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Showbiz Tonight
Britney Spears Spotted Carrying Baby in Lap in Car; Two Actresses Pose Nude on "Vanity Fair" Cover; Grammy Noms Top off Mariah`s Comeback; Critics Choose Grammy Favorites
Aired February 07, 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, Britney Spears, the car seat controversy. The outrage after Britney is snapped driving with her baby on her lap. Tonight, the story behind the picture and Britney`s fiery response.
A "Vanity Fair" to remember. The jaw-dropping pictures of two of Hollywood`s hottest young actresses baring all. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes you behind the scenes of the startling cover shoot, and we reveal why one Hollywood star backed out at the last minute.
A sweet tribute to sweet baby James. A remarkable star-studded salute to honor the legendary James Taylor.
BONNIE RAITT, SINGER: He is just such a soulful guy, you know. He blends everything that`s right about American roots music.
HAMMER: Tonight, James Taylor, his music, and his oh-so-famous friends.
RAITT: Hi, I`m Bonnie Raitt. If it happened today, it`s on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer live in New York City.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood.
HAMMER: So Brooke, I`ve got to begin the program tonight by asking you the question that everybody has been asking about Britney Spears all day long. Britney, Britney, Britney, what were you thinking?
ANDERSON: I know, A.J. It was really shocking. Britney actually can be in a whole lot of baby trouble tonight. And no, it`s got nothing to do with "Hit Me Baby One More Time," but it has everything to do with Britney driving along California`s Pacific Coast Highway with her nearly 5-month- old baby on her lap.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It was a photo in the "The New York Post," but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has decided not to air this paparazzi photo that has shocked and outraged Hollywood and America.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": It`s very dangerous because the smallest, the smallest fender-bender...
REGIS PHILBIN, CO-HOST, ABC`S "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": Yes.
RIPA: ... and that child`s neck snaps and that`s it. You know, they`re very delicate at that stage.
ANDERSON: Kelly Ripa, mother of three, didn`t hide her feelings on "Regis and Kelly" this morning.
RIPA: Not only do -- does a baby have you go in a car seat at that age but a rear-facing car seat in the back of the car, so they want the baby in the back of the car, facing the back of the car. Because of impact, they don`t want the neck to jar.
ANDERSON: And it was the talk of the morning amongst the ladies on "The View."
STAR JONES, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": I would give her the benefit of the doubt and not the people who clearly made a whole lot of money selling that picture right there, trying to humiliate her.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": Cut her some slack. On the other hand, you don`t take off in a car with a baby in your lap.
MEREDITH VIEIRA, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": On the highway. On the highway.
ANDERSON: Britney -- here she is with her hubby Kevin Federline just Monday night -- did damage control immediately, releasing a statement to "People" magazine blaming the paparazzi.
The statement reads quote, "Today I had a horrifying, frightful encounter with paparazzi while I was with my baby. Because of a recent incident when I was trapped in my car without my baby by a throng of paparazzi, I was terrified that this time, the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger. I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm`s way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us and took photos of us, which were sold to the media. I love my child and would do anything to protect him."
The company that took the photos tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the photos were taken "in a very peaceful context," and that there was "no aggressive behavior."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went straight to "People" magazine`s Julie Jordan for the inside scoop.
JULIE JORDAN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Everyone is going to question why she didn`t put him had the car seat. Like she didn`t even hand him to the body guard. You know, a maternal instinct is very strong, and that`s what she says kicked in. So as a result, you know, whether her actions were appropriate or not, you know, everyone is going to be a judge, but she felt it was necessary at the time.
ANDERSON: But paparazzi or not, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looked up the California law. And it says that kids must be secured in an appropriate child passenger restraint until they are at least 6 years old, or weigh at least 60 pounds. And now, Britney could be in trouble.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has this news to break. TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT a deputy from the L.A. sheriff`s department was dispatched to Britney`s home. They`ve been told he was there to ask questions about just what happened.
So what`s this all mean?
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: She can`t be cited for not having the child in a restraint, because it`s an infraction, and the sheriffs have to witness it to give her a ticket.
As for child services, they can conduct an investigation. I don`t think this is a situation where she`s going to have her kid taken away from her, but she certainly could have a warning issued to say look, this was reckless. Don`t do it again.
ANDERSON: And this is not the first time a shocking picture has appeared of what appears to be a major star endangering their child. Who could forget this infamous shot of Michael Jackson dangling his baby from a hotel balcony in Germany?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We will not forget that.
And now, just moments ago, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT spoke with Britney`s people. They say the L.A. sheriff`s department did indeed go to Britney`s home, but it was a planned meeting. They say it was a meeting to help guide her security on how to contact them for help if a situation like this should happen in the future.
