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Showbiz Tonight
Spanish Version of National Anthem Causes Stir; Rosie O`Donnell to Replace Meredith Vieira on "The View"
Aired April 28, 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: Is Rosie O`Donnell coming back to daytime TV? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And your first look at Brad Pitt`s new movie. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, star-spangled outrage. America`s national anthem rewritten and sung in Spanish.
(MUSIC)
HAMMER: Tonight, is this a flat-out insult to American patriotism? Or immigrants honoring their new country? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the heated debate.
Cyber stalking. Out of nowhere, men calling, e-mailing and even showing up at a shocked woman`s home, looking for sex.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are they telling you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That I`d set up a date with them online.
HAMMER: One woman`s Net nightmare after someone put her name on an adult web site. Tonight, the startling story and why it could it happen to you, too. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Hello, I`m Brooke Anderson live in Hollywood.
HAMMER: And I`m A.J. Hammer live in New York City.
Brooke, imagine if you will, for just a moment, imagine the "Star- Spangled Banner", the song that symbolizes America, imagine if it were no longer sung in English, but in Spanish. Well, imagine no more.
ANDERSON: ... bursting in air. A star-spangled firestorm erupted today over a remix of the national anthem that includes some big music stars. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is all over this story and we`ve got a heated debate coming up.
We begin with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas. She is live here with me in Hollywood -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, you are absolutely right. The controversy is heating up, and while some Americans like the idea of the song, it`s definitely hitting a sour note with others, including President Bush.
And this all comes amid a growing national debate over proposed legislation to overhaul U.S. immigration law.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
VARGAS: Remember when Whitney Houston sang "The Star-Spangled Banner"? She took a 200-year-old song and sent it to No. 1 on the sales charts.
Now, there`s this.
(MUSIC)
VARGAS: America`s "Star-Spangled Banner" with new lyrics in Spanish, called "Nuestro Himno". In English, it means, "Our Anthem".
The recording features artists like Gloria Trevi and Wyclef Jean, all sing anything Spanish. This is the guy behind the idea, British music executive Adam Kidron.
ADAM KIDRON, MUSIC EXECUTIVE: I was watching CNN, and I was watching the debate about the undocumented immigrants. And it felt weird to me that there was no -- I wanted to find a song that everybody could sing, because that`s what we do, that would express unity and solidarity with the undocumented immigrant.
VARGAS: The lyrics capture the essence of "The Star-Spangled Banner" but are completely different. Example, "Oh, say can you see by the dawn`s early light" becomes, "Dawn is breaking, do you see? To the light of daybreak?"
Eduardo Reyes produced the song.
EDUARDO REYES, MUSIC PRODUCER: It`s the American dream. Everybody in this country came from somewhere else.
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that a lot of people are really unhappy about this. The idea of America`s national anthem not sung in English, our official language. They say it`s simply unpatriotic.
BLANQUITA CULLUM, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I think it`s pretty stupid. Do you really think that Vicente Fox or the country of Mexico would be supportive of singing the Mexican national anthem in English?
VARGAS: And even President Bush couldn`t keep quiet about this. He says, "Sing it in English."
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English. And I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English. And they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.
VARGAS: Adam Kidron, the guy behind this, says, "Hold on, Mr. President," that the intention of the recording has never been to discourage immigrants from learning English. Instead, he says, it lets immigrants who don`t speak English yet understand the character of the national anthem.
Rapper Pitbull performed on the song. He tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this nation was built by immigrants, and the song celebrates America.
ARMANDO "PITBULL" PEREZ, RAPPER: In no way, shape or form is it disrespecting the national anthem, disrespecting Americans. We`re just trying to make a statement. You know? For all the people that are trying to come into this country and enjoy America, the United States of America.
VARGAS: More than 300 versions of the "Star-Spangled Banner" have been recorded over the years, all, as far as anyone can tell, in English until now.
KIDRON: Why not take the national anthem that`s been interpreted by Jimi Hendrix and interpreted by Jose Feliciano and interpret it again as an expression of solidarity for the undocumented immigrants?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: The song is going to radio stations. An album comes later with producers saying some of the money goes to groups fighting for immigrants. And Brooke, I`m sure we have just started to hear the discussions.
ANDERSON: I`m sure the debate will rage on for quite awhile. Sibila Vargas, thank you so much.
HAMMER: And joining us now from Miami is Armando "Pitbull" Perez, who was one of the recording artists on "Nuestro Himno", as you just saw. And joining us from D.C., Mark Krikorian. He`s the executive producer of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Gentlemen, I want to thank you both for joining us here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
MARK KRIKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: Thank you.
