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Showbiz Tonight
Jessica Simpson Snubs President; Stars Concerned about Stalker Site; Clooney Engaged in Blog Battle; "V for Vendetta" Stirs Controversy
Aired March 16, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson in New York City.
SIBILA VARGAS, CO-HOST: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Ms. Simpson goes to Washington and snubs the commander-in-chief. Tonight, why the pop singer told the Grand Old Party to take a hike. From one lone star to another, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT finds out why you don`t mess with Texas.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continuing the campaign to stop a star stalker site before someone gets hurt. The growing outrage.
HULK HOGAN, PRO WRESTLER: It`s a real threat. They`ve crossed the common sense safety line.
ANDERSON: We`ll show you why this is no joke. It`s serious business, and someone could get hurt. The stars come to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and tell us just how angry they are.
And, it`s not just a female thing. Adult men struggling with eating disorders. Dennis Quaid came forward, but he`s not the only one. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates manorexia, why some men just can`t beat the disease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Hello, I`m Sibila Vargas live in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson live in New York City.
OK. We just have to tell you what Jessica Simpson did today. Shoot a new movie? No. Record a new song? No. Snub the president of the United States. Would you believe it? Yes.
VARGAS: That`s right. She was invited to attend a major Republican fundraiser and have a one-on-one meeting with the president, but she said, "Nah, not this time."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): America`s sweetheart may have made a big political boo-boo today. She snubbed the president and declined a posh seat at a big Republican fundraiser event. It`s the story all of America`s talking about.
NIKKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": Sources say that initially she agreed to go to the event. And now she`s pulled out because she says that Operation Smile is a non-partisan charity, and she doesn`t want to appear as if she`s reporting the Republican Party.
VARGAS: Operation Smile is Simpson`s latest charity case.
GOSTIN: It sends American doctors down to third world countries or impoverished countries and does surgery on children who have cleft palettes and facial deformities.
VARGAS: It`s not often the Hill press corps sees a pretty young thing like Simpson in their stony hallways. It looked a little like a Hollywood red carpet event waiting for Simpson to make her big appearance. They waited and waited. And finally with a weird, giddy delight, Jessica appeared.
REP. TRENT FRANKS (R), ARIZONA: We`re thinking about hiring Jessica here as a press agent. Because we`ve never gotten so much attention here.
VARGAS: All cameras were on her as she made the pitch for Operation Smile.
JESSICA SIMPSON, SINGER: Watching the transformation, it was truly unbelievable for me. It was a very spiritual moment.
VARGAS: Yes, OK. But let`s get to the question everyone really wanted to know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why aren`t you meeting with the president?
VARGAS: Yes, why isn`t she meeting with the president?
GOSTIN: I think a lot of people just assumed, which is wrong, that she was a Republican maybe because she came from the south, a Christian background.
VARGAS: It`s an easy enough assumption.
She`s performed at USO concerts and even took part in Bush`s first inaugural festivities back in 2001. Needless to say the Grand Old Party feels pretty snubbed.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MAJORITY LEADER: I really feel like I got bagged.
VARGAS: But Jessica`s dad Joe Simpson says there`s no issue. And she loves the heck out of the president. She just didn`t want to politicize her non-partisan charity.
Hmm. It still begs one big question on everyone`s mind.
GOSTIN: Did she change party alliance? Is she now a Democrat? Is she independent? I wonder how much of it has to do with the fact that she`s starting her movie career, and most of Hollywood is, in fact -- it`s a Democratic town, Hollywood. Everyone knows that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Now it`s important to mention that Jessica`s handlers say she never had any plans to go to the GOP fundraiser in the first place. And even though her dad says she doesn`t want to politicize the non-partisan charity group, a Republican congressman plays a key role in that organization.
ANDERSON: There is a connection.
Now the story that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is not going to let up on: the outrageous web site that seems to encourage people to stalk the stars. It shows where stars are, almost in real-time. And not only Hollywood is steaming mad.
Since we first told the nation about this potentially dangerous site earlier this week, you, our viewers, have swamped us with passionate e- mails about this site, most of you saying you feel the same way.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talking with more stars about this, and let me tell you, they are not happy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It`s a web site that has the stars talking and worrying.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does that scare you?
LUDACRIS, RAPPER/ACTOR: It definitely does. A little bit.
CHRIS BOTTI, JAZZ MUSICIAN: I don`t think it`s necessarily the greatest thing for everyone to know what everyone`s doing at every bit of time, you know?
