows this world very well, it`s impossible for Heather to feel at home here. The former stripper and adult film star says the business almost killed her.
Her poison? The magnetic draw of the glitzy Las Vegas strip, easy money and celebrity clients. But wild nightlife enticed the troubled 21- year-old from Los Angeles into a world of sex, alcohol and sometimes violence, Heather says she feared for her life, addicted to alcohol and subjected to abuse by her customers. But it was the death of a close friend that drove her out of the business.
VEITCH: About three years ago, a dear friend of mine passed away that I used to dance with. And I found out that she died of alcoholism.
WYNTER: Heather eventually gave up the bottle and quit the sex industry, but didn`t abandon it. Her new journey took her right back to the strip joints, but with a new focus: a spiritual one. She turned to Christianity for redemption.
VEITCH: So, God, I just pray that you be in charge of this night...
WYNTER: Heather formed a missionary group, Jesus Christ`s Girls.
VEITCH: Like, it really started hitting me that nobody cares about them. Nobody. Like, I started really thinking, like, is anybody reaching out to these girls?
WYNTER: Several former strippers joined her crusade, a unique but risky outreach program that involved late-night trips into some very rough neighborhoods. We went out on a mission with JC`s Girls, but they wouldn`t let our cameras follow them into strip clubs because they want their meetings to be confidential and safe.
VEITCH: We don`t want to endanger ourselves. And also, we don`t want to create too much attention to what we`re doing.
WYNTER: Inside, Heather and her crew split up.
(on-screen): They even go as far as paying for private lap dances, and that`s where the group`s ministry begins, by preaching to these dancer.
TANYA HUERTER, "JC`S GIRLS": It`s simply planting a seed, simply getting the message out there, because a lot of the girls don`t hear that they can know about God. And so just by planting the seed that they can know about God if they want to, doesn`t matter who you are or what your life is about.
WYNTER (voice-over): JC`s Girls have taken their message right into the lion`s den, attending international porn conventions, where they hand out Bibles wrapped in signature t-shirts.
VEITCH: And you can come and start going to church...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No way.
VEITCH: ... and have a relationship with God. Yes. That`s what we do.
WYNTER: It`s an unlikely place to promote religion, but Heather believes this is where she`ll find people who need it.
VEITCH: And will you try to make it, so that if you guys ever want to go to church...
WYNTER: Not everyone here agrees.
CHRISSY, ADULT ENTERTAINER: When they`re coming to a porn convention and for them to think they have to save us is kind of -- it kind of gets you out of (INAUDIBLE) it`s like why are you even here?
WYNTER: Carol Leigh, a former prostitute who heads her own non- religious outreach program in San Francisco, doesn`t approve.
CAROL LEIGH, SEX WORKER ADVOCATE: Couch it in a specific religious framework, I think that`s problematic. And to again point fingers at these women and tell them that there`s something wrong with them, I don`t think that that`s necessarily the best thing for their lives.
WYNTER: Some people associated with the sex industry think Heather`s ministry is harmless.
JOHN WESTON, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY: The notion that they`re going to weed them out or somehow lead them out of bondage, I mean, to me is just silly.
VEITCH: Thursday, January 19th, at 12:30.
WYNTER: Heather Veitch, who now styles hair for a living, has no illusions that she will bring down the multi-billion-dollar sex industry, but she thinks she can make a difference. Part of it is a successful Christian Web site she runs out of her bedroom. There are desperate e- mails from girls looking for help.
VEITCH: "I have been dancing for a year now, but I`m about to be 21 and I don`t want to be a drunk."
WYNTER: Heather now has kids and a husband. She says her spiritual family is still growing.
VEITCH: I have hope for my life. I have a lot of hope even for my own life, because I know that my life consists of good, of watching people change their lives, of seeing people have hope that didn`t have hope before.
WYNTER: One of those people is stripper Roxann Elias, who`s now in a place she never imagined would embrace her: a church.
