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Showbiz Tonight
Is "American Idol" Star Playing Dumb?; Naomi Campbell Arrested for Phone Assault; Van Zant Brothers Support Bush; "American Idol" Low-Down
Aired March 30, 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: A supermodel arrested today. We`ve got the latest details. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And what an "American Idol" contestant and an animated Disney star have in common.
I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, and TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Simple Life", serious business.
PARIS HILTON, HEIRESS: That`s hot.
HAMMER: Tonight, silly stars who are super popular and dishing out ditsiness.
JESSICA SIMPSON, SINGER: I know it`s tuna, but it says chicken.
HAMMER: But are the sexy starlets playing dumb and dumber for dollars?
KELLIE PICKLER, "AMERICAN IDOL" CONTESTANT: I had calamari.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks is all this stupidity just a Hollywood act?
And Hollywood for President Bush. Tonight the rocking country stars who are going out of their way to let everyone know President Bush is their guy and why. It`s the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
JIMMY SMITS, ACTOR: Hi, I`m Jimmy Smits from "West Wing". And if it happened today, you`ll see it on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer, live in New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood. And A.J., as they say, good help is pretty hard to find, especially when you keep getting accused of whacking your staff.
HAMMER: Don`t want to whack the staff, Brooke.
ANDERSON: No.
HAMMER: Breaking news just in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, former supermodel Naomi Campbell in big trouble with the cops for something that allegedly happened involving her housekeeper and a phone. We`re going to get to that story in just a moment.
ANDERSON: We sure will, A.J., but first tonight, "dumb and dumber." We`re hearing that a big reality TV star may be -- how shall we say, "putting on the ditz." And she`s not alone.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas is live here in Hollywood to tell us all about it.
Sibila, what`s up?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don`t know how some people get away with it. But one of the big stars who emerged from this season`s "American Idol" is Kellie Pickler, a Southern girl with a big voice, a big smile and an intellect that`s, uh, well, she has a big voice.
Now some people say Pickler`s naivety may be an act. But even if it is, you`ve got to wonder: can someone really become a huge star by playing dumb?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): "American Idol" sweetheart Kellie Pickler definitely has people talking. And they`re asking if this perky 19-year- old from North Carolina is an "American Idol"...
(MUSIC)
VARGAS: ... or as Green Day would say, an "American Idiot."
Now before you think we`re being mean, just hear us out. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has noticed something interesting: that one of the most popular people on America`s most popular show doesn`t exactly come across as the sharpest tool in the shed.
PICKLER: I tried my first squid. They call that calamari.
RYAN SEACREST, HOST: What`d you have for lunch this week? Didn`t you have something special? Didn`t you have a fish that you had never had before?
PICKER: Yes, I had a salmon.
VARGAS: And it`s precisely because of that Kellie is absolutely loved.
PAULA ABDUL, JUDGE, FOX`s "AMERICAN IDOL": Can you get any cuter?
VARGAS: OK, phrase from Paula isn`t exactly hard to come by. But what about the hard-hearted Simon?
SIMON COWELL, JUDGE, FOX`S "AMERICAN IDOL": I don`t know what it is. But you just cannot help but like you.
VARGAS: What? She`s now winning over Simon? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT had to ask, is Kellie for real?
FARRAH WEINSTEIN, "NEW YORK POST": I think she`s putting us on.
VARGAS: Farrah Weinstein wrote an article about Kellie in the "New York Post". She tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Kellie may have stumbled on an old Hollywood secret, that it may be smart to play dumb.
WEINSTEIN: I think that she knows that Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton are, you know, the most famous women and they say stupid things. And then it becomes, you know, sensationalized.
SIMPSON: I know it`s tuna. But it says chicken. By the sea.
VARGAS: Jessica Simpson`s less than informed tuna talk to Nick Lachey may not have helped their marriage, but it definitely helped boost the profile of their old reality show, "Newlyweds".
HILTON: I like my hair on this side better. Can I just point this way?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
HILTON: Actually, no, I like this.
VARGAS: And Paris Hilton got a lot of mileage from her stupid girl act, if you can call it an act, on her reality show, "The Simple Life". Is Kellie Pickler following in that tradition?
WEINSTEIN: I quoted Jim Franco from MTV news as saying that reality TV has pretty much replaced the sitcom in the past five to six years. Because you know, we used to have Chrissy Snow on "Three`s Company" being all, you know, stupid and spacey. And we used to love her.
SUZANNE SOMERS, ACTRESS: Hi.
WEINSTEIN: Now we have Jessica Simpson and Kelly Pickler, you know, doing it.
I`m not denying that Kellie Pickler is very talented. She`s a talented girl. There`s just no reason for her to play upon the stupidity.
COWELL: A naughty little minx.
PICKLER: What`s a minks?
VARGAS: But now the disturbing question becomes what kind of example is all this setting for young girls?
WEINSTEIN: I think they`ve made younger women less ambitious. It`s the easy way out to be stupid, you know, to play stupid, to play dumb. And it`s cute. And it`s easy, you know. And you don`t have to work hard for it.
