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Showbiz Tonight

Katie Holmes Gives Birth; Actress Gabrielle Union Fights for Rape Crisis Funding; Private Eye to the Stars in Trouble with Law; Connie Francis Raises Rape Awareness

Aired April 18, 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, HOST: The biggest baby news in Hollywood. Katie Holmes gives birth. And uncovering one of Tom Cruise`s first TV interviews. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the secrets of the stars. A private investigator hired to spy on A-list stars. Charges of illegal wiretapping. It`s Watergate, Tinseltown style. Tonight the scandal that could spill the secrets of some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

A movie star raped at gunpoint and beaten beyond recognition. Now she may have to face her rapist to make sure he stays behind bars forever. Her amazing story of survival and why she has Oprah Winfrey to thank for being alive. Tonight Gabrielle Union live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

It`s finally happened, the biggest baby story in the world right now: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are parents. Now, of course, this comes a year -- almost a year since they announced that they were a couple. We`re all over this story. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas has their controversial time line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the moment they made their first appearance together last April in Italy, their love became an international media spectacle. The pairing of the then 26-year-old Katie Holmes with the 42-year-old superstar Tom Cruise left many stunned.

Tom was in the midst of promoting his upcoming flick, "War of the Worlds", and Katie was starring in the highly anticipated "Batman Begins". Observers wondered if it was all a publicity stunt.

Then came the infamous Tom Cruise/Oprah sofa moment.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Have you ever felt this way before?

VARGAS: Cruise was literally jumping for joy as he declared his love for Katie Holmes. From that point on, the couple seemed inseparable. When I caught up with Holmes while the actress was promoting "Batman Begins:, she was beaming.

KATIE HOLMES, ACTRESS: It`s so exciting. It`s -- I love him.

VARGAS (on camera): Are you surprised, though, at the scrutiny?

HOLMES: I don`t really care. I mean, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

VARGAS (voice-over): Just two months after dating, the couple put rumors of an engagement to rest and let the public know that they had indeed sealed the deal.

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Yes, I proposed to Kate last night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow!

VARGAS: In October, just six months into their romance, the couple revealed that they were having a baby. While it was Katie`s first, Cruise would not be new to fatherhood. He has two adopted children with former wife Nicole Kidman.

With Cruise a devote Scientologist, many wondered if Katie, who was born Catholic would embrace Scientology and what role the religion would play in the baby`s birth and child rearing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Well, just this past Friday Tom Cruise told Diane Sawyer that they plan on raising their child as a Scientologist. "People" magazine tells us no more information is available about this huge story. Of course, we`re all over the story, and we will have more later on.

And we have some more late breaking news for you tonight in the baby world. Brooke Shields gave birth to a baby girl this morning in Los Angeles. Greer Hammond Henchy (ph) weighed in at seven pounds. Shields and her husband already have a 3-year-old daughter.

And as you may remember, Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise had a very public war of words not that long ago after Shields spoke about her battle with postpartum depression. Cruise went on "The Today Show" and criticized her use of antidepressants as treatment.

Well, now on to a star`s survival story. Sexual assault. It is every woman`s nightmare, but as you`re about to see, it was one movie star`s reality. "Bring it On" star Gabrielle Union is now revealing details of her painful past, reliving the night that she was brutally attacked and raped as a teenager. But she`s doing it all for a good reason, to bring hope to women everywhere.

Gabrielle Union will join us live in just one moment. But first, here`s her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABRIELLE UNION, ACTRESS: I was beaten beyond recognition.

HAMMER (voice-over): Gabrielle Union speaking out and sharing the brutal and horrific details of her sexual abuse as a young woman.

UNION: He pulls me out of the bathroom and begins to rape me.

HAMMER: An unimaginable experience, a terrifying rape by a man robbing the shoe store where she worked when she was 19.

UNION: I just remember sort of hovering over myself like I can`t believe this is happening.

HAMMER: Union told her story on Capitol Hill, hoping to convince Congress to put more funding toward rape crisis centers. Union says it was her rape counselor that helped her get through the experience, but it was Oprah Winfrey who helped save her life that terrifying night.

UNION: Immediately I went on auto pilot, and I just heard Oprah speaking.

HAMMER: Union says she used survival techniques that she saw on an "Oprah" episode about what to do if you`re the victim of a violent crime.

UNION: I just sort of froze, but Oprah kicked in. And the one thing she kept saying was don`t let him take you to a second location.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: That is just an unbelievable story. So much more to talk about. Gabrielle Union joining me live now from Hollywood.

Thanks for being with us, Gabrielle.

UNION: Hi. Thanks for having me.

HAMMER: What a scary story. Sadly, one that so many women can identify with; sexual assault, easily the most underreported crime in the country, right?