ANDERSON: With each day, more stars are being featured on Gawker.com`s new feature, Gawker Stalker, which lets fans e-mail information about celebrities they see on the streets. That info is almost instantly posted online with a map.
Gawker.com now says it`s waiting at least 15 minutes to post info online, saying that, quote, "provides an ample window for celebrities to move about before facing certain death exacted by their violently obsessive fans."
We don`t know if Gawker meant that "violently obsessive fans" line sarcastically. But violently obsessive fans and a site that could potentially aid them are definitely not funny. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will tell you why.
One reason the Gawker site is not funny? The 1989 murder of sitcom star Rebecca Schaeffer by a deranged fan who shot her in front of her apartment.
Why is the Gawker site not funny? We all remember that David Letterman had to deal with a dangerous stalker who broke into his Connecticut house at least seven times.
And another reason the Gawker site is not funny: everybody remembers John Lennon`s fate, killed by a stalker in New York 25 years ago.
TINO STRUCKMANN, SECURITY EXPERT: This is a very realistic threat. And it`s very poor taste.
ANDERSON: Security expert to the stars Tino Struckmann is not a fan of Gawker Stalker. He came on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to tell me that Gawker`s 15 minute minimum for posting information does not make it any safer for celebs.
STRUCKMANN: If somebody is sitting down at a restaurant they`re going to be there longer than maybe an hour. But this could also be 15 minutes. It could be ten minutes. Just that they are giving this information out at all puts these people at great risk. Also they know when they`re out of their house and we`re opening up to robberies and whole other things.
ANDERSON: Meanwhile, the stars are lining up to tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT why Gawker has them freaking out.
(on camera) There you were on the right, seen leaving a restaurant.
(voice-over) SHOWBIZ TONIGHT broke the news to Hulk Hogan and his family, stars of the VH1 reality show "Hogan Knows Best", that Gawker had info of them leaving a New York restaurant.
HOGAN: I think now we`ve crossed the line. And that when safety becomes a factor, and such as if my son, Nick, or my daughter, Brooke, they see them out and they`re alone. I mean, there`s all kind of weird things that could happen.
ANDERSON: Other stars tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they think the Gawker Stalker thing has gone to far.
TINA FEY, COMEDY WRITER/ACTOR: I was Gawked on there once and it was so mean. It was like describing normal stuff. But it was like, "I saw her at the movies and she was like in line. And she was really ugly."
And I was just like dude, come on. I was just going to the movies. So Gawker, boo. Come get me. Come get me, Gawker. I`m not a fan.
ANDERSON: But other stars tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they`re taking it all in stride.
ROB LOWE, ACTOR: In terms of privacy, we lost that a long time ago. It`s part of the -- part of the job.
JOHN LEGEND, MUSICIAN: Most people have better things to do then to stalk celebrities. They have actual jobs. I don`t think O have a lot of people out there that want to do any harm to me. So even if people do want to see me or talk to me, it`s usually positive. So I`m not worried about it.
ANDERSON: But plenty of stars are worried, because as far as celebrity stalking goes, no one wants to become the next cautionary tale.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Not that Gawker Stalker is immune to false reports. Earlier this week the site reported a Rob Lowe sighting in New York City. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went straight to Mr. Lowe himself. And listen to this. He tells us he hasn`t even been in New York in the past four months.
VARGAS: And for the past couple of days, we`ve been getting such a huge response to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day we wanted to share some more of our e-mails.
Celebrities in public: do they have the right to be left alone? Eighty-two percent of you said, yes, they should be left alone; 18 percent of you said no.
Katie from Delaware writes, "If a star is getting coffee, going to a restaurant, give them some privacy. To follow an individual everywhere they go is called stalking."
Brenda from Arizona agrees: "Fans and the media need to respect their right to have a public life and a private life."
And Ellen, all the way from Hawaii, adds, "When a celebrity wants to spend private time with their friends and family, just leave them alone. Who cares about pictures of them walking down the street with their baby?"
ANDERSON: You don`t want to miss this. Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Oscar winner George Clooney`s blogging war. Why the actor is irate over his own words.
VARGAS: And, are they heroes or villains? The new movie "V for Vendetta" is causing "C" for controversy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT finds out who`s naughty or nice. And "Vendetta" star Natalie Portman weighs in on her own politics, in a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown."