VARGAS: That`s exactly the point pop star Pink makes in the video for her song "Stupid Girls."
But noted writer and psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky says light- hearted people like Kellie may actually benefit young women.
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: What happens psychologically is that when there is social pressure, as there is today, for young girls to be totally together and articulate and intelligent and successful, then we have a backlash, where it`s a relief: oh, I don`t have to be so smart. I don`t have to be so together. I don`t have to be so empowered. I can be ditzy.
And that`s a relief for them. And that`s why they can then celebrate some girl who is so opposite from the typical profile they`re supposed to be.
VARGAS: As for Kelly Pickler, we`re not cynics at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. After all, she could just be an excited kid who`s just having the time of her life.
PICKLER: Get excited. Woo.
VARGAS: And she`s lighting it up on America`s most popular show, not to mention getting serious air time on a major news network. And that sounds pretty smart to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Now don`t think we`re being too hard on Kelly. I like her, and she`s got tons of fans. A quick Google search shows that she has more than one fan site dedicated to her. But there`s also at least one site dedicated to showing that she`s putting on an act.
A lot of attention for a teen from North Carolina, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Indeed it is, Sibila. Let`s just hope young women aren`t influenced in such a way they neglect their educations.
VARGAS: Good point.
ANDERSON: And we want to hear from you what you think about this. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Starlets playing stupid: do you think it`s all just an act? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us e-mail: ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We will read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
HAMMER: I think some are going to call super model Naomi Campbell less than smart for allegedly whacking her housekeeper with a cell phone this morning. New York City police were called. Next thing you know, Naomi`s in a police precinct.
Take a look at the video. No big surprise. The police were there, and the press showed up. That`s Naomi. Flashbulbs burning. Paparazzi shouting. And look she`s wearing that white poncho. Martha Stewart, are you seeing that? She`s charged with assault.
Now of course, not the first time that she`s been in trouble with the law. And get this. This latest charge could actually land her in the same trouble that Russell Crowe got himself into.
TMZ.com`s managing editor, Harvey Levin, has been all over the story since it broke today. He joins us live from Glendale, California.
So Harvey, walk us through what happened today with Naomi.
HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: Well, allegedly this happened at 8 a.m. in the morning. Her housekeeper says that Naomi whacked her with a cell phone and lacerated her head. The housekeeper went to Lennox Hill Hospital, where she had stitches, actually a staple put in to close the wound.
And the police arrested Naomi. And she went to the station in New York. And she has been booked and charged, and she will be arraigned on charges of second-degree felony assault, A.J. That is a big, big penalty. The same that Russell Crowe faced, with a maximum penalty if convicted of seven years in prison.
HAMMER: Now needless to say, her people are saying this didn`t happen. She says it`s actually retaliation. I want to read the statement that was issued to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT by her publicist. They said, "We believe this is a case of retaliation because Naomi had fired her housekeeper earlier this morning. We are confident the courts will see it the same way" -- Harvey.
LEVIN: Well, you know, what I`m guessing is who retaliated against whom if the one that got lacerated is the maid? So that`s the one part of the statement that I frankly don`t understand.
And I`ve got to tell you, A.J., she has big trouble here. I mean, this woman pleaded guilty to doing exactly the same thing back in 2000, throwing a telephone at one of her assistants. And, you know, she was accused of it a year later by somebody else, though she denied that. In the first case, she actually pleaded -- pleaded guilty. And she had to take anger management classes. So she could be a recidivist with a telephone -- with a cell phone.
HAMMER: So she actually could be tossed out of the country for this?
LEVIN: You know, it`s possible. If she gets convicted of a felony, she could -- that could indeed happen to her. But realize, too, that she could get nailed if she`s convicted, because the judge could say, "Look, Naomi. You`ve got a problem, and you`ve been -- you`ve pleaded guilty to this before. And I`m going to throw the book at you."
HAMMER: All right, Harvey. Well, we`ll continue to watch the story. I`m sure people are going to be having a field day with it. They`re just eating it up. We appreciate you joining us tonight, Harvey Levin from TMZ.com.
ANDERSON: The future of "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, plus the connection between an "Idol" contestant and a popular Disney character. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Adrianna Costa is here live.
And we`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONNIE VAN ZANT, MUSICIAN: We`re just supporters of our president. We like George Bush. That`s all there is to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The country rock stars who are going out of their way to support President Bush. The Van Zant brothers -- you know them from Lynyrd Skynyrd and 38 Special -- in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: And up on the roof and on strike. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the story of a guy who won`t get down, because his kids won`t get out of his bedroom. That is coming up in just a bit. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen. Real big "American Idol" news coming up, but first to A.J. Go for it. Preset to dissolve. Cue.
HAMMER: Thank you, Charles.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. This is TV`s only live entertainment news show.
So how many times have you heard big stars in Hollywood, in music, coming out and bashing President Bush? Happens a lot, right? Names you know, of course. Big name: Susan Sarandon, George Clooney. I could probably go on and on. Well, this is why you have to watch this interview that I did today with the Van Zant brothers, because they are not like all these other stars.