HAMMER: Well, now we`re going to move from one shocking story to another now. And again, it has to do with pictures. Two of Hollywood`s hottest actresses, posing naked with each other on the cover of "Vanity Fair" magazine.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Adrianna Costa joins us live with the latest from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom. Quite provocative pictures indeed, Adrianna.
ADRIANNA COSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. I saw them. I was like I can`t believe this. Any way, two hot actresses, one very sizzling cover. A nude Scarlett Johansson and an equally nude Keira Knightley are gracing the cover of "Vanity Fair" magazine, which hits newsstands tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS: What did I walk into?
COSTA (voice-over): What Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley have walked into is this year`s hottest magazine cover.
NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": It`s hot. I think it`s gorgeous. And it`s going to look great on newsstands, and I`m sure it will sell a million copies.
COSTA: "Vanity Fair" sure hopes so. The magazine features the two red-hot actresses along with fashion superstar Tom Ford on the cover of its yearly Hollywood issue. And Keira and Scarlett are both au naturalle.
GOSTIN: Obviously, they look amazing. They wouldn`t do it if they weren`t in shape to do it.
COSTA: The steamy photo sent tongues wagging on "Live with Regis and Kelly." Regis wanted to show it, but his producer was the model of modesty.
MICHAEL GELMAN, PRODUCER, ABC`S "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": Keep your thumb over...
PHILBIN: Excuse me. I want -- hello, keep my thumb over what? Excuse me?
GELMAN: The bare behind.
PHILBIN: Excuse me?
GELMAN: The bare behind.
PHILBIN: The bare behind?
GELMAN: Yes, sir.
PHILBIN: My thumb isn`t big enough.
COSTA: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is bringing you the behind the scenes video from the New York photo shoot with celebrity photographer, Annie Leibovitz.
The cover was supposed to be a ladies-only threesome, but reportedly the third starlet refused to pose in the buff. This morning, Tom Ford, who was the magazine`s guest artistic director, told "Good Morning America`s" Diane Sawyer that it was "Notebook" star Rachel McAdams who backed out.
TOM FORD, "VANITY FAIR" GUEST ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: She didn`t want to do it, and when she was on set I think she felt uncomfortable. I didn`t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable.
COSTA: So Tom says he had to step in.
FORD: But the shot for the cover was three girls on a bed.
COSTA (on camera): Initially.
FORD: Initially. And she didn`t feel comfortable and that was fine.
COSTA: So now it`s you and two girls.
FORD: Yes. It wasn`t supposed to be. That was going to be my contributor`s picture. But two girls on the bed means something a little different than three girls in a bed.
COSTA (voice-over): That`s nice, Tom. But could "Vanity Fair" have found a third woman for the cover? Maybe one of Keira`s fellow best actress nominees?
GOSTIN: Judi Dench they`re not going to take.
COSTA: Probably not. Still, the photo shoot was a fun bonding session for Keira and Scarlett, who had never met before. There were lots of laughs.
GOSTIN: I have interviewed Keira and she has a really great sense of humor and is very British, very self-deprecating and doesn`t take herself seriously at all.
COSTA: Still, afterwards when the robes went back on, Keira admitted to being a little bit nervous.
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, ACTRESS: I wanted a "Do Not Disturb" sign because I was so embarrassed about anyone going into that room.
COSTA: In the end it was smiles all around.
KNIGHTLEY: See you again sometime naked, I`m sure. Very nice meeting you.
JOHANSSON: And you. In the most intimate way.
GOSTIN: It is sort of unusual to find actresses of such caliber doing nude scenes, which before was something sort of cheesy, but you know, when you have Tom Ford in the mix, it becomes something artistic and beautiful.
FORD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
KNIGHTLEY: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTA: So beautiful that it`s actually making me blush a little bit. And Angelina Jolie takes her clothes off in the "Vanity Fair" celebrity issue, but some Hollywood heavy weights kept their clothes on. They include George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard. Look out for that article.
HAMMER: You can expect quite a few copies to sell of that issue.
COSTA: I know. Angelina Jolie. Hello.
HAMMER: Right there. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Adrianna Costa, thanks very much.
ANDERSON: A.J., I bet a zillion copies, like they said, will sell, don`t you think?
HAMMER: For certain. It`s usually one of their biggest sellers of the year, the Hollywood issue.
ANDERSON: Right. And hats off for them for the confidence they possess, but have you to command Rachel McAdams for not getting pressured into something that she obviously wasn`t comfortable doing.
HAMMER: Got to do what you feel.