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not like once a week. We`re talking about every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Binging and purging, grown men throwing up their food. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exposes the evils of eating disorders, and they don`t just affect girls and women. That`s ahead, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Stay us with.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York City, and you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
OK. Remember the blog we told you about earlier this week, supposedly written by George Clooney about Democrats and the war in Iraq? Some stunning developments today. But before we get to them, here are some Clooney quotes that were posted on the blog.
Here we go. "The fear of being criticized can be paralyzing. Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the run-up to the war in 2003. A lot of us were saying, where is the link between Saddam and bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? We knew it was B.S., which is why it drives me crazy to hear all these Democrats saying, `We were misled.` It makes me want to shout, `You weren`t misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic`."
Those comments appeared on HuffingtonPost.com, a blog for liberal Democrats. And the site gave the impression Clooney had written it himself. Turns out that`s not true, and Clooney is furious.
Clooney spoke with "New York Daily News" columnist Lloyd Grove, who is with us live tonight here in New York.
Lloyd, thank you so much for being here.
LLOYD GROVE, COLUMNIST, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": My pleasure.
ANDERSON: What did George tell you?
GROVE: Well, he`s really, really mad. And he told me that in the course of a conversation on Monday with Arianna Huffington, who runs the blog, the web site where the blog, so-called, was printed, she kind of threatened him. I mean, she sort of said this could be very bad for your career, this controversy.
And he told me, well, you know, basically if I can say this, screw you. I`m not going to be threatened by Arianna Huffington. So he was really quite cranky, George, over this whole thing.
ANDERSON: And you spoke with Arianna, as well. And she said the whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. How so, Lloyd?
GROVE: Well, she says that she approached Clooney. He said he didn`t know what a blog was. She said, well, we`ll send you a sample blog. So basically she cobbled together quotes of his from interviews -- and they are all legitimate Clooney quotes -- as though it were a blog and sent it to him. And she believes that she got approval from Clooney through a publicist. And so she went with it. And so she says it`s a misunderstanding.
Now Clooney`s view is that he never, ever agreed that his words could be printed as though he had written them.
ANDERSON: And taken, he says -- taken out of context. That it`s a big difference between saying these things in an interview when questioned and writing them down in this way.
And he and Arianna -- they have had words about this, as well. He wanted Arianna to put a disclaimer on the blog. She refused. Lloyd, it got pretty heated, didn`t it?
GROVE: Well, she didn`t refuse. I think what they were haggling over was the wording of the disclaimer. Arianna was insistent that any disclaimer would say that she received approval. And Clooney and his publicist, Stan Rosenfield, said no, just say where these quotes came from. They were interviews with CNN`s Larry King and with Britain`s "The Guardian" newspaper.
So they just couldn`t come to an agreement on that. Hence yesterday Clooney issued a statement and then got on the phone with me.
ANDERSON: And it has been removed from the blog, correct?
GROVE: Yes, they took it down yesterday after awhile. But boy, did Arianna Huffington get some mileage out of this one. Now a lot of people know about HuffingtonPost.com.
ANDERSON: All right. And Clooney also told you he feels abused.
We are going to have to leave it right there. Lloyd, very interesting to talk to you about this. Thanks so much for joining us tonight.
GROVE: Thanks for having me.
ANDERSON: Lloyd Grove, from the "New York Daily News."
VARGAS: The big screen`s new Superman goes forth with a special blessing from Dana Reeve. "USA Today" reports actor Brandon Routh received an envelope from the late Dana Reeve containing two pendants, each emblazoned with an "S" and the phrase "Go forward."
Reeve wrote she thought Routh would make a great Superman, as he fills the shoes of the original hero, Christopher Reeve.
And another legacy looms over "Superman Returns": Marlon Brando. The director says he plans to use Brando in the new film, returning in his same role as Superman`s father, Jor-El. Stock footage and voice effects will help re-create Brando`s image.
ANDERSON: Tonight, "V" is for controversy. The new movie, "V for Vendetta," starring a buzz-cut Natalie Portman, is getting a lot of buzz, because it portrays violent terrorists as heroes.
The movie, written and produced by the Wachowski brothers, who brought us "The Matrix" trilogy, is raising interesting questions about who truly are the bad guys and who are the good ones.
Here`s CNN`s Chris Lawrence for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If America was under attack by a man who tries to blow-up subways and bring down the government, would we empathize with a president who said this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentleman, I want this terrorist found. And I want him to understand what terror really means.
LAWRENCE: That`s the British leader in "V for Vendetta", set in a totalitarian London of the future. But he`s the film`s bad guy. The hero is the terrorist, trying to free the people from oppression.