UNION: In the world, and it`s one in four. One in four women, one in 10 men. These are people that you know. Your mother, your sister, your -- the girl that lives down the street, your brother. And unfortunately, it occurs all too often.

HAMMER: And we saw that it was actually an episode of "Oprah" that you say saved your life, which is just -- it`s heart-warming to know that you were able to call upon something in such a tragic moment. Tell me exactly what you recalled from the "Oprah" show that you put into action.

UNION: Yes. They had -- it was during a time where there was a bunch of carjackings and some really brutal robberies going on across the country, and Oprah did a show on what to do in case you`re a victim of a violent crime. And I probably watched it, like, a week or two before the sexual assault occurred.

And you really never know what you`re going to do in times of, you know, crisis. And I literally froze, and your body just starts going. And I was on auto pilot. And it`s kind of like you`re sort of hovering above yourself.

And it was like her voice clicked in. It was like -- kind of like I was right now, and she just said -- it was like I`m listening to her voice and listening to the police officer that she had on the show saying just do what they say, and when you have an opportunity to, you know, live or, you know, run away or call for help, take it.

And so, you know, when he pulled out the gun, you know, at first it seemed like a robbery, and so I was like, OK, give him the money. Do what we need to do to, you know, have him leave.

And then he said, "Let`s go to the -- you know, go to the back room." And I`m thinking immediately, Oprah said don`t take them -- don`t let them take you to the second location. And that`s what was happening. And I was like I`m going to die now.

And we went back to the second location. And again, just do what he says, just do what he says. I can escape with my life. And you know, ultimately -- you know, he told me to go into a bathroom and, you know, had me come back out and, you know, proceeded to rape me. And during -- during the course of the rape, he must have put his gun down.

And again I`m still sort of hovering above myself just like I can`t believe this is actually happening to me. And when he put the gun down, he very calmly asked, "By the way, can you hand me the gun?"

And at that minute I clicked back in and it was like I was right back in myself. And this was the opportunity Oprah was talking about. I grabbed that gun, you know, and kind of like -- not just like watching Oprah, but watching the movies. The clip had popped out. It was like I knew how to pop the clip in. I never touched a gun before. Popped the clip in, rolled on my back and tried to, you know, take him out.

And you know, we ended up having a battle for the gun because I missed. It`s not as easy to shoot somebody as you think. And just ended up having a gun battle where he proceeded to, like, beat me beyond recognition and ended up getting the gun away and then calmly asked, "How do I get out of here?"

HAMMER: That was unbelievable. I`m getting chills just sitting here, listening to you tell your story. I know that you`ve said in the past how helpful the rape crisis center was in your particular town. That`s not always the case, is it?

UNION: No, no. And I hate to say fortunately I was, you know, raped in an affluent community. Our rape crisis center was well funded, well staffed. The hospital where I got my rape kit done was well staffed and well funded. The police department that handled my case was well staffed, well funded. The D.A.`s office that handled my -- you know, my quest for justice, well staffed and funded.

So unfortunately, if you know -- if you`re not in an affluent community you don`t -- you`re not going to get the same kind of treatment, unfortunately.

HAMMER: And you`re making it your mission to change that, aren`t you?

UNION: Yes, yes. We have to maintain the funding for our rape crisis centers. We have to maintain the funding and also to increase the training for -- you know, to increase more languages being spoken in those centers, you know, a little bit more sensitivity as far as ethnic differences, cultural differences, religious differences, because these are all things that -- that pose as obstacles on your road to recovery.

If you don`t -- if you can`t communicate with the person that you get on the phone, that`s the first line of -- you know, that`s the first hurdle you have to jump over. If they don`t understand where you`re coming from as far as your cultural norms and values and mores, religious, you know, all these things factor in in your treatment and in your quest for justice, if that`s what you want, and certainly, in your recovery.

HAMMER: Well, hopefully, Gabrielle, the work that you continue to do will reach the people that need to be reached and changes will be affected. I applaud your courage for coming forward with your story, a very private matter, obviously, and doing the good work that you`re doing.

UNION: Thank you.

HAMMER: Gabrielle Union, joining us live from Hollywood.

Now, we want to hear from you on this topic. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Celebrity revelations. Do they help reduce acceptance of violence against women? You can vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight or you can send us e-mails at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`ll get into some of your thoughts later in the show.

Coming up we just got some more information about Tom and Katie`s baby. We`re going to fill you in right after the break.

Also tonight a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive: rocker Neil Young on his new project that includes a song called "Let`s Impeach the President".