ANDERSON: That`s right. OK. Moving now to Grammy gold, Mariah Carey up for eight Grammies. We are going to take a look at the marketing of her latest album, the biggest seller of 2005.
HAMMER: Plus, he has a friend or two in the music business. It`s a remarkable star-studded tribute to legendary singer/songwriter, James Taylor. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is there, and that`s coming up.
ANDERSON: And you saw her right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, but what`s the real story behind the fake Paris Hilton? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes looking for answers. Still ahead.
HAMMER: First, here comes tonight`s "`Entertainment Weekly` Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On "Sex and the City," which pop singer smooched with Carrie over a game of spin the bottle? Was it Beyonce, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan or Madonna? Hang out. We`re coming straight back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Once again, tonight`s "`Entertainment Weekly` Great American Pop Culture Quiz." On "Sex and the City," which pop singer smooched with Carrie over a game of spin the bottle? Was it Beyonce, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan or Madonna? I don`t remember this episode, but apparently, the answer is, "B," Alanis Morissette.
ANDERSON: I remember. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
And we are just one day away from the Grammys, which will cap off an amazing 12 months for Mariah Carey. She is up for 8 awards. Mariah doesn`t like to call her album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," a comeback. But there was definitely some marketing talent in addition to the musical talent involved.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: It`s been such an amazing year.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Mariah Carey has had quite a year. "The Emancipation of Mimi," her 10th studio album, surpassed expectations and sold over five million copies and counting. It became the top-selling CD of 2005.
BENNY MEDINA, MANAGER: It has really been a creative and emotional validation first and foremost for her, and for naysayers and for people who would question someone of her talent and her magnitude.
ANDERSON: Back in 2001, Carey found out the hard way that all that glitters isn`t gold. Her film "Glitter" flopped, and so did the album. Then came her very public melt-down. Virgin Records even paid the Grammy winner $28 million to leave the label. Many believed the multi-octave singer was washed up.
CAREY: When you do go through something like that, you can`t be scared anymore. And it`s like look, I`m here. I make music. I sing. That`s what I do. I love doing it.
ANDERSON: And while the pop diva shook off the bad times, her manager, Benny Medina, and CEO of Island Def Jam Records, Antonio L.A. Reid, crafted a media blitz for the "The Emancipation of Mimi" launch that included appearances on high-profile talk shows and even CD signings. However, it wasn`t easy to get people to listen.
ANTONIO L.A. REID, CEO, ISLAND DEF JAM: There were a few people that said, "OK, you`re really wasting your time."
Other people said this, "Whoa, this could be really special."
MEDINA: The most important thing that we had to do, that I felt I had to do, was just to let her sing, to put her in places where people could be reminded of the fact that she has one of the most unique and important instruments in popular and R&B music over the last 20 or 30 years.
ANDERSON: Her song, "We Belong Together," was No. 1 on the charts for 14 weeks. And "Don`t Forget About Us" became her 17th No. 1 hit. The superstar even earned Grammy noms, including album of the year and record of the year.
REID: She put a lot of work into it. She put her heart and soul into it.
CAREY: Don`t call it a comeback. I`ve been here for years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And in just about 24 hours, we will know how many of those eight Grammies Mariah will go home with.
And that leads us now to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. We want to hear from you. Mariah Carey, are you rooting for her at the Grammies? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us an e-mail at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
HAMMER: All right. So we just heard Mariah could be the big story tomorrow night. But how will the Grammies really shape up? I say let`s get right into it. Joining me live in New York, Barry Jeckell of Billboard.com. And Eric Parker is here from "Vibe" magazine. Joining us live from Hollywood, Austin Scaggs from "Rolling Stone" magazine.
Gentlemen, thank you for being a part of our little party.
ERIC PARKER, "VIBE" MAGAZINE: Thanks for having us.
HAMMER: Getting ready for the big night. We were just talking about Mariah Carey and asking will you be rooting for her tomorrow night? Kanye West the other big story. They`re each at the head of the pack with eight nominations apiece. It`s kind of like the Kanye/Mariah smackdown going on tomorrow night.
Also, I want to throw this out to you. They`re going head to head in the category of album of the year and record of the year. How do you choose? Mariah was the big comeback story and a great year for Kanye West.
AUSTIN SCAGGS, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Kanye`s record was absolutely incredible, but I think the story tomorrow night is going to be all Mariah. It`s going to be every envelope that gets opened up, it`s going to be Mariah. She`s going to take it all.
HAMMER: What do you think, Eric? Because you know, in that piece we were talking about the big marketing push that went behind it, but if it wasn`t a good album, it wouldn`t have done what it did.
PARKER: Right. You couldn`t do that with "Glitter." You couldn`t do that -- I mean, you could put a million, billion dollars behind "Glitter" and it`s not going to make it sell any more. It`s not going to make it be a big album.