Donnie`s the lead singer of 38 Special. Johnny heads up Lynyrd Skynyrd. And the two of them got together last year to do some country tunes as Van Zants, with their album, "Get Right with the Man".
Well, I chatted with them about the war in Iraq and how they feel about being a relatively rare voice in the celebrity world when it comes to talking about the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: You guys have been very vocal lately about your support for President Bush. Now that is in stark contrast to what we hear from Hollywood and the majority of celebrities. So my question is why?
JOHNNY VAN ZANT: You know what? This is Johnny.
D. VAN ZANT: Actually, we don`t care what Hollywood thinks.
J. VAN ZANT: We`re from Jacksonville, Florida. Or Middleburg, I should say? You know what? I`m wearing a band here that says Brian M. Reminds (ph). And you know what? This fellow died over in Iraq, you know, trying to defend this country. Sergeant.
D. VAN ZANT: Yes, sergeant.
J. VAN ZANT: And we`re behind our troops 110 percent. And you know what? Our president, you know what? I`m sure that nobody here, especially the Van Zants, want war at all. In a real great world, everybody would be coming home and doing this. But, you know, we`ve got to stick together as one in this country and get this job done. That`s the way we feel about it.
D. VAN ZANT: And the main thing, whether you`re for the war or against war, we need to support our men and women over there. And give them whatever they need to get the job done.
J. VAN ZANT: Exactly. For sure.
HAMMER: And I think there`s no disputing that. And even celebrities in Hollywood coming out against President Bush are very vocal about the fact that they, of course, still support our troops.
So I`m curious when you see people like George Clooney or when you see Susan Sarandon getting together with Cindy Sheehan to put together these major events that sort of raise a fist at our president and the administration. Does that kind of get under your skin?
D. VAN ZANT: It does. I hate the word coward, calling our president coward. And it actually makes us pretty mad if you want to know the truth.
J. VAN ZANT: You know what? I don`t know if during World War I or World War II or whatever, were people allowed to even do this. You know, I`m not for sure. I`m not that much on history.
But I do know that us as Americans need to stand behind our president. We need to stick together behind our troops. We have men and women that are in harm`s way. And we need -- we need to stick behind these folks. And by sticking behind our troops, that means sticking behind our president of this United States of America. That`s the way we feel.
HAMMER: Well, certainly we have seen plenty of celebrity protests of the administration and of President Bush. But I`m curious and maybe you guys know. Maybe you don`t, why we haven`t seen any pro-Bush rallies going on?
J. VAN ZANT: Well, I think you`re kind of getting one right now.
HAMMER: I guess you could say we are.
D. VAN ZANT: Come to Middleburg, Florida. We`ll give you one.
J. VAN ZANT: You know what? For us, honestly. You know what? We`re in America. Everybody should be able to speak their mind, which is -- that`s why we call this the land of the free. And you know what? For those who are against the president, that`s their choice. You know what? It`s a freedom of speech.
And we`re just saying, you know what? If we stick together on this, we may be able to pull this thing together. Divided, we`re nothing. As one, we`re everything.
HAMMER: Sure, but as you point out and it is so important that people remember this. This is America and we do have a right to whether we agree or disagree put our voices out there.
J. VAN ZANT: Sure.
D. VAN ZANT: Right.
HAMMER: A couple of people who have been doing just that, arguably two of the biggest stars in country music, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, recently really came out with some strong words criticizing President Bush and the administration over his response to the hurricane relief.
D. VAN ZANT: Right.
HAMMER: What was your reaction when these guys came forward?
J. VAN ZANT: You know something? Hey, again, they`re Americans. They`re friends of ours. We know Tim and Faith. And you know what? Again we live in a great country here where everybody can speak their mind. And you know what? We`ll still be able to see them at the award shows or play a gig with them. You know what I mean? But...
D. VAN ZANT: It doesn`t make us mad whatsoever. I mean, we`re just supporters of our president. We like George Bush. That`s all there is to it, you know.
HAMMER: Well, there`s a good chance you will run into Tim and Faith at the CMT Awards coming up next month.
D. VAN ZANT: We sure will.
HAMMER: They`re going to be there. You guys are nominated, and congratulations on your two nominations.
J. VAN ZANT: Thank you so much.
D. VAN ZANT: Thank you so much. We appreciate that.
J. VAN ZANT: You know what? We -- we`re actually playing before the awards, ourself, Jason Audine and Little Big Town. They do like a street party thing. So we encourage everybody to come out and check us all out. We`re going to be out this summer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, myself. Lynyrd Skynyrd. I`ll be doing over 70 shows with Skynyrd.
D. VAN ZANT: I`ll be touring with 38 Special.
J. VAN ZANT: Same thing. We`re out on the Redneck Revolution Tour with Gretchen Wilson right now and Blaine Larsen. So we`re having a good time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Guys not just speaking their mind and appearing at the CMT Awards coming up in a couple of weeks. But as they mentioned, they`re going to be a part of that red neck revolution tour, which is already under way. The CMT Awards will happen April 10 on CMT, of course.