HAMMER: Mark, let me start with you. They say that this song is about unity and solidarity. What could possibly be wrong with that?
KRIKORIAN: Well, it sounds good but it`s not. It actually represents a fundamental rejection of the deal that we make with immigrants, the reason we allow immigration, which is that any kind of person can come here, any race, religion, creed. None of that stuff matters. But what does matter is that you buy into America. Not just the abstract principles of the constitution, but the actual history, the actual symbols of the actual United States of America. And this is an explicit and fundamental rejection of that deal.
And the fact that the multiculturalist-in-chief, the president of the United States, who is constantly talking about the need to use Spanish and what have you, the fact that even he rejects it makes it clear that this is an enormous political gaffe on the part of producers.
HAMMER: Pitbull, what do you think about that, the idea that, you know, if you`re coming to this country, buy into America, respect the culture? Even our president says it`s a gaffe. And a lot of people today saying this is outrageous.
PEREZ: Well, it may be outrageous to a lot of people, but the way we feel about it, it was more like a statement, you know. I don`t think nobody that maybe this record was trying to disrespect this country or, you know. I mean, I`m Cuban-American. At the end of the day, I`m American.
But I feel people that are trying to come to this country and enjoy the same rights as far as being stripped right away in the law that they`re trying to pass. That`s all it was all about. It`s all about making a statement. So you had the marches and you had the rallies.
HAMMER: Can you -- can you clarify for me because you said, we saw you say in the piece and you`re saying now try to make a statement. Specifically what is the statement that you`re trying to make?
PEREZ: As far as -- as far as we`re just trying to -- the laws that are trying to get passed, no one is really paying attention to anything everybody was doing. You had the marches. You had the rallies. You had the hunger strikes.
And then all of a sudden, they make a national anthem that`s really saying the same thing in Spanish. We`re embracing, we`re embodying everything. We`re not saying nothing negative about, you know, we don`t want people to speak English or we don`t want people to -- how should I say -- the rights that America talks about. You got to talk about liberty, freedom, opportunity.
We`re not talking about nothing but the same thing that the national anthem is talking about.
HAMMER: Well, Mark...
PEREZ: You understand me? So that`s why I think everybody`s blowing this out of proportion. They`re making a problem out of the record, not out of the issue. And we have a whole lot more problems that are going on in America that everybody`s taking this national anthem and blowing it out of proportion.
HAMMER: I think -- I think one of the things people are saying is it is disrespectful in that, you know, the song is being done different from how it was originally done, and that song certainly a big part of American culture.
Mark, I want to ask you, because you work for the Center of Immigration Studies. History certainly shows that America is a nation of immigrants that tolerates diversity. So how does this sort of not fall under that category?
KRIKORIAN: Well, there`s different kinds of diversity. My point about any kind of person being able to emigrate. In other words, there`s no rules about you`re having to follow a certain religion or be a certain color to be an immigrant. And likewise, speaking whatever language you want is also your business on your time at home.
Now, translating the lyrics, literally translating them for people to study who want to become Americans so they understand better what they`re doing, that`s fine.
Adapting the music with different versions, you know, a salsa beat to the "Star-Spangled Banner" or a ranchero beat or something like that, again, that`s fine.
This crosses the line because it rejects the -- it changes the actual national anthem. And it`s really not up to the producers and the singers to decide whether they have been disrespectful. The fact is, I consider this an act of deep contempt for the United States. And the fact is that`s the way most Americans see this.
HAMMER: And I got to end it there, Mark. I appreciate you chiming in with this. Mark Krikorian. I`m afraid we`re out of time.
Armando "Pitbull" Perez, thank you very much for...
PEREZ: Freedom of speech, First Amendment, freedom of speech, appreciate it.
HAMMER: All right. Thanks.
ANDERSON: Is Rosie O`Donnell coming back to daytime TV? We`ll tell you what all the buzz is about. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: Also, Brad Pitt, outlaw? Yes. We have your very first look at Brad Pitt in Jesse James -- as Jesse James in his new movie. That`s coming up in the "SHOWBIZ Showcase."
We also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they just lose all sense of being a good person when they go online.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How life can turn into a nightmare at the click of a mouse. One woman`s story of what happened when someone put her name on an adult web site. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates cyberstalking. That`s coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Straight up. Tube. Music. Everybody, got a story coming up about Brad Pitt as Jesse James. Ready A.J. Dissolve, mic cue.
HAMMER: Thank you so much, Danny.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`re TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer.
And it is time now for the story that made us say today, "That`s ridiculous!" It`s a new reality show that we have to tell you about that finally tackles an age-old question, can porn stars really act?