The thing that you want to look at in this particular category, for one, you`ll see that Kanye West and Mariah Carey are going head to head and they have eight nominations apiece.
HAMMER: Are you talking record of the year or album of the year?
PARKER: I`m talking about period. But album of the year.
HAMMER: OK.
PARKER: Talking about album of the year right now. But you don`t want to give the Grammy voters too much credit. Because you can`t just count out people like u-2.
HAMMER: Can we take a look at all the nominees in that category right now while we`re talking about it? You make a good point there.
Yes, Mariah Carey, of course, you asked are people rooting for her. I`m rooting for Mariah Carey in lots of categories. But the Grammy voters, that`s always...
Absolutely. I mean, it could go any way. You could get a surprise out of left field and Paul McCartney could win. And that would be a surprise to everybody. You know, it`s a surprise that he`s nominated. It`s a good album but it`s not one of Paul`s best albums. It`s not a Beatles album.
HAMMER: Gwen Stefani, we just saw, not likely to win.
BARRY JECKELL, BILLBOARD.COM: Not likely but at the same time, could come out of left field.
HAMMER: Another big story that I don`t think we can ignore is Kelly Clarkson. Look at her. We no longer refer to her as "American Idol`s" Kelly Clarkson. She definitely has defined herself. She`s transcended the show that put her on the map.
She wrote six of the songs on the album. It`s hard to ignore this. She`s nominated in the category of best pop vocal performance by a female. What do you think, Austin? Can she take it?
SCAGGS: You know, I have never seen "American Idol," ever.
HAMMER: You`re kidding me. You`re the one.
SCAGGS: I am the one. So speaking on Kelly Clarkson`s behalf is kind of difficult for me. But you saw her break out at the MTV awards this year. She certainly, certainly has made a name for herself and certainly, you know, no longer the "American Idol" stigma has been attached to her.
HAMMER: She`s really got the chops. Doesn`t she?
PARKER: Absolutely. And you look at her performance, period, she`s going to win this category. One, she`s an "American Idol," so every Grammy voter knows her. And two, she really did have a great vocal performance. So I mean, she`s a shoe-in to me for this particular category.
HAMMER: All right. I`ve got you marked down for that.
PARKER: Hold me to that one.
JECKELL: And she`s on top. She did really well. The album stayed in the top ten for more than a year. That`s a really, really rare thing that is ever going to happen. People know of her, people like her, and you know, Grammy voters across the board, they`re just like consumers.
HAMMER: OK. We were talking about Mariah a couple moments ago. She, of course, won the best new artist Grammy back 16 years ago, actually. That can be a blessing; it can be a curse. Obviously, in her case, it didn`t mean a bad future for her.
Let`s throw up the nominees in the category of best new artist right now. And take a look at who`s s nominated. We have Ciara, Fallout Boy, also nominated Keane, John Legend and Sugarland. Now John Legend, Austin, nominated for eight Grammies as well. He`s a real front-runner. How can he but win this category?
SCAGGS: I think he`s got this one pretty much locked up. Yes, the eight categories aren`t going to come through for him. It is going to be the Mariah/Kanye story. But this is his award. I can`t see any way that he`ll get upset. I mean, Fallout Boy had a great year but Legend, Legend`s the man.
HAMMER: Real quickly, your take on this?
PARKER: Yes. Legend all the way. This is one of those particular cases where the Grammy and the real music lovers and the fans are going to line up together.
JECKELL: All five deserve to be there but Legend is definitely the one.
HAMMER: And he`s the kind of guy who will not suffer from that best new artist curse that has happened before.
JECKELL: Not at all. He`ll be with Sheryl Crow and others that really have a great career.
HAMMER: Barry Jeckell, Eric Parker, Austin Scaggs out in Hollywood, thank you very much for joining us tonight to sort of get through it.
And tomorrow night, we`ll be back here with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s live Grammy gold coverage. We`re going to be live in Los Angeles at the Grammy Awards, 7 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
ANDERSON: OK. Maybe they can call this play the quarterback cheek. It`s a Pittsburgh Steeler, David Letterman and a razor. That`s coming up in "Laughter Dark."
HAMMER: Plus, you`ve come a long way, Diddy. I can`t believe I just said that, but I did. Sweet success -- success smells sweet for the man with 1,000 names and 1,000 projects to match. We`re going to take a look at how he`s made the transition from rapper to mogul.
ANDERSON: And, it`s the story that has parents everywhere outraged. Britney Spears, driving with her baby on her lap. We`ll have the latest on Britney`s car seat controversy, coming up.