ANDERSON: There`s so much "American Idol" news tonight. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, this is place, your one-stop shop for it. One "Idol" star is out, but another will be sticking around for a long, long time.
"Showbiz Tonight`s" Adrianna Costa is live with us in Atlanta tonight to bring us up to speed.
Adrianna, great to see you.
ADRIANNA COSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Brooke. Absolutely.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Now I want to start with the latest contestant to be ousted, Lisa Tucker. Very young, 16 years old.
COSTA: Right.
ANDERSON: In the bottom three for two weeks. Now I think her song choice this week really just ushered her right out the door.
COSTA: Well, if you ask me, she should have been gone about five weeks ago.
ANDERSON: Oh?
COSTA: Truthfully. Listen. She`s good. She`s 16 years old. She`s got a long road ahead of her. But I felt like she just didn`t bring it to the table. And of course, the reviews from the judges were never that spectacular.
She sang "Because of You", Kelly Clarkson`s song. And when you choose a song that`s so ambitious and so popular right now, you`re going to be compared to that singer.
ANDERSON: Inevitably.
COSTA: And she didn`t bring anything special to the table with that, necessarily. The judges didn`t think the performance was great, and clearly, the voters didn`t either, you know. But again, she does have probably a long road ahead of her. So I`m just going to say you go for it, Lisa Tucker.
ANDERSON: I think she does have quite a career in front of her, as well.
And let`s talk about Katharine McPhee, also in the bottom three this week. But this was quite a surprise, because she`s considered a favorite. Many people have what they call McPheever. But many say she will bounce back from this. Adrianna, do you think she could go to the very end?
COSTA: To be honest with you and speaking with some of my -- some of my -- the people who are giving me ideas on this, I think what`s going to happen is she is going to make it to the end. Now, do you think she`s going to be the next American Idol? No. But I think she`ll definitely be in the final three and final four.
Maybe the song choice didn`t work for her. Brooke, I want to point to out. At the end of the day, this is truly a popularity contest.
ANDERSON: Oh, yes.
COSTA: So say she`s a better contestant, or a better singer than Bucky Covington. I`m not saying she is. I`m saying put it out there, say that was the case. If Bucky has a more dedicated fan base, they`re going to call in more.
ANDERSON: Right.
COSTA: Maybe Katharine doesn`t have people calling in as much. You know, that doesn`t mean she`s any less of a singer necessarily.
ANDERSON: It definitely is a popularity contest. That has been proven time and time again. And you mention Bucky Covington. Next week the theme is country. And this seems perfectly suited for Bucky, but many think he`s going to be eliminated.
COSTA: You know what, you`re absolutely right. It will -- he will definitely shine in this upcoming week, because country are his roots. You know, country`s his roots. He does best with country songs, and he`s got the look. He`s got the vibe. But I will tell you I don`t think it`s going to save him from an elimination.
I love Bucky personally. I think he`s very wry. I like his talent. But I think that he`s probably going to be the next to go.
Now, it`s probably going to be between him or Ace, though. If you look at it, Ace has this kind of boy band vibe going on: ripping his shirt off, staring at the ladies. It`s like what are you doing, buddy? You missed the boy band boat.
But if it`s not Bucky to leave, I would say Ace is next in line. Who is safe next week? Probably Taylor Hicks, because he`s got the sort of bluesy-soulful vibe going on, which is often related with country. Mandisa will probably be OK, you know.
ANDERSON: OK -- well, one person that has been eliminated that I want to talk about quickly, Adrianna, is Kevin Covais. Though kicked off, he`s made quite an impression and actually could have influenced the movie "Chicken Little". No. 1 DVD right now.
COSTA: Well, perhaps. I mean, that`s what we`re thinking.
The deal is...
ANDERSON: Look at that.
COSTA: I know. They have this ongoing joke throughout "American Idol" that Kevin completely resembles Chicken Little or vice versa. So now "Chicken Little" is out on DVD. It is the No. 1 selling DVD of our day. Is there any correlation? I don`t know. I`ll leave it up to you guys to decide.
ANDERSON: And Kevin takes the resemblance jokes. He takes it all in stride. Seems to be a nice guy. Adrianna, we are going to have to leave it there.
COSTA: Yes, yes. Thank you, Brooke, so much.
ANDERSON: Thanks so much for your insight. Adrianna Costa joining us live tonight in Atlanta.
Don`t forget: you can catch Adrianna`s entertainment reports every morning on "Robyn and Company." That is from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. right here on CNN Headline News.
HAMMER: Well, you`ve been talking about all the contestants. What about the judges? We know Paula Abdul signed on another three years. It`s a guarantee. And of course, Simon Cowell, he`s on for five more years. So they`re going to be around for awhile.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. We`re just waiting on Randy Jackson. We haven`t heard anything about him having renegotiated a contract. So we`re waiting on that.