PROFESSOR MICHAEL MANN, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY, UCLA: One man`s terrorist is another man`s freedom fighter.
LAWRENCE: Historians say the labels can change with time. The Irish Republican Army has been considered a terrorist organization. So was South Africa`s ANC, run by Nelson Mandela.
DR. DAVID KUNZLE, PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY, UCLA: And at the time while he was still in jail he was called by the U.S. government a terrorist. What is he called now? Hero.
LAWRENCE: Just recently, Palestinians elected Hamas to lead their government.
MANN: No doubt if the Palestinians ever develop a real state, some of these terrorists will be seen as heroes.
LAWRENCE: Can a movie change perceptions? Some say September 11 started a cultural shift in this country. Americans who instinctively rooted for the weak over the strong, underdog over oppressor, could have a hard time identifying with a terrorist.
MANN: If it is a normal movie and we`re supposed to sympathize with them and the audience doesn`t, well, that will be, I think, a first. I can`t think of another movie where there`s an anti-hero in quite that way.
LAWRENCE (on camera): This film was postponed from November. The studio says it needed more time to finish. But some say it was out of sensitivity to last year`s bombings in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Chris Lawrence for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
VARGAS: Coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one-on-one with "V for Vendetta" star Natalie Portman. We`ll find out how far she would go to stand up for the causes she believes in.
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was binging and purging three or four times a day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Male eating disorders: the vicious cycle of binging and purging and why some men just can`t beat manorexia. A SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report.
VARGAS: Can you hear me now? Not if the movie theater owners can help it. They want to reel in those annoying rings by jamming cell phone signals. Is it right? Is it fair? A "SHOWBIZ Newsmaker" coming up.
But first we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Cell phones in movie theaters: should their signals be jammed? Go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight and send us e-mail at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Coming up tomorrow, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Cheryl Hines live. The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star is heading back to college in her new series "Campus Ladies." And she joins us live, tomorrow, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
VARGAS: Well, time now for "Thursday InStyle" Matthew Fox is anything but "Lost." The 39-year-old actor, who once played sensitive Charlie Salinger on "Party of Five", is back on the map. This time around, he`s the edgy castaway Dr. Jack Shephard on ABC`s hit series, "Lost." And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your look at the March "Man of Style."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: "InStyle" chose Matthew Fox to be the March man of style because he`s a very stylish and very attractive man.
Back in the days of "Party of Five," Matthew Fox had this very stylish, floppish, floppy hairdo. And it`s so great that he shares with us in the March issue, that the second "Party of Five" wrapped, the second the series ended, he took a razor to his head and shaved all of his hair off completely. He says he loves having this buzz cut look. It couldn`t be easier. Plus it goes with the character that he plays on "Lost."
Matthew Fox has actually made his home in Hawaii. Because Hawaii is so sort of naturally beautiful, it`s inspired Matthew to get in shape and to eat well and take advantage of all of the wonderful fish that the islands can provide.
He grew up in Wyoming on a Native American reservation. So for him to become a major Hollywood star now is just a really fascinating juxtaposition between where he came from and where he currently is.
Through a mutual friend, he actually met a Venetian model named Margherita. Two children later, they are absolutely happily married.
What is great about Matthew Fox is that, although he`s on a hit series called "Lost", he`s anything but. He`s rooted in his family with his beautiful Italian wife and his two kids. And at almost 40 years old, the guy`s on top of the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: To read more about Matthew Fox pick up a copy of "InStyle" magazine on newsstands now.
ANDERSON: Tonight`s soul music legend Isaac Hayes has a new gift with a fellow Scientologist. Well, according to "Jimmy Kimmel Live", anyway.
Hayes quit "South Park" this week. He`s the voice of Chef. Saying the animated satire had become disrespectful, especially towards religion.
So what`s Isaac Hayes up to now? Here`s what Jimmy Kimmel says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC`s "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": From now on, he will exclusively do all the voice-over work for Tom Cruise. Look at this.
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": Something happened to you. Something happened to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m in love. I`m in love. Yes, baby. And when it`s your woman, you just treat her with respect and love. You know I don`t blame play games. I don`t play games. Oh! And when I see that sexy Katie Holmes. You know she`s got the force. The life-force. Oh! Woo! That`s how I feel about it. I`m in love. I`m in love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It works. I think it works.
OK. Imagine. No annoying cell phone ringing during the latest blockbuster movie. There`s a move to jam cell signals in theaters. But is it fair? That`s coming up in a "SHOWBIZ Newsmaker."