Also tonight, how America`s sweetheart of the 1950s and `60s became an advocate for women`s issues, following a traumatic experience she had. Connie Francis joins us live next in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERV GRIFFIN, FORMER TALK SHOW HOST: Were you a perfect kid?

CRUISE: Of course.

GRIFFIN: Now, tell the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And long before his couch-jumping days, a very Young Tom Cruise sat down with Merv Griffin for a chat. We`ve got that and other Merv memories, also coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment show. I`m A.J. Hammer.

Just want to let you know the biggest story in Hollywood right now: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are proud parents of a baby girl. Break out the cigars. Her name is Suri. Now, the name Suri has its origins in Hebrew, meaning "princess," or in Persian, meaning "red rose." She weighed in at 7 pounds and 7 ounces and was 20 inches long. We`re told both mother and daughter are doing well.

This is the first child for the two of them. Cruise also has a daughter, the 13-year-old Isabella, and 11-year-old son named Connor.

And now it`s time for the story of the day that made us look around and say to each other, "That`s ridiculous." And this story also happens to be kind of mean.

A newspaper called "The Boston Phoenix" has compiled a list of the 100 unsexiest men in the world. Topping the list, this guy, comedian Gilbert Gottfried. The paper says, quote, "The parrot-voiced, pickle-faced comic is to sexy what kryptonite is to Superman." That`s not nice.

Let`s run down the top five, shall we? Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson is on there, movie critic Roger Ebert, Dr. Phil, and Alan Colmes of "Hannity & Colmes". It is worth noting that this list was compiled by two male writers.

And coming in as the 100th unsexiest man, Brad Pitt, which is basically why we say that`s ridiculous.

Well, tonight many of the biggest players in Hollywood are nervously watching an ongoing investigation that could actually expose some deeply hidden secrets in Tinseltown.

This involves a private eye to the stars and the dirt that he is accused gathered to use against or in favor of some pretty big names. One of those big names is already facing possible jail time. And now the question all of Hollywood is asking is who`s next?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you liking to go for double jeopardy?

HAMMER (voice-over): The man who brought you "Diehard" is in legal hot water right now. Blockbuster director John McTiernan pleaded guilty this week to lying to the FBI about hiring this man, private eye to the stars Anthony Pellicano, to bug the phone of a business associate. For years Pellicano has opened showed off his wiretapping skills.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be a lot easier for me and a lot more satisfying...

HAMMER: It`s another scene in a made for the movies scandal that`s exposed the seedy underbelly of Hollywood. So who exactly is this Anthony Pellicano?

DANIEL FIERMAN, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": This guy is connected to almost everybody. Anthony Pellicano was the most powerful private detective in Hollywood.

HAMMER: The gumshoe is in a world of real life trouble, trouble that could send the secrets of Hollywood`s rich and powerful spilling into the open. That`s because published reports say Pellicano may have done work on behalf of John Travolta, Michael Jackson and Kevin Costner.

Pellicano`s alleged celebrity victims include Sly Stallone, Kevin Nealon, Gary Shandling. Each allegedly have had phone taps or their secret government records accessed by Pellicano.

"Entertainment Weekly`s" Daniel Fierman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that his magazine has looked into the many celebrities and Hollywood power players whose names have been linked to Pellicano.

FIERMAN: Pellicano worked on really dirty stuff. I don`t mean like illegal but really unpleasant things like divorces and breach of contracts and, you know, everything from star salaries to, you know, terms of settlement and divorces and custody and reason for divorces. All this stuff could potentially come out.

HAMMER: And we`re talking some big A-list names.

FIERMAN: He even connects to people like Tom Cruise, whose divorce lawyer in his divorce to Nicole Kidman has been known to use Pellicano. He`s a known Pellicano associate.

Now, to be very clear, that`s not saying Tom Cruise did anything illegal or even that his lawyer did anything illegal, but there are these sort of one or two degrees of separation between somebody whose at the center of this big scandal. And the biggest stars on the planet.

HAMMER: Now Pellicano sits in a jail cell, accused of bugging phones and bribing cops, as part of his alleged dirt-gathering enterprise. He`s pleaded not guilty, but many fear that a Pellicano trial could send all of Hollywood`s secrets spilling into the public.

FIERMAN: Pellicano did a lot of wiretapping and he taped a lot of conversations. And when the government raided his office, they seized all these wiretapping tapes. All this stuff is out there somewhere. The government has it, and the potential for this to get really ugly really quickly is very, very hot.

HAMMER: For now, Pellicano and McTiernan are the only big names who face criminal trouble in this case, but this case could have an explosive effect on a town that runs on secrets and information.

PAT LALAMA, CELEBRITY JOURNALIST: What everyone fears is that this alleged wiretapping information comes tumbling down and comes out, we`re going to hear more dirt about big-name stars than any tabloid magazine could ever, every find on its own.