But I think song choice is crucial. These people really need to put some thought into what they`re going to sing. Because inevitably, they`re going to be compared to, say, Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera if they sing those songs. They have to have the pipes to back it up.
HAMMER: Always going to be the case.
Well, let`s move on to a pop star everybody knows. Britney Spears, co-hosting her very own talk show. Well, sort of. We`ve got a sneak peek. That`s coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, Sharon Stone is back in a role she first played 14 years ago. Also, her candid thoughts on the message Hollywood is sending to kids about body image. Sharon Stone in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And we`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re a happy family. But some things have got to change immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Why this guy is raising the roof. Tonight, the story of a husband who is on strike on top of his house. That`s still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow Tori Spelling is here live. She`s back on TV. She`s got a brand new show called "So Notorious". Tori Spelling live tomorrow in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Well, it`s being called step one of the Britney Spears comeback. And tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your sneak peek.
The pop princess is starring on tonight`s "Will & Grace." In the episode, Britney plays Amber Louise, a conservative co-host on Jack`s -- played by Sean Hayes -- gay-leaning talk show. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITNEY SPEARS, SINGER: I was on TV since I was a little girl. And that was because our neighbor shot his wife. It was so sad. But since she was dead and he was on trial, I got to use their pool for two whole summers.
SEAN HAYES, ACTOR: And that is what "Jack Talk" is all about, Amber Louise. Silver linings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You`ll be seeing more of Spears pretty soon. The married mom is launching a fragrance next month and is scheduled to put out a new album this fall. You can catch "Will & Grace", also with guest star Wanda Sykes, tonight on NBC.
HAMMER: Well, a "Friends" star and his wife call it quits. We`ve got the late breaking details.
ANDERSON: Also, Erica Jong live. One of the most famous sex writers of all time in an interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And up on the roof and on strike. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the story of a guy who won`t come down because he`s fed up with the fact that his kids won`t get out of their bedroom. That`s coming up in just a bit. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Thursdays night. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Andersen in Hollywood. And you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
A.J., there is a man in Michigan who has gone on strike, and it`s not for work-related issues, but it`s for problems in the bedroom. He says he`s tired of his kids sleeping in the marital bed. He wants the kids, he wants the toys out.
And to prove his point, A.J., he`s hanging out on the roof of his house. And we will have that story coming up in just a few minutes.
HAMMER: Might fire up a little trend here, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Right.
HAMMER: Also, Sharon Stone, you would think looking at her -- and, by the way, we get to see all of her in "Basic Instinct," which is opening up, "Basic Instinct 2," opening up this weekend.
You`d think that, as she`s gotten older, she has remained comfortable with her body. Not so. And wait until you hear what she had to do to get at peace with it all. She tells me that. Plus, we talk about why this has been the best year of her life, coming up in the interview you`ll see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Sounds good.
HAMMER: But first, let us get to tonight`s Hot Headlines, with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas joining us live once again from Hollywood - - Sibila?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, A.J.
Well, former "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc and his wife are getting divorced. LeBlanc and Melissa McKnight were married in 2003 and have a 2- year-old daughter together. LeBlanc`s rep tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the split is amicable and they remain devoted parents and friends.
Naomi Campbell has been charged with second-degree assault in New York for allegedly hitting her housekeeper in the head with -- get this -- a phone during an argument. Police in Manhattan took the supermodel into custody this afternoon. They say her 41-year-old housekeeper had to get four stitches in her head.
Campbell`s spokesman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they believe it was, quote, "a case of retaliation" because Naomi had fired her housekeeper earlier this morning.
And George Clooney`s Oscar gift bag has made some big money for charity. Clooney donated the bag to the United Way for auction. And the winning bid came in at $45,100. The money goes to the United Way`s hurricane response and recovery fund.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." Good man, that George Clooney.
HAMMER: And quite a list of items in that bag. Really cool that he put it up for auction. Thanks so much.
VARGAS: I know. You`d probably like that BlackBerry.
HAMMER: Yes, I got one keeping me down to this thing anyway.
VARGAS: This one`s probably better.
HAMMER: All right, Sibila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, thanks for joining us from Hollywood once again.
Well, we`ve been asking you to vote online in our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Starlets playing stupid: Do you think it`s all just an act? Keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. You can also write to us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`ll get to your e-mails in just a bit.
ANDERSON: She`s a literary and feminist icon, best known for her ground-breaking and controversial 1973 novel "Fear of Flying," which explored women`s fantasies.
Erica has written a new book, Erica Jong, and it`s called "Seducing the Demon: Writing for My Life." And Erica Jong joins me live here in Hollywood.
Nice to see you.
ERICA JONG, AUTHOR: Hey, it`s great to be here, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Welcome back to the show. And you`ve done it again here. In this book, you`re very open about your crush on former President Bill Clinton. You write...
JONG: Unconsummated.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Good to know. You write about the affair you had, what, 25 years ago with the then-husband of Martha Stewart.
JONG: It was a hook-up, not an affair.