ROXANN ELIAS, EXOTIC DANCER: It made me happy, like I don`t feel worthless, like I feel like, even though I`m a dancer, like, God loves me and it`s OK. I`m OK with my life, and I could do something else.
WYNTER: Heather Veitch says her new calling will keep her on the streets, trying to lead others away from the life she has escaped.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: Heather will continue doing these monthly outreach programs, but, A.J., she adds organizing this has been increasingly difficult, that`s because JC`s Girls has already been barred -- barred, if you can believe it -- from several establishments in Southern California.
HAMMER: Actually not all that surprising. Salvation, I guess, Kareen, comes in many forms. CNN`s Kareen Wynter, live for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT in Rancho Mirage, California. Thanks for being with us.
ANDERSON: OK. President Bush seems to know a lot about cowboys and ranching. He owns a ranch in Texas, but he still hasn`t seen the Golden Globe-winning film "Brokeback Mountain," and he seemed surprised when, at a Q&A session at Kansas State University, somebody asked if he had seen the film, and he said he hadn`t.
So we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." President Bush: Should he see "Brokeback Mountain"? Vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight, and write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e- mails re coming up at 55 past the hour.
HAMMER: And, Brooke, since you`re already hanging out and warm and cozy in Sundance, what`s coming up?
ANDERSON: Warm and cozy? Are you kidding? Coming up, we have Kevin Smith live. The actor-director will be joining me. He`s just a few feet away waiting patiently. He`s got a new documentary here. It`s a controversial documentary about small-town gay bars. Kevin actually got his start here, his big start in 1994 with the film "Clerks," at the Sundance Film Festival. We`ll also talk about how Sundance has changed, how he`s seen it change over the years. I`m looking forward to it.
HAMMER: Brooke, it`s such great scenery there behind you. You know, we saw the mountains a little earlier. Give me a sense of what the vibe is. Does it feel like all business or is it really a lot of parties going on and a lot of people just kind of hanging out, having a good time?
ANDERSON: Well, it`s a good mix, but it is absolutely not all business. There are business meetings, and there are a lot of screenings of movies, but there are also gift suites lining Main Street. Stores have been transformed into luxury swag suites for these celebrities. And there are also a lot of parties at night.
So these celebrities are staying busy, day in, day out, also all night long. So it`s not all business. It`s a lot of fun, as well. Very exciting atmosphere.
HAMMER: Well, we`ll get back to you for the fun in just a moment. And we`re also going to see what Jennifer Lopez had to say on Jay Leno last night. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson. I`m live here at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival.
All right, tonight we will be talking with Kevin Smith, the actor- director who, in 1994, brought "Clerks" to the Sundance Film Festival. It was picked up by Miramax and really catapulted him to a whole new level in acting, directing and everything. And now he has a new documentary. It`s called "Small Town Gay Bar." It is here at the Sundance Film Festival.
A little bit controversial. Kevin Smith is here live now to talk to us about it. Hello, my friend. Good to see you.
KEVIN SMITH, ACTOR-DIRECTOR: How are you? Good to see you.
ANDERSON: Doing all right. So 1994 until now, more than a decade has passed. Sundance has really changed since then. It`s...
SMITH: Yes. In what way? Were you here in `94? Are you qualified to make that statement, Brooke?
ANDERSON: You know, this is my first time here, but I`ve...
SMITH: How can you say that`s changed?
ANDERSON: ... seen, I`ve read about. It`s become so commercialized.
SMITH: No, the festival itself hasn`t change one iota. The programmers, the programming that they actually program, none of that stuff has changed. The festival is still really strong and they still have a strong commitment to showing the films they show.
It`s what`s attached itself to the festival, the branding that goes on up and down Main Street. That stuff didn`t really exist in `94. Like there have always been festival sponsors like "Entertainment Weekly," VW, stuff like that.