HAMMER: And now a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Birthday Shout-out." This is where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday. Tonight, it`s a birthday shoutout to comedian and subject of UPN`s "Everybody Hates Chris," Chris Rock. He is celebrating his 41st birthday today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. My name in Jennifer, and I`m in New York. And I would like to wish Chris Rock a happy birthday. I think you`re a wonderful actor. Chris, you rock. Have a happy birthday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A.J., he`s one of the -- he is the youngest quarterback, in fact, to ever win a Super Bowl and Ben Roethlisberger may owe some of that to being superstitious.
HAMMER: Yes, some people are superstitious, particularly when it comes to sports, Brooke. You hear all sorts of things floating around about what players do and don`t do.
ANDERSON: Wear a pink sock sometimes.
HAMMER: Yes, the socks. They have to have their hair a certain way. Apparently, the legend goes for this particular story that when the Steelers lost a game back in December, Ben started growing a beard.
Well, Big Ben, of course, was a major factor leading the Steelers to Super Bowl victory on Sunday. So last night, he was scheduled to appear on "The Late Show with David Letterman." And when he showed up, Letterman basically says, "Guess what? The beard has got to go."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, CBS`S "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I have never done this. Let`s just see what we can do here. Oh, let me get a thing here. Do we have a thing?
BEN ROETHLISBERGER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS QUARTERBACK: What are we doing with this?
LETTERMAN: We`re going to take the beard.
ROETHLISBERGER: Don`t cut me.
LETTERMAN: Well, you see that Steeler game yesterday?
ROETHLISBERGER: Remember, he`s from that other school, too.
LETTERMAN: All right, Tina, want to get up here? We have somebody from Pittsburgh. Tina...
And so you say you won`t go for the beard hair?
ROETHLISBERGER: I don`t know what we`re going to try to do.
LETTERMAN: Let me know if this hurts, for God`s sake. Oh, this is easy. Wow. You want a little goatee?
ROETHLISBERGER: Don`t cut my hair.
LETTERMAN: You want to take a little off? There you go. Be careful, now. Come on, get in there.
ROETHLISBERGER: Easy. Don`t get in there too far.
LETTERMAN: Congratulations, Ben. Good to have you here.
ROETHLISBERGER: Pleasure. I`ll see you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So what do you think, is it a better look for him? Should he have kept the beard?
ANDERSON: You know, I think he looks nice either way, but the courage, right, the faith he had in them. That`s taking some liberties.
HAMMER: Hopefully, things won`t start going bad for him. You know what I`m saying?
ANDERSON: Hopefully they won`t go south.
HAMMER: The Rolling Stones certainly can`t get no satisfaction from the censors. That`s what they`re talking about. We`re going to tell you what the Stones are saying about getting censored during the Super Bowl. That`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: And the Britney car seat controversy. Photos of Britney driving with her baby on her lap. It`s a story that has moms everywhere seeing red, still ahead.
Also coming up tonight...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: James Taylor now knows for sure he`s got a friend. Many of his fans are famous. It`s a remarkable, star-studded tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, and of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there. You`ll see it when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
A.J., it`s the story everybody`s talking about today, Britney driving with her very young baby on her lap. Coming up in the "Legal Lowdown," we will find out if the picture taken of this can actually prove Britney an unfit parent, if there are consequences she may have to face.
HAMMER: Certainly, an unsafe situation, particularly given airbags. I mean, that`s another thing that we need to mention there.
Also tonight, as we continue our continue of Grammy gold, all the big Grammy, star-studded celebrity events are happening out in L.A. this week, including the MusiCares person of the year honoring James Taylor. That happened last night, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there. We`ll give you a sneak peek in just a few moments.
ANDERSON: Very deserving MusiCares person of the year, A.J.
OK, but first, let`s get tonight`s "Hot Headlines." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Adrianna Costa is joining us again live.
Hi, Adrianna.
COSTA: Hey, Brooke, how are you?
ANDERSON: I`m doing great.
COSTA: Good, good, good. OK, tonight, the Rolling Stones are calling the censorship of their Super Bowl halftime show, quote, "absolutely ridiculous." During the broadcast, the show`s editors silenced a word from "Start Me Up" and took out another from "Rough Justice." Let`s just say that the word is another word for a male rooster. I`ll leave it up to you guys from here.
The NFL says the Stones were completely aware of what was going to happen and discussed it with them last week.
Moving on, Kanye West is a man on a mission to put his spin on the "Mission: Impossible" theme. Just this afternoon, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT learned that the rapper, up for eight Grammy awards tomorrow night, has been tapped to rework the "M:I" theme song for third "Mission: Impossible" movie coming out in May starring Tom Cruise. You got to look out for that.