VARGAS: Plus, ABC News man Bob Woodruff out of the hospital. He nearly lost his life covering a story in Iraq. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the latest on his recovery.
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not like once a week. We are talking about every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Binging and purging, grown men throwing up their food. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exposes the evils of eating disorders and they don`t just affect girls and women. That`s ahead, in SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s special report. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 31 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York City.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
ANDERSON: Sibila, have you ever been in a movie theater enjoying the film when a cell phone rings, ruining the experience for you?
VARGAS: Absolutely. I`ve been there.
ANDERSON: It`s happened to all of us. And now movie theater owners are considering seeking federal permission to ban -- to actually jam cell phone signals in theaters. Coming up, I will speak with someone who strongly opposes this. We`ll find out why.
VARGAS: Well, from movies to a movie star. We also have Natalie Portman. A showbiz sit down with the actress. She talks about the controversial movie "V for Vendetta" and how she felt about shaving her head for the role. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: All right. Looking forward to that. But first, tonight, a revealing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, eating disorders in men. When you hear the words "anorexia" or "bulimia," you probably think of women.
Recently, though, actor Dennis Quaid admitted he suffered from what he calls manorexia -- male anorexia -- while filming the movie "Wyatt Earp" in 1994. Quaid said losing weight for the role caused the condition.
The shocking thing is, Quaid is not alone. Ten percent of the people diagnosed with eating disorders are men. And experts say that number is on the rise. Here`s CNN`s Ted Rowlands for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you haven`t been on the scale since the last time I weighed you?
JAI PERUMAN, DIAGNOSED WITH BULIMIA: No.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taking off his shoes to step onto a scale. Jai Peruman looks away so he can`t see his weight. Jai is recovering from bulimia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The amount of time in the day you are thinking about this is pretty minimal?
PERUMAN: I don`t know. It`s probably still a significant amount. But it`s definitely not like it was.
ROWLANDS: Three years ago at the age of 17, Jai started deliberately throwing up his food.
J. PERUMAN: It was out of control from the start. You know. And just being bingeing and purging three or four times a day.
ROWLANDS: Jai, who loves playing the base guitar lives by himself in this Berkeley, California apartment. He was living at home with his family when his obsession began. And says he was able to keep it a secret. Until he actually swallowed the toothbrush he was using to gag himself.
J. PERUMAN: I had like basically I had my whole hand in my mouth. Holding onto the head with the ends of the two fingers. And you lose it.
RAVI PERUMAN, SON SUFFERS FROM PERUMAN: I knew he was thin. That part was easy to recognize. I had no idea that he was thin because he had an eating disorder.
ROWLANDS: Jai and his family would soon learn they weren`t alone. An estimated 10 percent of people with eating disorders are boys or men. Like Jeff Everts who says he started 30 years ago when he was just 15 growing occupy on a farm in Wisconsin.
JEFF EVERTS, DIAGNOSED WITH BULIMIA: It wasn`t that I was worried about getting fat. It`s that I wanted to be lean as a football player.
ROWLANDS: Jeff says he remembers avoiding food altogether in high school. Skipping breakfast and lunch for days at a time. And intentionally coming home late after football practice.
EVERTS: Get through that door. Run as fast as I could through the kitchen as my dad and mom are yelling at me. Hey, Jeff, sit down and get something to eat. Come on. And I`m making a beeline up that stairs and up into my bedroom. That was the dreaded moment of the day.
ROWLANDS: Eventually Jeff was so thin, he couldn`t play football anymore. The local newspaper published this photograph of Jeff getting an honorary game ball when he was a senior. At the time, nobody knew what was wrong with him.
EVERTS: My parents didn`t have any clue about anorexia or bulimia or any of these eating disorders. We lived on a farm. This is 30 years ago.
ROWLANDS: Eventually Jeff and Jai ended up getting help. They each spent time at Rogers Hospital in Okanamawauk (ph), Wisconsin. The hospital has the only inpatient eating disorder clinic in the country for men and boys.
DR. THEODORE WELTZIN, ROGERS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: Many males with clear eating disorder symptoms are not diagnosed.
ROWLANDS: Dr. Theodore Weltzin helps run the treatment program at Rogers Hospital. Patients here are put on a special diet to help them gain weight. Their activities are also closely monitored including trips to the bathroom. Dr. Weltzen says in recent years more and more men are being diagnosed with eating disorders. Partly because of the same societal pressure women have dealt with for years. To have that so-called perfect body.