FIERMAN: This could potentially be one of the biggest scandals in Hollywood history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Again, no stars are actually being accused of doing anything illegal, that is except for, of course, "Diehard" director John McTiernan for pleading guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Now, he faces up to five years in prison. He`s being sentenced on July 31.

Connie Francis. Everybody remembers and loves Connie Francis. Certainly one of the biggest stars of the 1950s and `60s. Hits you`ll remember like "Who`s Sorry Now" and "Where the Boys Are". And just like actress Gabrielle Union, who a few minutes ago told us about her fight for rape victims` rights. Connie, too, has been very outspoken on that issue, having suffered a brutal rape back in 1974 after a concert in New York.

Joins me live for a "SHOWBIZ Sitdown" from Miami, the lovely Connie Francis. Thanks for being with us, Connie.

CONNIE FRANCIS, SINGER: Very nice to be here. Thank you.

HAMMER: It`s our pleasure. And a bit of a serious subject. We were talking with Gabrielle Union just a few moments ago, the actress whose attack was really a call for action for her. Basically, it was a same deal for you, a few years after you were attacked in 1974.

Now, Gabby took her voice to Congress. You took yours all the way to the top, didn`t you?

FRANCIS: Yes. I went to the White House and went to the Oval Office and visited all of the president`s men and became head of President Reagan`s task force on violent crime and was very active in getting victims -- rape victims their rights.

I addressed 6,000 chiefs of police in Atlanta, Georgia, at the International Association of Police Convention and got them to ratify a victim`s bill of rights. One of the conditions was that wherever personnel -- wherever personnel was allowed, a victim of rape would be interviewed by female officers rather than male officers, because I know that when I was interviewed by male officers, I couldn`t even speak to them.

HAMMER: Well, you obviously had an impact back then, and certainly, a lot has improved in the way that sexual assault victims have been treated and handled by authorities.

FRANCIS: A lot -- a lot has been improved. For instance, in 1983 when I learned that Dallas had the only criminal justice system in America, as far as rape was concerned, that was working, I went there with a film crew. And I discovered that, in that year, 97 percent of the rapists were convicted, as opposed to one percent in the state of New York.

HAMMER: And -- and you raised your voice over 20 years ago, but now we see Gabrielle Union speaking before Congress. Obviously, there is still a need to fix the things that still have yet to be fixed. Who do you think, Connie, is to blame for the fact that there are still stumbling blocks out there, and the system isn`t right yet?

FRANCIS: Well, for instance, in 1982 there was an act called the Earnest Resistance Law in New York City where a woman had to show forcible resistance to a rape. In other words, she had to fight off her attacker before she could even prosecute the rapist.

That would be like a liquor store owner showing forcible resistance to a gunman. It will be an act of true valor or otherwise you`d have to be nuts. But yet a woman was compelled to do this. And I went through the media to the congressmen in Albany and appealed to them to repeal -- to take it off the books, the Earnest Resistance Law, which they finally did.

HAMMER: That`s great work. And of course, your celebrity really allowed you to do great things. I want to shift gears for a moment, because it was really your appearances back on "America Bandstand" and "The Ed Sullivan Show" that made you the celebrity that you became, the top selling female vocalist from `58 to `64.

Now you just reissued "Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites". You`re an Italian woman from Newark, New Jersey, Connie. I`ve got less than 30 seconds, but how did that happen? How are you singing the Jewish songs?

FRANCIS: I was always 10 percent Jewish on my manager`s side. Now, I was brought up in an all-Jewish neighborhood from the age of 5 on, and my dad said, "Record a Jewish album."

So I went across the street to the rabbi and his family and asked them what their favorite songs were. I went to everyone in the neighborhood and asked them.

HAMMER: That`s fantastic.

FRANCIS: The hands down winner was "Yiddish Mama" (ph), which I did in my first Jewish album, which is now being re-released.

HAMMER: And it is -- it`s the album that really put you on the map. Connie, it`s lots of fun, and you are, too. Thanks you for joining us, and again for all the good work you`ve done.

FRANCIS: Thank you.

HAMMER: You can pick up the re-released "Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites" in stores now.

Well, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and Brooke Shields not the only ones with baby news tonight. Another major star has a pregnancy to celebrate. I`m going to tell you who, next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Plus, one of Tom Cruise`s first TV interviews uncovered. Coming up, Merv Griffin on that, plus the only guest who ever intimidated him.

Also, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive, what Neil Young has to say about his new anti-war album and his song calling for the impeachment of President Bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Ready for some headlines? On "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", Jay takes a look at some of the stories from around the country you might have missed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC`S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Follow the logic: "Parents keep kids home to protest school closure."