That`s right, the new show for the FOX Reality Channel, it`s called "My Bare Lady", and it`s going to take four female porn stars from the United States, put them on stage in a classic play -- that`s right, a classic play -- in London`s famed West End theater district. The reality show is set to air this fall.
That`s ridiculous.
From what I`m told, Brooke, in the porn films, and I don`t know this in personal experience, they don`t actually have good acting skills.
ANDERSON: Oh, they don`t? Well, you know that Jenna Jameson and Tracy Lords, they`ve crossed over into mainstream. Now, they haven`t won any Oscars. But you never know, I guess. Anything`s possible.
By the way, jaws are dropping in this studio around me with this story.
HAMMER: It`s an excellent story. But now we have to move on to our "SHOWBIZ Showcase." It`s your very first look at Brad Pitt as Jesse James. He plays America`s most notorious outlaw in the upcoming movie, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", also starring Casey Affleck. Here`s a sneak peek.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesse James is bigger than you can imagine. You go to him wanting to be with him. Wanting to be like him. You`ll always come away missing something.
I`m prepared for this. I know I won`t get but this one opportunity. And you can bet your life I`m not going to spoil it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Brad Pitt coming back. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is scheduled to be in theaters in September.
ANDERSON: OK. It is time now for tonight`s edition of musical chairs on morning TV.
Are you ready to hear who`s replacing Meredith Vieira on "The View", as she moves on to host "The Today Show"? The word is it`s Rosie, Rosie O`Donnell making a return to morning TV, where she ruled the roost as the so-called Queen of Nice for six years. That was until she quit in 2002.
Here with me live tonight to chat about it in Hollywood, Andy Cohen, who appeared on "The View" this week, in fact, and is a programming executive with Bravo. And he blogs about pop culture on BravoTV.com.
And in fact, I really enjoyed your blog about being on "The View."
ANDY COHEN, PROGRAMMING EXECUTIVE, BRAVO: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Thanks for being here.
COHEN: Thanks.
ANDERSON: This move, Rosie on "The View." What do you think about it? Smart move by "The View", by Rosie?
COHEN: Smart move by everybody. Set your TiVos is what I think. I mean, I think it`s -- it`s made "The View" must-see TV all over again.
I think what`s interesting is that, you know, Rosie isn`t the queen of nice anymore. She`s a different Rosie than she was as we all knew her from the talk show. So she`s an out lesbian and she has got a lot of opinions, which she`s shared with us all over the last few years.
So you know, I think it`s a really also interesting move just to see what happens. We`ll all be watching.
ANDERSON: She`s not afraid to express those opinions, you`re right about that.
COHEN: For sure.
ANDERSON: How do you think it will affect the dynamic on the show, because I have to tell you, Rosie, as we know, can carry a show all on her own. She has a commanding presence.
COHEN: Yes.
ANDERSON: Will she dominate, possibly overwhelm the other four women?
COHEN: Well, that`s the big question. And you know, when I was -- the one thing I noticed when I was there was that they all share a makeup room, and that`s kind of emblematic of the parity between -- between all of the women.
And so, this won`t be the Rosie O`Donnell show. It`s called "The View". It`s not going to be called "The View with Rosie O`Donnell", so I think that that`s the big challenge, to see what`s going to happen.
Also, she`s replacing Meredith, who is very much the anchor, calm woman on the show. And Rosie, as we know, is really opinionated. She has a blog. She -- she talks about politics. She talks about other celebrities in a way that she didn`t when she was doing her show. So, that`s interesting.
ANDERSON: Speaking of that blog, she`s been highly critical on it of Star Jones.
COHEN: She has.
ANDERSON: Saying that Star hasn`t been forthcoming about her weight loss, how she achieved it.
COHEN: Right.
ANDERSON: How will it work between the two of them?
COHEN: Well, I think that`s the reasons to set your TiVos. I think everybody`s watching to see, "Wait a minute. Are the two of them going to go at it?" You know, what`s going to be.
But Rosie has recently said, you know, Star did not lose the weight from a gastric -- I mean, she did lose the weight from a gastric bypass.
ANDERSON: Right.
COHEN: And she should come clean about that. And so I think everyone is going to be watching to see what goes on between the two of them.
ANDERSON: Do you think that Rosie and Joy will be fighting to get the jokes in there, to get the laughs, to be the comedienne?
COHEN: Well, that`s an interesting point, also. I mean, Joy was cast as the comedian. And here is Rosie, the comedian, major comedian who we all love, you know, filling in her spot.
It will be interesting. I mean, part of the charm of the show is that they all talk over each other in a really fun way. It will be really interesting to see someone who`s driven her own show and another comedian to see whether they talk all over each other and what happens. We got to set our TiVos.