WELTZIN: Six pack abs and having this ripped abdomen as way of somehow being happy. Being successful. Having a good relationship. I mean, that is the message that`s going out. That`s why we are seeing greater rates of males with eating disorders.
ROWLANDS: Jai keeps a photograph of himself when he entered treatment. He weighed 117 pounds. He also keeps this photo of a friend he met in treatment who later died. Jai who sees a nutritionist now weighs more than 140 pounds and says he thinks he has his problem beat. Jeff, on the other hand, is still struggling.
EVERTS: All right, Lightning.
ROWLANDS: He lives alone with his dog in Albuquerque, New Mexico and he is still throwing up his food.
EVERTS: It`s not like once a week. We are talking about every day.
ROWLANDS: Jeff says he doesn`t eat a lot. In his refrigerator there is some milk. Low-fat cottage cheese and protein drinks.
EVERTS: The source of my protein. Because again, I don`t eat much meat.
ROWLANDS: In the freezer you see Jeff`s problem.
EVERTS: We have the binge, unfortunately. We have the ice cream.
ROWLANDS: Half gallon bricks stacked in rows. Jeff says around 8:00 every night he eats about a gallon of ice cream. Then he throws it up.
EVERTS: It`s almost like a second high. High when you are eating the food. Because you`ve created your fantasy world where nothing matters now. OK, you are in a sense of lawless world, OK? So you get that high from that. And then when the pain level reaches to the point where you realize all of the wickedness you might see is absorbed. Now you throw it up and get rid of it out of your life. And then it`s back to this low, pressure peaceful mood again.
ROWLANDS: Why can`t you beat this?
EVERTS: That`s a good question. I keep working at it. I keep working at it.
ROWLANDS: An estimated 10 percent of people with eating disorders eventually die from the illness. The experts say with help, most people, like Jai, can get past the disease and lead a normal life. But for others, like Jeff, it`s a lifelong struggle.
EVERTS: It`d be nice to be totally free and never have to think about that again. But I can`t foresee that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Ted Rowlands for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And sadly, male eating disorders are not a new phenomenon. According to webmd.com, the first cases of anorexia, reported 300 years ago, were actually in men.
VARGAS: Well, time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines." Bob Woodruff has checked out of a Bethesda, Maryland, medical center. ABC News President David Westin said today the "World News Tonight" co-anchor is up and about, but will continue his recovery at a facility in New York. Woodruff and his cameraman were injured by a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in January.
Tonight, Michael Jackson is set to pay his Neverland Ranch employees. The California Department of Industrial Relations says at least 30 workers had not been paid since December, they`re owed $306,000.
Jackson was scheduled to cut the check today. If he didn`t, he could have faced a lawsuit. Officials shut down Neverland Ranch last week.
And the Georgia Senate doesn`t think Jane Fonda is a peach. Members nearly unanimously defeated a resolution that would have honored her charity work in the state. Jane Fonda`s political activities in the 1970s, when she protested the Vietnam War, have long made her a target of veterans. And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
ANDERSON: Tonight, Hollywood meets Motown to fight off the number two cancer killer in the U.S. And "Today Show" co-host Katie Couric helped bring out the stars. Couric was the driving force behind "Hollywood Meets Motown" -- a fundraiser for colorectal cancer research and the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health.
That center is named after Couric`s husband, who died of colon cancer in 1998. Couric was joined at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City by a host of stars united for the cause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, HUSBAND DIED OF COLON CANCER: I have a lot of talented people who are willing to volunteer their time to help us. And there are no words to express how appreciative I am. And how gratified I am that they are here.
CHRIS "LUDACRIS" BRIDGES, RAPPER: It`s the number one cancer killer in black men so. It`s definitely important just to increase awareness. And that`s why I`m here.
SMOKEY ROBINSON, NATIONAL CANCER SPOKESPERSON: Wherever a cancer fight is up. I`m ready to fight. Because it`s devastating. Of course. And I hope that they find a cure for it like yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now listen to this. Hollywood Meets Motown raised $4 million. Pretty impressive.
VARGAS: It`s one of the reasons many people avoid going to the movies -- those annoying cell phones. Tonight, movie theater owners are fighting back. They want to jam cell phone signals so no calls get in or out. Is the idea good one, or are they just disconnected from reality? That`s next.
Plus, we`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATALIE PORTMAN, ACTRESS: Really excited at the idea of playing this girl who becomes someone who thinks she can use violence to express her political beliefs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Natalie Portman, like you`ve never seen her before, in a controversial role where the "good guys" are terrorists. A revealing one- on-one interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." next.