Here`s program for learning: "Schools is open. So are we!" Yes. Schools is open.

World class is an organization in Seoul, Korea, that brings together all nationalities to discuss world issues and break down cultural barriers and prejudices. "We meet once a week. No Canadians, please."

Oh, man. Here`s America. Here`s America. "Local child wins gun for fund-raiser." Nineteen months old. He won a 17-caliber Marlin rifle. Look at that. That kid couldn`t be happier. Look at that kid. Thrilled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: That`s no good (ph).

Well, a new book asks some of the most famous and successful women how they got that way. Coming up, the author joins us live with some amazing stories of some amazing women.

Also ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUISE: Yes, a lot of...

GRIFFIN: Were you a perfect kid?

CRUISE: Well, of course.

GRIFFIN: Now tell the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Long before his couch-jumping days, a very young Tom Cruise sat down with Merv Griffin for a chat. We`ve got that and other Merv memories, coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Also the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive: rocker Neil Young on his explosive new project, including a song called "Let`s Impeach the President"

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And you`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.

Suri, get used to it. It`s a name you`re going to be hearing a lot of in the next few days, weeks, months, years. That`s the name of Tom Cruise`s and Katie Holmes` baby born today in Los Angeles. We`ll have all the baby news coming up in just a few moments.

And on this auspicious occasion, we`re going to the vault, digging out some old footage of Tom Cruise sitting with Merv Griffin, the legendary talk show host. We even have some old footage of a young Tom Hanks, as well. That`s coming up in the interview with Merv you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

But first, tonight a stunning about-face by Neil Young. As SHOWBIZ TONIGHT first told you yesterday, it seemed the country rock icon supported the president in the past, but now Neil Young is bashing Bush on a new album and calling for his impeachment. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas joins us live from Burbank with an exclusive interview with Neil Young.

Sibila, what did you find out?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have the man with me here right now. He just came out of Reprise Records. This is your record company, your label. This music, right, is already causing a stir, actually. You`ve got one song that`s called "Let`s Impeach the President." What is this song about?

NEIL YOUNG, MUSICIAN: Well, it`s a song that pretty well follows the title just with a bunch of reasons. And it`s a long song.

VARGAS: Are you concerned that some might think that you`re unpatriotic?

YOUNG: Oh, no, I`m not concerned about that in the least. I feel like I`m exercising my right of free speech, which is what our boys are fighting for the Iraqi people to have. And I think, if we take it away from the people here in the United States, that we`re taking a step really in the wrong direction.

That`s what is great about this country and about all free countries, is freedom of speech and the ability to express yourself; that makes us different from everybody else. And so I`m not worried about that.

VARGAS: What do you think about cynics who say that, OK, the climate has changed. There are not that many people that are pro-Bush anymore, or his popularity is not as strong. Perhaps you`re using this as a way to sell more records?

YOUNG: You know, I don`t know about the selling more records. I don`t know how many records it`s going to sell. That`s not really a concern of mine.

I just want to communicate. That`s why I`ve been making records for 40 years, and some of them sell a lot, some of them don`t sell any. So this isn`t about selling records. This is about exchanging ideas. It`s about getting a message out. It`s about empowering people by giving them a voice.

I know not everyone believes what I say is what they think, but, like I said before, you know, red and blue is not black and white. We`re altogether; it`s a record about unification.

VARGAS: Surely, though, I mean, you say it`s a record about unification, but with a title like "Let`s Impeach the President"...

YOUNG: That`s not the title of the record.

VARGAS: Not the record, but the song.

YOUNG: Yes, right.

VARGAS: "Let`s Impeach the President," that is pretty strong, strong words.

YOUNG: Yes, yes, I think it is. I think it`s called for, and so do a lot of other people. As a matter of fact, when I played in there for 100 people, they all stood up and gave me a standing ovation. There wasn`t one person that wasn`t standing. And we were looking for that kind of backing.

That`s what happened when I did it with 100 people singing with me at Capitol Records, one of our great, old American record companies, in their great studio, with 100 studio musicians, the best singers in L.A. All of them there, as union members, a union session that lasted 12 hours to sing all of these songs. After that song, they all stood up, and they cheered, and they just went wild. And you can hear it on the record.

VARGAS: Yes, and I hear that -- I spoke to a few people just seconds ago, and they were telling me how it was emotional, very emotional experience. It`s an emotional ride.

YOUNG: Well, it is. Living with war and having a conscience is what we`re doing. If you have a conscience, you can`t go through your day without realizing what`s going on, and questioning it, and going, "Is this right?" You know, we have to be cognizant of the fact that we can make mistakes; that`s how you -- that`s part of freedom.