ANDERSON: OK, we`ll call it a hook-up. You write it all down. Nothing left to the imagination. Is it sort of like therapy for you?
JONG: I don`t think it`s really therapy. I really believe that writers are put on this Earth to tell the truth, and the only way we can set an example is if we call ourselves on our own mistakes and our own screw-ups.
I mean, I certainly have made a lot of mistakes. And it`s very hard, when you get very well-known very young, to avoid those mistakes. And I point out some of these things as examples of the dumb things I have done in my life that I really regret.
ANDERSON: Well, you say it`s important to tell the truth. You have a daughter.
JONG: Right.
ANDERSON: What does she think about...
JONG: She`s also a writer, yes.
ANDERSON: She`s also a writer and an author. What does she think about you putting your personal exploits out there for everyone to read? Does she ever say, "Mom, too much information; can it already; enough is enough"?
JONG: In private, she does. She says, "Enough already. We`ve heard it." And like most authors` kids, she doesn`t like to read my books. She wants me as Mom. She doesn`t want me as a writer, and I think that`s perfectly normal, really.
ANDERSON: To keep that relationship mother-daughter?
JONG: Yes, but she`s very supportive of my work, as I am of hers. So she`ll give interviews to the press and say, "My mom is great," but sometimes personally, when we`re alone together, she`ll say, "Enough already. Too much information."
ANDERSON: Tone it down.
JONG: "Don`t want to know about it."
ANDERSON: Do you give her advice about writing? Have you mentored her?
JONG: She never lets me give her advice about writing. I mean, fortunately, she`s had so many wonderful editors in her life, her editor at Random House, her writer friends who have taken her under their wing, because she`s very gifted and she started very young.
ANDERSON: And her name is...
JONG: Molly Jong-Fast.
ANDERSON: OK. So she`s had quite a support system.
And I want to change the subject here briefly. We talk a lot on this show, Erica, about body image and the message that Hollywood sends with skinny waif-like starlets that you see images of them walking around, like Lindsay Lohan, like Nicole Ritchie.
What do you think about the concern that these images are making a long-lasting, negative impact on young women, on young girls?
JONG: I think they are making a negative impact. In fact, I talk about that in "Seducing the Demon." I talk about the fact that a woman who`s really skinny looks great in photographs, but in bed she feels like a bicycle.
And I do say that. And the ideal of womanhood has gotten thinner and thinner and thinner decade by decade. When Marlene Dietrich started out in the `20s of the last century in Germany, she was quite plump. And with every passing decade, she got thinner and thinner.
Now, it works for the camera, but it doesn`t work in real life. And there are so many eating disorders in this country, so many girls who hate their bodies, and I think it makes it worse, that there are these starlets wasting away before our eyes.
ANDERSON: It`s scary. You`ve never been shy about expressing your political opinions, either, about expressing whatever opinions you may have.
Earlier, we had the Van Zant brothers on the show, and they`ve really been open about the fact that they are not anti-President Bush and they`re not anti-war. But in Hollywood, many feel that Hollywood is very anti- Bush. You`ve got Susan Sarandon, George Clooney.
President Bush has his fair share of critics in Tinseltown. Do you think he gets a fair shake or a raw deal, President Bush?
JONG: I think he got a free ride for years and years and years. And I have to say: I`m not anti-Bush; I`m anti-lying.
ANDERSON: You write about that in the book.
JONG: I think it sets -- that`s one of the themes of "Seducing the Demon." I think it sets a bad example when the president lies about why he goes to war. I think it sets a bad example when the president does not tell the people of the republic in which we live, supposedly under the Constitution, when he does not tell us the truth.
There has been lying coming from the top, and it`s really ruined the United States` reputation around the world. We used to be the country that people looked to, the country of the enlightenment, the country of freedom, the country everybody wanted to get to because we embodied these great ideals.
But when you have a president who lies publicly about going to war, who says, "Support our troops," but then doesn`t give them the body armor they need, they come home having been completely damaged mentally and physically by war, and their V.A. benefits are cut, there`s a lot of hypocrisy here.
ANDERSON: You`re obviously very passionate about that.
JONG: And I don`t hate Bush; I hate hypocrisy. I do want to support the troops. I think there are really fine young men and women dying and coming home in pieces, and we have to respect them.
ANDERSON: You speak with conviction. Thank you for sharing your perspective on that, and congratulations on this newest book.
JONG: Thank you. Thanks, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Erica Jong, and the new book is "Seducing the Demon: Writing for My Life." It is in stores now.
HAMMER: Rebecca Romijn comes clean about some weight issues she has had in the past. That`s ahead in Thursday "InStyle."
ANDERSON: Plus, Sharon Stone is also getting candid about her body image. She tells us how she got over some issues and why this year has been one of the greatest for her. That`s coming up.