Also some real news tonight for a fake news anchor. "The Daily Show`s" Jon Stewart is a dad again. Congratulations. Daughter Maggie Rose Stewart was born this weekend in New York. It`s the second kid for Stewart and his wife, Tracey. Nathan, their other child, was born just in July of 2004. Everyone is doing just swell tonight.
And those are your "Hot Headlines." Brooke, take it away.
ANDERSON: Expanding their family, good for them.
COSTA: I know, exactly.
ANDERSON: Thanks, Adrianna. We appreciate it.
COSTA: Take care. Thanks for having me.
ANDERSON: And remember -- of course -- remember you can catch Adrianna`s entertainment reports every weekday morning on "ROBIN AND COMPANY," and that begins at 6:00 a.m. right here on CNN Headline News.
HAMMER: Well tonight, a star-studded tribute to James Taylor. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there as some of the biggest names in music honored the legendary singer-songwriter in Los Angeles, including Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Carole King. They were all there. They came out to see Taylor take home the MusiCares person of the year award for his contributions to music and humanitarian causes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): His music defined a generation, timeless songs with beautiful lyrics. And now legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor is Music Care`s 2006 person of the year.
JAMES TAYLOR, MUSICIAN: As soon as I really found out what it was, I was hugely flattered.
HAMMER: It was a star-studded night. Many of James` biggest fans were onboard to honor him. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there to catch all the action.
CAROLE KING, MUSICIAN: He is really the one who pushed me forward. I was a side man, a side person in his band, and he said, "Come on, sing." And I was like, "No."
BONNIE RAITT, MUSICIAN: I love the guy, what can I say?
HAMMER: Grammy-nominee Bonnie Raitt has a long history with Taylor.
RAITT: We started out together in Massachusetts when I was in college. And you used to let me open the shows for you, tune my guitar for me.
HAMMER: Here she is singing her favorite James Taylor song, "Rainy Day Man."
Born in North Carolina, James Taylor studied cello before picking up the guitar in 1960. His career took off in 1968, when he was signed to the Beatles` Apple Records label and released his self-titled debut album. His second release, "Sweet Baby James," went triple-platinum and gave him his first top-10 hit, "Fire and Rain." And 35 years later, it still sounds great.
James Taylor`s warm baritone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sexy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sexy.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: And his songs have inspired some of the biggest stars in the world. Here is his close friend, Sting.
STING, MUSICIAN: If I make any mistakes, it`s not because I haven`t practiced; I have. It`s just because I`m nervous to play in front of you.
HAMMER: Sheryl Crow made it out last night, one of her first public appearances since announcing her split from fiance Lance Armstrong. James Taylor was the first concert she ever went to. She was 12 years old.
SHERYL CROW, MUSICIAN: It was the first time I`d ever heard 16,000 people sing in union, glorious. It was also the first time I ever smoked pot, and I knew that I wanted to be a musician.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Another great performance came from Bruce Springsteen. The notoriously private star performed "Millworker."
Over the years, James has used his celebrity to call attention to those less fortunate. He`s committed to the environment. He also supports funding for arts education programs and helps raise money for juvenile diabetes, all reasons all these stars came out to support him last night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The James Taylor tribute show helped kick off Grammy week in Hollywood. And make sure you catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s live Grammy gold coverage tomorrow. We`re going to be live in Los Angeles at the Grammy Awards at 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
ANDERSON: And that leads to tonight`s "Question of the Day." Mariah Carey`s storybook comeback with the "The Emancipation of Mimi." She is up for eight Grammy awards. So we ask you: Mariah Carey: Are you rooting for her at the Grammies? Keep voting on CNN.com/showbiztonight and write us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming up at 55 past the hour.
HAMMER: Police head over to Britney Spears` house. Tonight, the startling controversy surrounding her baby, next.
And plus, we have a powerful tribute.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You want to treat our friend, Coretta, like a role model? Then model her behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Former presidents join celebrities and thousands of others to say goodbye to Coretta Scott King. Coming up, a special SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tribute to the late civil rights activist.
HAMMER: Plus, it`s Fashion Week here in New York. Many celebrities shilling their lines. Tonight, the story of one mogul who`s already been there and done that with fashion but now he wants you to smell like him, too. That`s coming up, next.
ANDERSON: All right, now for your consideration, a look at some of this year`s Grammy nominees. Tonight, the nominees up in the best new artist category.
She calls herself the first lady of crunk, Atlanta`s Ciara. With her hits like "Goodies" produced by Lil` Jon, the guy that screams "Yeah!" in Usher songs "Yeah!" and this track, "One, Two Step." Ciara sold more than two million copies of her debut album. And by the way, crunk is kind of high-energy, club-oriented hip-hop, if you didn`t know.