VARGAS: Right.

YOUNG: We don`t all have to believe in what our president believes to be patriotic. And we also -- you know, this talk about a 9/11 mentality. No one, George Bush or anyone else, owns the 9/11 mentality.

It belongs to the United States of America; it belongs to every one who was sitting there with their family watching TV, watching those buildings get hit by those jets; it belongs to George Bush and his family; it belongs to John Kerry and his family; it belongs to me and my family, my American family.

So I have a post-9/11 mentality. It`s just not the same as George Bush`s.

VARGAS: I know that you`re also a Canadian, so people are going to talk about, well, you`re Canadian. I mean, does that give you less of a platform to say these things?

YOUNG: Maybe. I`m proud to be a Canadian. I`m proud to be living in the United States. I`m proud to be paying taxes here for 40 years. I`m proud of my three American children, my lovely American wife, my American family, and all of the people who have supported me here for 40 years.

It just so happens that I came down here because I`m an artist, and I came down here because, in Los Angeles, I could get things happening and so I could make it so people could hear me. That`s why I came down here. This is a great country, and I believe in this.

But I think there`s a conscience in the country, and I don`t think it`s being spoken. Only part of it is being spoken. It`s a full thing. Everybody needs to get into it; everybody needs a chance to say what they think.

VARGAS: Well, thank you so much for your time.

YOUNG: Thank you.

VARGAS: Tell me, when do you feel that this album will be released?

YOUNG: Well, they`re talking about that inside right now, and I know that it`s going to be very fast. It`s already at the manufacturing plant. We`re going to use the Internet, in many ways, to roll it out: first, the lyrics; then, music; and then, after we`ve got it out there and downloadable around the planet, we`re going to start releasing the discs as soon as they can be manufactured.

It`s a unique situation to be in, and we can take advantage of all the technology we have to communicate with. And it`s a different age. So I`m glad to be here.

VARGAS: Are you concerned, though, with any backlash that you might be...

YOUNG: I`m not in the least bit concerned. I expect it. I respect other people`s opinions. That`s part of what makes the United States and Canada and all free countries great, is the fact that you can differ with your friend and you can still sit down at the same table and break bread with your friend.

VARGAS: Well, thank you so much.

YOUNG: All right. Thank you very much.

VARGAS: I appreciate your time. Thanks a lot.

A.J., back to you.

HAMMER: Sibila, terrific hearing Neil Young speaking on this very controversial subject.

And on the theme of what he said, anybody who feels that the themes of this album are motivated by the need for publicity, I think that`s ridiculous.

Sibila Vargas joining us live from Burbank, California, tonight.

Well, let`s get into tonight`s "Hot Headlines." The day has finally arrived. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, they are now proud parents. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT all over this story. It`s a baby girl nailed Suri born today in L.A. The child weighed in at seven pounds, seven ounces, 20 inches long.

Tom Cruise`s publicist tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT both mother and daughter are doing well, and that the name Suri means princess in Hebrew or, in Persian, red rose.

And kind of ironic that the woman that Tom Cruise criticized for using prescription drugs to battle post-partum depression has also given birth again. Brooke Shields gave birth to a baby girl this morning in Los Angeles. Grier Hammond Henchy weighed in at seven pounds and measured 20 inches. Shields and her husband, Chris, also have a three-year-old daughter.

And Melissa Etheridge and her partner expecting twins. The rock star says an anonymous sperm bank donor was used to get her partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, pregnant. Etheridge has two children from a previous relationship. Rock star David Crosby provided the sperm donation there.

And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."

Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, how some of the biggest women in Hollywood got to where they are today. The secrets of their success, revealed live next.

Plus, we`ve got this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERV GRIFFIN, TELEVISION PRODUCER AND FORMER TALK SHOW HOST: Were you a perfect kid?

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Well, of course.

GRIFFIN: Now, tell the truth.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: A young Tom Cruise with Merv Griffin sitting on the legendary talk show host`s couch, way before his Oprah couch-jumping days. We`ll chat with Merv about other memorable moments coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We are TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer live in New York City.

Once again, the biggest story in Hollywood right now, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes the proud parents of a baby girl tonight. The named her Suri, and we`re about to show you some long-lost secret tapes of Tom Cruise. You`re not going to believe what he looks like, Cruise not the only one.

And here`s why: Merv Griffin hosted a super-popular celebrity talk show. It was from 1962 to 1986. That was a long time. He`s now releasing a DVD with the most memorable interviews from his quarter-century on air. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson had the chance to sit down with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: How do you feel about the fact that, years later, even after your show has ended, people still remember, love you, and really consider you the gold standard for talk show hosts?