Also on the way...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES WILSON, HUSBAND ON STRIKE: We`re a happy family, but some things have got to change immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: What got this man so riled up he climbed up on his roof and refused to come down? We`re going to introduce you to the husband who`s on strike and on top of his house. That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
OK, a man in Michigan has had it up to here with his kids. And by up to here, we mean all the way up to the roof of his house. He says he`s on strike until one thing changes. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some guys go through the roof when they get mad. This guy camped out on top of it to his wife`s surprise.
VALENTINA WILSON, HUSBAND IS ON STRIKE: I was in the kitchen, and I seen a ladder go up. And at first, I thought he was going to check on the leaves or something, and then I see the tent. And I said, "What are you doing?" He told me he was on strike.
MOOS: "Hubby on Strike" reads the sign atop the Wilson home in Redford, Michigan.
JAMES WILSON, HUSBAND ON STRIKE: I want the children removed from our bedroom ASAP.
MOOS: James Wilson has had it with his wife letting their kids sleep in the marital bed.
J. WILSON: The children are wreaking havoc on our intimacy, I should say.
MOOS: His wife`s not convinced he should say it. Valentina finds it all embarrassing.
J. WILSON: Not to me.
MOOS: First, Valentina let their son sleep in their bed for about six months. Now he`s older and has graduated to his own room. But his baby sister is now sleeping with her parents in their bed and beside it.
V. WILSON: I think it`s important to spend time with the babies, you know?
J. WILSON: And I think it`s important to spend time with the husband.
V. WILSON: And he knows she doesn`t go to sleep without me.
MOOS: James has started a Web site called "Husband on Strike." He describes himself as the president of the Association of Desperate Husbands. And he`s collected several thousand names on a petition calling for the immediate removal of the kids from the bedroom.
J. WILSON: We`re a happy family, but some things have got to change immediately. I want my bedroom back. I want the diapers and the toys removed immediately.
V. WILSON: There`s no negotiation. The bond with me and the kids are really important.
MOOS: Though other parents haven`t taken to the roof, they are familiar with the problem.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have actually seen people divorce over this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am in favor of the husband. Make that absolutely clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The guy needs a break sometimes, so give the guy a break.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When they`re sick and it`s an exception, but, you know, you`re married for a reason, right?
MOOS: No one we talked to sided with Valentina. James is a marketing consultant, so he knows how to pull a stunt the press can`t resist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One frustrated husband`s story, coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is a husband on strike?
MOOS: James, by the way, isn`t sleeping on the roof. He just hangs out there a few hours a day.
V. WILSON: Oh, we have a good marriage.
J. WILSON: We have a wonderful marriage.
V. WILSON: I`m happy.
J. WILSON: I love my wife. She`s a great mom.
MOOS: His point may be, "Honey, get rid of the kids," but he`s starting to sound like one.
J. WILSON: You were with me before them.
V. WILSON: I know, but now...
J. WILSON: I come first.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: James does have a point. It`s important to focus on the marriage, as well as the kids, right? That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Well, Sharon Stone is now starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year and reprising a role that basically put her on the map in Hollywood. She, of course, made headlines back in 1992 for that famous flashing scene in "Basic Instinct." You remember the one.
Well, I sat down with Sharon and she told me all about baring it all for "Basic Instinct 2."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She client understands and she agrees I should be present for...
SHARON STONE, ACTRESS: Maybe Dr. Glass is right and we should be alone for this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Catherine, I strongly advise you not to contemplate...
STONE: So, is this where we`re going to do it?
HAMMER: Well, you look fantastic.
STONE: Thank you.
HAMMER: You look amazing in this movie.
STONE: Thank you.
HAMMER: And which, you know, none of us were shocked to see, but we do see all of you in this movie.
STONE: Yes.
HAMMER: Body image issues, nothing new in Hollywood or in society, but you seem so unbelievably at ease with yourself, are you truly that self-confident?
STONE: Well, I think, you know -- I had my good days and I had my bad days on the set. But I really think that it`s very important that we embrace ourselves, and it`s very important that we don`t erase ourselves.
I think it`s very, very important that we own who we are and that`s it`s really OK to surrender the things of youth and embrace the things of who we are as we grow older, and that those things are hot and interesting, too.
And I don`t think that I need to be erased in my 40s. I think, you know what, this is what the 40s looks like, and it ain`t so bad.
HAMMER: A lot of people have a hard time, though. I mean, you say it with grace and you surely show that you are at that level of comfort, particularly in this film, and just sitting here with you right now, but people have a hard time getting past that stuff.
STONE: You do. And I remember a point -- I forget, I was somewhere in my 40s -- and I said, "You know what? I`m going in the bathroom. I`m locking the door. I`m looking at myself in the mirror, and I`m not coming out until I get OK with this."
HAMMER: That`s a good exercise.
STONE: It was a hard couple of hours.
HAMMER: What frightened you of that time, that you had to work through?
STONE: I just had to cope with the fact that I wasn`t a girl anymore and that those things were gone and new things showed up, and I had to cry, and I had to look at it, and I had to be with it, and I had to accept me.
And I had to look at the things that weren`t what they were. And I had to get with what it was. And, yes, I had to let go, and I just closed the door and I stayed in there until I got through it.