HAMMER: Fall Out Boy, the Chicago band`s "From Under the Cork Tree" peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart. Their "Sugar, We`re Going Down" single has been sweet among the MTV set.
ANDERSON: Speaking of sugar, SugarLand also up for best new artist. The Atlanta-based pop country trio has been successful crossing over into mainstream. Lead singer Jennifer Nettles even sings a duet with Bon Jovi on their album, "Have a Nice Day."
HAMMER: John Legend is well on his way to living up to his name. With multiple Grammy nominee Kanye West producing tracks on "Get Lifted," this soulful singer is up for eight Grammies of his own, including best R&B song for "Ordinary People."
ANDERSON: And rounding out the best new artist nominees, Keane. Their album, "Hopes and Fears," soared to the top of U.K. charts. And with a popular pop-rock sound, Keane is keen on making a bigger dent in the U.S. market. The band has sold nearly one million albums.
Stay with us; SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. You are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
Tonight, a photo and a phony are stirring up all kinds of controversy in Hollywood. First, a photograph that everybody`s been talking about, Britney Spears driving with her baby on her lap, which has police knocking on her door. Can this photo prove Britney is unfit to be a parent?
And she says it`s hot, but the question is, is it illegal? A Paris Hilton look-alike painting the town red posing as Paris. But is it unlawful for this faux-Paris to get all the free perks that Paris would get?
Joining me live from Glendale, California, Harvey Levin, managing editor of entertainment news site TMZ.com.
You`ve been busy, Harvey. I opened up the paper this morning and I saw the picture of Britney and I knew, "Oh, God, I am going to be talking to Harvey about this tonight."
(LAUGHTER)
Sadly, of course, you know the paparazzi who snapped this shot absolutely thrilled to capture it, but it`s a sad situation. Britney driving her SUV. The baby`s in the lap, unrestrained, right between Britney and the steering wheel. Do you have any late-breaking developments on the story from later today?
HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: Yes, I can tell you, A.J., that we have talked to sheriff`s officials who tell us they went out to the house today, as you said, but they went out because children`s services asked them to go get information, contact information. And I`m told by sheriff`s officials that children`s services is now launching an investigation into this, so it`s kind of serious stuff.
HAMMER: And Britney said the whole reason this thing happened was because of aggressive paparazzi. Now, there was a statement from the agent for the photographer saying the scene was very calm. It`s sort of a he- says, she-says. What`s your take?
LEVIN: Well, my take is that whenever Britney is out in public, in addition to the paparazzi, I`m sure there are some people who are on the street who saw it all, and they may became really important in this.
Children`s services is going to look into it. If she really had a reason, if she feared for her safety and had to make a quick getaway, that might be an explanation. But if she didn`t, this is kind of classic child endangerment, in the sense that you could turn your child into a human rocket.
HAMMER: And in terms of breaking the law, you know, she technically is breaking the law there, but the cops didn`t witness it first-hand. So how much trouble could she possibly get into for this? And what about the child custody issues?
LEVIN: Well, I mean, the child services issues is really the big thing. I mean, big deal. Even if she got an infraction, she`ll pay a couple of hundred bucks.
The bigger issue is children`s services. I can tell you, you know, I`ve looked at that agency for a long time in L.A. and probably what`s going to happen is this: They`ll look at it, and they probably won`t do anything other than tell her, "Look, this was a really bad idea. It was a mistake," but there is a photograph of it. If she does it again, it really could create some problems for her.
HAMMER: All right.
Well, speaking of problems perhaps for another Hollywood celebrity, we didn`t have that celebrity herself here last night, but highlight of my day, I had the Paris Hilton look-alike joining me.
She`s apparently having the time of her life, she told me. Now, I want to play this video that you guys at TMZ.com got of the fake Paris. There she is hanging out at Fashion Week in New York City, apparently with the real David Lee Roth.
She claims by going around and getting the benefits of being Paris, but not saying she`s Paris, she`s not doing anything wrong. And here`s what she told me last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So you never actually say, "I am Paris Hilton"?
NATALIE REID, PARIS HILTON LOOK-ALIKE: No. Never do that. I don`t need to do that.
HAMMER: If she were to ask you to stop doing it, would you stop?
REID: I don`t think she would ask me to stop doing it. It`s just making her fans happy. It`s making her fans love her even more and think that they ran into her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Harvey, what do you make of this? And knowing that that she`s misleading people who are giving her all these gifts, is she doing anything wrong, you know, perhaps in fear of her prospect of getting in trouble?