MERV GRIFFIN, TELEVISION PRODUCER AND FORMER TALK SHOW HOST: Thank you. We`re getting e-mails every day. "Do you have a copy of this? Could we get a copy of this?" And we finally said, "Why are they sitting in the vault? It`s so memorable."

ANDERSON: Let`s share it.

GRIFFIN: The beginnings of Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks.

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: Here is where the universal sign language comes in, because this means...

(LAUGHTER)

GRIFFIN: And so we said, well, let`s put it out. The public obviously wants to -- you know, anything retro. Retro is hot. I am Mr. Retro.

ANDERSON: Well, that Tom Cruise didn`t jump on your couch, did he?

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Yes, a lot of...

GRIFFIN: Were you a perfect kid?

CRUISE: Well, of course.

(LAUGHTER)

GRIFFIN: Now tell the truth.

CRUISE: Well, it`s halfway through the film, the kid starts taking a lot of chances, and he kinds of makes a big transition. And I guess that`s a lot like me, because I took a lot of chances in my life.

GRIFFIN: Give me some examples, really risky stuff?

CRUISE: Well, Merv, if there`s one thing I`ve learned in all my years is sometimes you have to say, "What the heck?" Well, I always wished that I had a brother growing up, but looking back on it now, I`m really thankful for growing up with women. I mean, they`re not this mysterious kind of threatening thing to me.

GRIFFIN: Oh, I bet. Do they advise you on your early love life, which girl to take out, and which one don`t?

CRUISE: No, but, I mean, it was good, because I got to see how men treated them, so I kind of, you know, was a little easier on my girlfriends.

GRIFFIN: But he did get up and do that wild kind of dance that he did in "Risky Business."

ANDERSON: The "Risky Business" dance?

GRIFFIN: Yes, yes.

ANDERSON: When you went into your interviews each and every time, did you have a certain way you approached it? What kind of techniques did you use?

GRIFFIN: Put on my makeup, stand like this. They put on the wardrobe, go downstairs, walk on the stage, smile, see something happen, comment on it. Improvisational.

ANDERSON: Yes, yes.

GRIFFIN: Whatever happened, happened. Whatever didn`t happen, the audience would say, "Boy, that was a terrible interview." Well, it`s not Merv`s fault; it`s theirs. And then quickly go to a commercial.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: And you have a little secret as to how you got the guests to open up beforehand.

GRIFFIN: We did have a green room, and they did pour spirits in there. And we`d have to watch it carefully, though, because when we get a new head of the green room, he or she might pour a little too much, and we`d get somebody really sloshed coming out.

ANDERSON: Just loosen them up a little bit.

GRIFFIN: Just loosen them up a little bit.

There`s only one person who ever intimidated me in 23 years of doing this show, and that was Mrs. Rose Kennedy.

ANDERSON: And she intimidated you?

GRIFFIN: Well, she was the mother of all of these young people who aspired to be great public servants, and you knew that she ruled the roost. She arrived in the cab carrying a wardrobe bag with her dress. She came in, and I said, "How do you do, Mrs. Kennedy?" And I said, "What would you like to do?" "I want to sit in the chair where I`m going to be interviewed, and I want to see the lighting."

I said, "The lighting?" "Oh, yes, I want to see what the shot is." And they took the shot of her, and she went, "Oh, no, no, no. That`s much too close. Back up with that camera." And then we shot her from the waist up. "Don`t ever change that shot." "Yes, Mrs. Kennedy." So we knew she ruled America.

ANDERSON: What`s your most memorable interview that you`ve done?

GRIFFIN: Well, the sad story of Orson Welles. And one night, he walked in and he (INAUDIBLE) I never saw him before the show. He said, "I feel" -- he asked to see me, and said, "I feel very (INAUDIBLE) all those little gossip things you`ve been dying to ask me, Merv. Tonight, ask me." "You`re kidding, Orson?" "No, I feel like I want to talk."

And we went out, and talk we did.

ORSON WELLES, FILM DIRECTOR: The regrets, the things you did, the times you didn`t behave as well as you ought to have, that`s the real pain.

GRIFFIN: And he talked about the women in his life, and his life in Europe and America, and he said good night to them, and then two hours later he died. I got the call in the middle of the night.

ANDERSON: Almost like he knew.

GRIFFIN: Yes, and did want to say those things.

ANDERSON: I`m looking around your office, and so many pictures of you with former presidents, even the current president.

GRIFFIN: Oh, yes.

ANDERSON: Hollywood very outspoken, in fact, critical at times of this current administration.

GRIFFIN: Right.

ANDERSON: Do you think the president gets a fair shake in Hollywood?