But first, tonight, "Entertainment Weekly`s" great American pop culture quiz.
Which Kiss tune did Garth Brooks record on a 1994 tribute album? "Beth," "Hard Luck Woman," "Christine Sixteen" or "Love Gun"? We`ll be right back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: So again. Tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" great American pop culture quiz. Which Kiss tune did Garth Brooks record on a 1994 tribute album, "Beth," "Hard Luck Woman," "Christine Sixteen" or "Love Gun." You don`t think the country star put on the famous kiss kabuki make- up. But we do know Garth Brooks recorded "Hard Luck Woman." So of course the answer is B.
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York City and you`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show. OK. Everybody`s been there. You`re in the movie theater, it`s the most important part of the movie, and then it happens. A cell phone goes off. It makes you want to scream. Well, tonight, movie theater owners are hoping to reel in those annoying ringers. They want to actually jam the cell phone signals which would prevent calls from coming in or going out.
Joining me live from Washington, DC for our showbiz newsmaker interview is John Walls, who is the vice president of the leading cell phone trade group, CTIA, the Wireless Association. John, thanks so much for being here.
JOHN WALLS, WIRELESS ASSOCIATION VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Brooke.
ANDERSON: All right. It`s happened to me. It`s probably happened to you, John, right?
WALLS: Sure.
ANDERSON: You`re sitting there in the theater. You`ve paid for your ticket. You deserve some peace and quiet to watch the film. Then the annoying cell phone ring. Seriously, what`s wrong with jamming those signals so that never happens?
WALLS: Yeah, there`s quite a bit wrong with it, actually, Brooke. When you look at what we are talking about in terms of the cell phone and what it provides. It`s a great public safety tool. It`s a way of mom and dad, you know, like my wife and I can be in touch with babysitters at home. Doctors who are on call. Other emergency personnel who are on call.
A lot of people are on 24 hour call and they have to be notified at a point of a critical moment. And it`s really nobody`s right since they are public airwaves to decide what gets in and what does not get in terms of jamming. It`s just. It`s a bad idea. It`s illegal right now. And it should remain that way.
ANDERSON: But you agree that cell phones shouldn`t be ringing of the hook in the theater, right?
WALLS: Oh, yeah. There`s no doubt about that. We hope for common courtesy here, that people would be cognizant of the kind of responsibilities they have when they have that phone. And that`s put it on silent. Put it on vibrate. Take advantage of the functionality built into that phone. And make sure that you can enjoy the experience just like everybody else in there. But you are not interrupting. We wish we could also put that baby behind us on silent. Or the woman fishing through -- or the gentleman who has Good `N` Plenty. And put them on silent too or the kids in the front row. There are a lot of distractions in the movies right now for sure. But I don`t think cell phones and them ringing at movies is the reason why there might be declining attendance.
ANDERSON: Well, this is part of a much bigger problem of course. And you must sympathize with the movie theater owners. They`ve had a terrible year. And this way they are trying to lure people back. People just aren`t pleased with the movie-going experience. Do you not think maybe this is a good first step at all? What do you propose should happen?
WALLS: Just use common sense. I`ve been in theaters. And Cingular is one of our members that spends a lot of money with a reminder on the big screen. Just before the feature presentation starts it says, please allow all the patrons to enjoy the feature and turn off or put your cell phone on silent or vibrate.
And I see many hands reaching into their pockets and doing just that. So that`s all we need is a nudge in that direction. I think the theaters do have some responsibilities here as well. They could put signs up on the doors maybe as you walk into the various theater that you are walking into. Maybe by the concession stand. And I don`t think it`s unreasonable to give them the privilege, if you will, or the right to go ahead and ask somebody to leave if their cell phone does go off.
ANDERSON: Kick them out.
WALLS: They should be allowed to do that. That`s reasonable. But I think jamming is just not the way to go.
ANDERSON: And if only those jerks and rude patrons would pay attention to the signs that say silence the phones. We are going to have to leave it there. John Walls of the Wireless Association. Thanks for being with us tonight.
WALLS: Good night, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Good night. We want to know what you think of cell phones in movie theaters. Should their signals be jammed? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write us, showbiztonight@cnn.com we`ll your emails are coming up a bit later.