HAMMER: See, I love this as sort of the -- perhaps the Sharon Stone- method of, you know, aging gracefully, if that`s one way to call it. But there`s...
STONE: I have those -- I have to keep addressing it.
HAMMER: But there are so many of the young actresses, or not even actresses, just people, you know, young teenage girls, for instance. We know of the body image issues that are out there.
So what do you say to those kids who are not -- they`re not worried about trying to age gracefully. They`re just trying to look in the mirror every day and be OK with it.
STONE: You know, it`s -- I look at women like we`re flowers. I say to my little boy, "Girls are flowers, and boys are trees." And so I say, if you`re a flower, you don`t have to be a white rose. You know, you can be a tulip, or a cal lily (ph), or a great big sunflower.
Everybody`s cool. Just get loose with the one that you are.
HAMMER: They`re very lucky, your kids, to have you supporting them in that way and dispelling that great advice. Unfortunately, there are so many images that are bombarding every day, television, movies. And you`re part of the industry; you know.
STONE: Yes.
HAMMER: Was that a threat to you? Was that something you had to overcome at any point?
STONE: Yes, I had a tough time, because I used to go up for parts all the time and in my modeling, and they were always like, "You`re too tall. You`re too short. You`re too fat. You`re too thin. You`re too one. You`re too this; you`re too that."
And I would come home every day thinking that that was true, instead of just going, "You know what? They`re too insecure to give me the job."
HAMMER: This has to be a great day for you, the fact that we`re here talking about this movie that`s a long time in the making, 14 years now since the role that, that for all intents and purposes, made you the superstar that you are.
STONE: Right.
HAMMER: It was not without some legal issues along the way and some drama along the way. Are you just reveling in this moment, especially with the legal stuff behind you now?
STONE: Yes, it`s really cool that the movie came out, that it`s coming out now, that it came together, that they did such a beautiful job making it, that actually the whole year has just been great. You don`t think, "Oh, when I turn 48, I`m going to have the best year of my career."
HAMMER: No, not something you might anticipate.
STONE: No, and yet...
HAMMER: And it`s been that?
STONE: ... it`s been that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: She really does look great in person, as well.
Stone has been working nonstop. In addition to "Basic Instinct 2," she also finished another new movie. It`s called "Bobby." It tells the story of the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy. "Basic Instinct 2" will land in theaters tomorrow.
ANDERSON: Throughout the show, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day."
And it is this: Starlets playing stupid. Do you think it`s all just an act?
Why don`t we take a look at how the vote is going so far? And it`s pretty close. Look at this: 52 percent of you say yes; 48 percent of you say no.
Here are some of the e-mails we`ve received. Fred from South Carolina writes, "Wouldn`t you act stupid if you were paid thousands of dollars? I would."
Mary from Virginia says, "It is easier to make people laugh when you act stupid. It`s the easy way out, but it`s also entertaining."
You can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. We do appreciate your e-mails.
HAMMER: It is time now for Thursday "InStyle." Tonight, "InStyle" gives you all the details on Rebecca Romijn`s April cover shoot. Plus, her secrets on how she slimmed down for the latest "X-Men" sequel. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLLY BLITZER, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: We chose the gorgeous Rebecca Romijn to grace our April issue cover. Rebecca`s really an at-home girl, and she shared her entire home in Calabasas, California, with us for this cover shoot.
In one of the opening shots of our cover story, Rebecca beautifully showcases a Dolce Gabbana Gingham dress. And it sort of gives her an at- home vibe as she playfully pretends to pick her teeth with a piece of hay.
She was in her house and totally at home, and has a great, effervescent personality that is shown in every single photo. She took a series of shots posing as the domestic diva, whether she was sweeping the floor in a couture gown, wrapping some Christian Louboutin shoes while drinking a glass of water at the sink, or playing with her dogs. And, you know, she really just looks beautiful.
Rebecca definitely comes clean about past weight issues that she thinks that she`s had, and they haven`t been serious ones, but she did have to take off about 15 pounds when she was filming the latest "X-Men" sequel.
One of Rebecca`s secrets to slimming down was to get food prepared by the zone. These are low-fat, yet high-protein meals. So what kind of finished product do we expect? She looks so stunning in a Shoshanna bikini with Jimmy Chu shoes.
She is one of the most beautiful, glamorous, yet witty, intelligent and fun actresses in Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: If you want to read more about Rebecca`s cover shoot, just grab your copy of "InStyle" magazine. It`s on newsstands tomorrow. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Time to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday. Here comes your "Showbiz Marquee."
Tomorrow -- and please pardon the pun -- the sparks are flying. Actor comedian and TV host Hal Sparks is going to tell us about his new reality show, which apparently is some sort of a cross between "The Simple Life" and "Survivor." Hal Sparks joins us live tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, Tori Spelling will be here live. The "90210" star is back on TV. She`s got her own brand-new show. It`s called "So Notorious." Make sure you`re here for Tori Spelling live, tomorrow in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News. Good night, everybody.
END