GRIFFIN: With Hollywood going after him, he got a second term, and well done. The people who suffer are the actors and actresses who are not of the liberal party. They don`t work a lot in Hollywood, and there`s a number of them. I don`t want to name names.

ANDERSON: So there`s a bit of a backlash?

GRIFFIN: There`s a backlash, as far as working.

ANDERSON: You say you`re 80 years old now. You look great.

GRIFFIN: I feel great. I do everything that I`m not supposed to do, and I don`t do it intentionally. I`ve just smoked all my life, and I still smoke, and people, you know...

ANDERSON: Had a couple this morning?

GRIFFIN: Big mouth, yes. What am I going to do? I`m 80 years old. Do I want to be 90? I don`t think so. I don`t know. And I eat too much, and I don`t exercise. I take a taxi to a taxi.

ANDERSON: Do you think you`ll ever retire?

GRIFFIN: No, that would be death.

ANDERSON: What do you think your legacy is?

GRIFFIN: I just hope I entertain the most people, and they had fun with it and stuff, and my tombstone will read, "I will not be right back after this message."

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Ah, that Merv, love him. He is a joker to the end. That was SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson. "The Merv Griffin Show," 40 of the most interesting people of our time, DVD is in stores now.

Kate Winslet, J.K. Rowling, Maya Angelou, all successful, famous women. But sometimes success came at a price, whether it was their image in Hollywood, violence, or just the mere fact that they were women in a man`s world. They, along with other extraordinary women, tell their stories in great book of essays. It`s called, "Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing up Female."

Joining me live in New York, the author, Willa Shalit. Thank you for coming to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

WILLA SHALIT, AUTHOR, "BECOMING MYSELF": Thanks, A.J. Great to be here.

HAMMER: So many people in this book, a great roster of women. Among them, Patti LaBelle, Tatum O`Neal, Maya Angelou, all women who spoke about the struggles that they had to deal with, some of them with violence, some of them with family or abuse issues. What did you find among the women who spoke of these types of struggles to be the common thread?

SHALIT: I think that speaks directly to the title, because these women did suffer terribly, as you just described, and yet how did they rise above it? The way they did, Maya Angelou said, is by imagining themselves, what would it be like if they had power, and then becoming that. They didn`t imitate anyone; it came from inside, and thus becoming myself.

HAMMER: And it really drove them to become who they were.

SHALIT: Exactly. And they`re all originals. Everyone in this book is an absolute original.

HAMMER: Well, Suzanne Somers, an absolute original, to be sure. I want to read a quote from Suzanne in her book. She writes, "Sometimes it is the moments of greatest despair that we see the light of hope. After this incident, my father backed off. He kept drinking, but he kept staring at me like he was going to kill me if he ever got me alone, but he never touched me again."

Very, very personal moments from her, from so many of the other women. Why did the women who shared these thoughts with you in this book want to come forward in such a public way?

SHALIT: I think women who have suffered sexual abuse or other difficulties a lot of times feel ashamed, and I`m sure a lot of the viewers will empathize with this. And by coming public with it, as Gabrielle did, we reclaim our power. And as the women in the book did, so all women can and be open about what we`ve experienced and know that we`re not victims. In fact, we`re survivors.

HAMMER: One thing that a lot of women talk about dealing with in your book, image issues. I want to read something that Kate Winslet wrote. She wrote, quote, "What is perfect? Nothing is perfect. You`re only as happy as you feel, and that is a tremendously important thing for young women, to feel good about themselves, despite all of the pressure, not just from movies but these magazines."

Now, image and insecurity drive stars. Kate, I`m sure, not alone with this sentiment.

SHALIT: The thing about Kate is that she actually has a good sense of self-assuredness. But what she`s amazed by and actually really frustrated by is that women and girls who want to look like her are aspiring to something that doesn`t exist. They want to look like Kate Winslet, but she doesn`t think they really know who she is. And she says, "I wish they would just come in front of me, and I would take off all my clothes, and I would say, `This is Kate Winslet. I have stretch marks. I have cellulite. And what you want to be, you won`t get there. So please see the real me.`"

HAMMER: Good messages in this book. And proceeds going to help...

SHALIT: Proceeds go to help the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Equality Now, V-Day and Intersect Worldwide, four groups that are working to stop violence against women all over the world.

HAMMER: Willa Shalit, thank you so much for sharing your book with us and for being here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. You can grab Willa`s new book, "Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female," out in bookstores today. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Your front-page news tomorrow, we`ve got it tonight. It`s a girl for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. And coming up tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, much more on the proud parents and their new bundle of joy, baby Suri. Again, that`s tomorrow.

And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York City. Stay tuned for the very latest from CNN Headline News.

END