VARGAS: Tonight, a showbiz sit down with Natalie Portman. As we told you earlier, she`s starring in a controversial new film, "V for Vendetta." in the movie, which is written and produced by the Wachowski Brothers of "Matrix" fame, Portman plays a woman who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man who goes by the name of "V." V`s on a mission to blow up the British parliament and free the nation of a corrupt government. So is "V" a hero, or is he terrorist? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" producer Jenny D`Attoma asked Portman about it and how she felt about shaving her head for the part.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know why you are here, Evey Hammond?
NATALIE PORTMAN, ACTRESS: Yes. Please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`ve been formally charged with three counts of murder. The bombing of government property. Conspiracy to commit terrorism, treason and sedition. The penalty which is death by firing squad.
JENNY D`ATTOMA, CNNHN PRODUCER: Do you view yourself as a political person? Have you thought about that?
PORTMAN: I`m definitely politically aware. And I definitely pay attention. But you know, obviously it`s not the center of my life or anything.
D`ATTOMA: Would you be the type of person that would go to a peace rally or would go to protest the Iraq War. Is that part of who you are?
PORTMAN: I think I`m definitely like very sort of, um, like sensitive to injustices in the world. Yeah. I don`t know how willing I would ever be to commit violence on behalf of my beliefs. But you know, definitely. Obviously rallies and that kind of thing. Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to cooperate?
PORTMAN: No.
I was really excited at the idea of playing this girl. Who becomes someone who thinks she can use violence to express her political beliefs. And I`ve always wondered what would make someone be violent? Because it`s something so foreign to me. But it was exciting to play.
D`ATTOMA: Tell me about the physical transformation you undergo. You are shaving your head in the movie. One take, obviously. You don`t get a second chance at it.
PORTMAN: Right.
D`ATTOMA: What`s going through your mind while this is happening? How are you preparing yourself and how are you controlling your reaction to it?
PORTMAN: Well I was just trying to focus on staying, you know, in the character. Because you only have one shot, you know? We are used to in movies getting multiple chances to make it better and to fix it. Because, you know, the film, you can throw out and try again. In this we only had one chance. So I was just trying to stay with the character.
D`ATTOMA: And what was it like seeing yourself for the first time in the mirror?
PORTMAN: It was exciting. I was fun -- I was really looking forward to it. I thought it would be fun to put vanity aside for a little bit. And just, be able to focus on inside more than outside for a while.
D`ATTOMA: Meanwhile you say you put vanity aside. And this is one of the most requested haircuts in salons. Did you know that?
PORTMAN: Shaved head. For women?
D`ATTOMA: For women. Women are going shorter and shorter because of what you did.
PORTMAN: Interesting. I don`t know about that.
D`ATTOMA: No, seriously. It really is becoming a trend. How do you feel about that?
PORTMAN: Interesting. Well it`s a great experience. And it`s a reversible one, which is always a nice dramatic thing to try.
D`ATTOMA: Is it freeing?
PORTMAN: It is. If we spent half as much time on, you know, developing ourselves, you know, instead of developing our looks, then the world might be a lot better.
D`ATTOMA: As an actor, how did you feel about being a part of a movie like this? Do you seek out roles that make you think?
PORTMAN: Well, I try and find things that are interesting for me. Because I feel like if it`s interesting for me. I hope I can make it interesting for an audience. And this definitely has a lot of stuff in it that I`ve been, you know, thinking about and changing my opinion about from the beginning of filming until now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And her shaved head is making headlines. It`s true. The shaved head is in. "V for Vendetta" opens in theaters everywhere this weekend.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Cell phones in movie theaters. Should their signals be jammed? And the vote far 78 percent of you say yes, they should be. Twenty two percent of you say no. Some of the emails we have received.
Junior from Florida writes, "No, the signals should not be jammed. The cell phones should be considered only for use in emergencies in theaters."
And Olivia from Alaska says that, "Yes, they should be jammed. With all the disturbances that go on in theaters, this is the first step for people to enjoy the movie."
ANDERSON: And it`s time to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. For that, we take a look at the "Showbiz Marquee."
Tomorrow, more outrageous and contagious viral videos. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the funniest and oddest clips out there coming soon to an email inbox near you.
And coming to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow. Cheryl Hines live. The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star is heading back to college in her new series, "Campus Ladies." think of it as "Desperate Housewives," meets "Animal House." Forty-something women leave minivans and malls for keg stands and co-ed dorms. Cheryl Hines joins SHOWBIZ TONIGHT fraternity, live, tomorrow. More like a sorority around here, right, Sibila? Tonight.
VARGAS: Thanks a lot for joining us on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in New York City. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News."
END