Now, you go up and down Main Street and there are people that open their own -- Cadillac opens a lounge, you know. Aquafina opens a lounge. People have come here because, I guess, famous people are in some of the movies and whatnot, and they`re like, "Let`s get some of our products in the hands of famous people, take their pictures." But that has nothing to do with the festival itself. That`s just something -- they`re kind of carpetbaggers, you know? And the festival can`t stop them.
ANDERSON: Yes, they`re clamoring for the attention, yes.
SMITH: Pretty much.
ANDERSON: And as a filmmaker, how important is Sundance? You know first-hand.
SMITH: I mean, without Sundance, I`d still be jockeying a register in a convenience store.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: Totally. I came here in `94, you know, and I was making five bucks an hour. And overnight, well, over the course of 10 days of the festival, I left here with a career in film, so it totally changed my life, completely changed my life.
And it has the power, the ability to do that, you know, if your film kind of gets picked up and it catches a lot of attention. So it also removed that, removed like the stuff that goes along with the film getting picked up, or careers getting started. It`s a chance for a filmmaker to platform their film and show it to a bunch of people who would never see it otherwise or maybe never even hear about it.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Let`s talk about the film you have here next week, "Small Town Gay Bar," about the struggle of gay bars to survive. When you were making this movie, what was the most surprising thing you learned?
SMITH: I was executive producer on the movie. A guy named Malcolm Ingram actually directed it, so I didn`t really have to do much except be like, "Here`s a pile of money; go follow your vision."
And but what I did learn was...
ANDERSON: You trusted him then.
SMITH: Totally trusted him. I mean, it`s a guy I`ve known for years and I love him to death. And he made a really wonderful film.
But what I learned over the course of making the movie and watching him make the movie and the movie itself is, you know, you see a lot of gay- themed documentaries, you see a lot of gay-themed programming. And this was a pocket, a marginalized pocket of an already marginalized community that I`d never seen portrayed before on film or in any media.
You know, you`re talking about being gay in the hardest place in the world it probably is to be gay, in Mississippi, in rural Mississippi. So once I caught wind of what Malcolm was doing, I had to get behind it in a big, bad way, you know, pun intended.
ANDERSON: Has it been picked up yet?
SMITH: No, not yet. We screened yesterday for the first time at, like, 11:30 in the morning. And the screening went great. The film got a standing ovation, so that felt really great. People were laughing in the right places, crying.
ANDERSON: Good sign.
SMITH: And it went over well. And then we had distributors, three distributors sniffing around it right now. But the best part that came out of the screening was there was a guy from Landmark Cinemas who was there, and he`s already said, like, "I would program this in a heartbeat once you guys get a distributor."
So once you have the promise of screens out there, it makes the film a lot more appetizing to a distributor. But to me, it`s a foregone conclusion that it gets picked up. I mean, the title of "Small Town Gay Bar." You know, the fact that "gay" is in the title means that there`s an audience that`s going to go out and see this movie.
ANDERSON: Yes, so many movies with gay and transsexual themes are getting so much attention now.
SMITH: Absolutely. Believe me, we thought about changing the title of this movie to "Brokeback Gay Bar"...
(LAUGHTER)
... to see if that would pop it out and see...
ANDERSON: May have been something to that.
SMITH: That`d be nice. That`d be nice. Unfortunately, we don`t have any Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal pretty-boy action in our movie, but...
ANDERSON: Well, independent documentary, good for you. Congratulations. Nice to see you again.
SMITH: Thank you. Excellent to see you, as always.
ANDERSON: Kevin Smith. And look out for "Small Town Gay Bar" to hit films -- to hit theaters, probably, later on this year.
Now going from small town gay bars to a hawk trainer, Paul Giamatti. I sat down with him. He`s actually here at Sundance promoting two films. The first is called "The Hawk is Dying." It`s created a lot of buzz. It`s about a man trying to train a hawk and the relationship that builds between the two of them.