LEVIN: Well, you know, she seems to have outdone Paris, actually, A.J. I mean, the whole thing is so bizarre.
If she were enticing people and she said, "Look, I`m Paris Hilton. What do you want to do for me?" There`s actually something called theft by trickery, and in some states that`s actually a crime. You can`t deceive people into giving you something.
But she seems real smart. She`s saying, "Look, I never say I`m Paris Hilton; they draw their own conclusions."
HAMMER: You said it best. Harvey, the whole thing is quite bizarre. Thanks very much.
LEVIN: OK, A.J.
HAMMER: Harvey Levin from TMZ.com.
ANDERSON: OK, tonight more of our continuing Fashion Week coverage, fashion frenzy. It is the place where stars try their hand at their own fashion line, and they can all take a lesson or two from Sean "Diddy" Combs, who has turned his clothing line into a $150 million fashion empire. Here`s CNN`s Alina Cho for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, it may seem like Sean Combs is everywhere these days, doing almost everything. And in some ways, he is. But he doesn`t see it that way.
The man fans now call Diddy says whether he`s making music, clothing or even perfume, it`s all about entertainment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): With just a puff, Sean Combs is back in the spotlight, not that he ever left. The rapper-turned-music-producer-turned- clothing-designer now has a new scent, a fragrance for men called Unforgivable.
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, MUSIC PRODUCER: Once you get your own fragrance, it`s a true testament that you have now arrived.
CHO: He has come a long way. In 2001, Combs was acquitted of gun possession and bribery charges after a shooting at a New York night club. Back then, fans called him Puff Daddy. When he morphed into a clothing designer, fashion insiders scoffed. His label, Sean John, didn`t get respect until the industry recognized him in 2004.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The menswear designer of the year is Sean Combs.
(APPLAUSE)
CHO: A year later, Sean, a women`s line, was born.
DIDDY: Yes, I want you to have a nice, sexy top to go out in.
CHO (on-screen): So who is the Sean John man?
DIDDY: I think the Sean John man is somebody that has a lot of confidence. Today`s modern man, they have to be able to go from the block to the boardroom.
CHO (voice-over): Combs admits the Sean John man is also himself.
JOHN DEMSEY, ESTEE LAUDER PRESIDENT: He`s today`s urban Ralph Lauren. He started off doing something very simple and expanded upon the way that he understood hip-hop.
CHO: From music to clothing to politics. He ran a marathon, acted in movies, even starred on Broadway.
DIDDY: I definitely take pride on being an Afro-American and opening a lot of doors and showing that it can be done.
CHO: Just this Sunday, he was also in a Super Bowl ad.
JAY MOHR, ACTOR: Diddy!
CHO (on-screen): How did you go from Puff Daddy to Diddy?
DIDDY: The name thing is probably one of the things that, you know, really has spun out of control, but I`ve gone through so many different phases in my life that it is in a way symbolic.
CHO (voice-over): Diddy wouldn`t be Diddy without a little controversy. Some have called the ads for his new fragrance too edgy. Combs stands by them. And the man "Forbes" magazine says is worth $250 million isn`t satisfied yet with his success.
DIDDY: I have a lot of potential.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Some might say he`s already made it and he is just 36 years old. He is not done yet. Combs has a new album coming out. He`s also focusing a little bit more on his acting career.
Now, one thing he told me is that, although he has learned from his mistakes over the years, he is a bad boy for life, and that, he says, Brooke, is part of his charm.
ANDERSON: All right. CNN`s Alina Cho, thank you so much.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: We`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." We`re asking: Mariah Carey: Are you rooting for her at the Grammies, with her eight nominations?
Well, here`s how the vote`s going so far. Very one-sided. I`m a little surprised by this: 20 percent of you say yes; 80 percent of you, no, you`re not rooting for her.
Among the e-mails we received, one from James in New Jersey who says, "Yes, why shouldn`t Mariah win at the Grammies? It has been an extremely great year for her. She deserves it."
But Cindy from California disagrees: "No, I think she was much better when she started out. She needs to remember what life was like before she became famous."
If you`d like, hop online and continue to vote at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And we leave you tonight with some of the heartfelt farewells from the memorial service of the late Coretta Scott King. The civil rights activist and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King died January 30th at the age of 78.
HAMMER: Today, celebrities and dignitaries joined thousands who attended the six-hour service just outside Atlanta, Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We gather in God`s house, in God`s presence, to honor God`s servant, Coretta Scott King.
MAYA ANGELOU, POET AND AUTHOR: I open my mouth to the Lord, and I won`t turn back, no.
CLINTON: You want to treat our friend, Coretta, like a role model? Then model her behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
END