His other movie is called "The Illusionist." It`s Giamatti`s first period piece. He plays a police inspector alongside Edward Norton, a conjurer of spirits. It`s set in Vienna in 1900. And I had a chance to sit down with Giamatti and director Neil Burger. And Giamatti told me the impact that Sundance has had on his career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Let me ask you this. "American Splendor" three years ago won the Grand Jury prize here at Sundance.
PAUL GIAMATTI, ACTOR: I forgot that. That`s right. Yes, I forget about that.
ANDERSON: How important is Sundance? And how did your career -- did it change after Sundance when you were here?
GIAMATTI: Yes. I mean, it`s hard for me to gauge how much it being here had -- I mean, it helped that movie immensely, because we were a very small movie. Sure, it was a huge help to me. I mean, it certainly helped to have somebody like him be interested in me to play something, you know, that I don`t normally do. And so it was of enormous help, yes.
ANDERSON: And you`re such a powerful leading man now.
GIAMATTI: Yes, I am.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only live entertainment news show live at the Sundance Film Festival all week long. We are bringing you breaking news, one-on-one interviews with the biggest stars, and an inside look at the fascinating stories behind the scenes. Join us live 7:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on Headline Prime.
HAMMER: It is time for the best in late-night laughs in "Laughter Dark." Smoking in films certainly nothing new in the business, but, for Jennifer Lopez, it`s an acquired skill. She told the "Tonight Show`s" Jay Leno how she picked it up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Wow. So how do you learn? So they bring a smoking teacher in?
JENNIFER LOPEZ, ACTRESS: No. You just have to start smoking, you know? You just -- well, I don`t smoke regular cigarettes, either.
LENO: Oh, well, neither does Kev.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
(CROSSTALK)
LOPEZ: No, that`s not what I meant.
LENO: I`ll hook you up, Jen.
(LAUGHTER).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: (INAUDIBLE) SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back with more from Sundance.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I am Brooke Anderson and I am live in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival.
Now, the film festival, of course, is known for terrific movies that come out of this week. It`s also known for the swag. It`s also known for star-studded parties. And one party in particular had some really unexpected guests. Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, showed up for a good time at the "Entertainment Weekly" party. Al is making the rounds in Park City for "An Inconvenient Truth," his flick about global warming.
Now, remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only live entertainment news show live from Sundance. So stay with us all week long.
HAMMER: Brooke, I would like you to go get yourself a cup of hot cider when you have a chance.
Well, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." President Bush: Should he see "Brokeback Mountain"?
Here`s the vote so far: 67 percent of you say, yes, Bush, go see "Brokeback Mountain"; 33 percent of you say, no, he shouldn`t see it.
Some of the e-mails we`ve received include one from Allison in California, who writes, "President Bush should see `Brokeback` to take a break from the war in Iraq, which is killing thousands of young men."
Gary also wrote to us from Alabama. He isn`t sure if Bush should see the movie, but, quote, "His reaction to the question was the most honest and humanlike that I`ve ever seen. It`s about time."
You can keep voting by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight.
ANDERSON: It is time now to see what`s playing on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Showbiz Marquee Guy, take it away.
MARQUEE GUY: Tomorrow, the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Sundance train rolls on. Toot, toot! Robert Downey, Jr., he stops by. He`s heading back to the tough streets of Queens, New York, circa the 1980s, and all of his friends are drug users, they`re dead, they`re in prison, oh, my god. His movie is called "A Guide to Recognizing your Saints." And we`ll go marching in with Robert Downey, Jr., tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, Rosie O`Donnell. All aboard for Rosie`s family cruise. Here what happened when Rosie chartered a ship and 500 families set sail on the first-ever cruise for gay and lesbian families. It`s high drama on the high seas, and it`s all tomorrow.
This is the Marquee Guy. And around here, I`m the captain of this ship.
HAMMER: I`m not exactly sure how I feel about that. I see him more as the guy in the engine room shoveling the coal.
ANDERSON: Maybe so.
HAMMER: Well, that`s a wrap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Please stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
END