ANDERSON: We do, in fact. But we will have to leave it there. Interesting discussion. Andrew Cohen, thanks for being here and sharing it with us.
I think they`re all smart ladies and they will figure it out some way, somehow.
COHEN: Somebody will.
ANDERSON: That`s right. You can read Andy`s blog at BravoTV.com.
HAMMER: Well, earlier, we told you that there`s controversy surrounding a Spanish language version of the national anthem. It isn`t sitting well with some people. But that`s not the only song stirring up trouble these days.
In fact, Sibila Vargas is live in Hollywood now with the latest on a whole album that has some people upset -- Sibila.
VARGAS: That`s right, A.J.
Veteran rocker Neil Young is streaming his new protest album, "Living with War", on his web site, NeilYoung.com. And one of the songs on that album, "Let`s Impeach the President", has conservative blogs fuming.
But that`s not the only song that is sure to get some people riled up. The whole album is full of references to the Iraq war, Katrina and the Bush administration.
Take a listen to one of those songs, "Shock and Awe."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
NEIL YOUNG, MUSICIAN (singing): Back in the days of shock and awe we came to liberate them all. History was a cruel judge of overconfidence back in the days of shock and awe.
Back in the days of mission accomplished, our chief was landing on the deck. The sun was setting on a golden photo op, back in the days of mission accomplished.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VARGAS: Not mincing words there.
Now, I had a chance to speak with Young in a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive right after he played the album for executives at his label, Reprise Records, and this is what he had to say about all the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: 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. So, I`m not worried about that.
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 everyone 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Neil Young speaking his mind. And A.J., can you listen to his new album, "Living with War" for free at NeilYoung.com or you can wait to buy it when it comes out Tuesday.
HAMMER: Thanks very much, Sibila Vargas, live in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: Moving now to the controversial 9/11 movie, "United 93". It is in theaters today, and it`s the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "United 93": do you want to go see it? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Send us an e-mail, ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show and get a critic`s review of the movie. You`ll want to stick around for that.
HAMMER: Rush Limbaugh turns himself in to the police. We`re going to have an update on the radio host`s legal troubles, coming up in "Hot Headlines."
Also ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are they telling you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That I`d set up a date with him online.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One woman`s nightmare after someone put her name on an adult web site and why it could happen to you, too. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates cyberstalking. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: Plus, James Brolin opens up about life with wife Barbra Streisand. James Brolin is coming up live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve got a former "E.R." star. Who is it? Find out. Roll the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer live in New York.
Now even though I poked and I prodded, "Sopranos" guest star Julianna Margulies pretty much kept her mouth shut. No big secrets out of her. Perhaps she was afraid of sleeping with the fishes.
Julianna is joining the mob drama for a few episodes. Of course, you remember her from "E.R." She was on that show for six seasons. On the "Sopranos" she plays a real estate agent looking to buy some property in New Jersey. Well, that`s got her crossing paths with big boss Tony.
Now they use some pretty ethnic words on the show and apparently, that left Julianna a bit tongue-tied.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIANNA MARGULIES, ACTRESS: Because I couldn`t say the Italian pronunciation for a type of salami.
HAMMER: Gabagool?
MARGULIES: That`s what it was.
HAMMER: Gabagool, guys.
MARGULIES: I said, "I`m not from the neighborhood. Is there any way we can change it to proscuitto or something? Because it`s just not going to sound right coming out of my mouth."
HAMMER: And what did you do?
MARGULIES: We changed it to proscuitto.
HAMMER: Just say it. Gabagool.
MARGULIES: Gabagool.
HAMMER: Gabagool.
MARGULIES: Gabagool. I know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: She pulled it off. You can catch Julianna Margulies on "The Sopranos" this Sunday on HBO. We`ll have more of my interview with her next week here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: She did a pretty good job.
OK. Jennifer Lopez talks about whether or not she wants to have children. That`s next in "Hot Headlines."
HAMMER: Plus, James Brolin is here. We`re going to ask him what it`s like being married to one of the famous women on the planet, Barbra Streisand. James Brolin joins us in the interview you`ll see here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they just lose all sense of being a good person when they go online.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How life can turn into a nightmare at the click of a mouse. One woman`s story of what happened when someone put her name on an adult web site. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates cyberstalking. That`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back. Hang out with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Friday night. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: We have arrived at the weekend. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
A.J., actor-director James Brolin is tackling a new challenge now. He`s going treasure hunting. This is not for any film or television role. He`s really -- no kidding -- treasure hunting. He will tell us all about it, coming up live, when he joins us. Also, we`ll talk about what it`s like to be married to the one, the only, Barbra Streisand.
HAMMER: Few women more famous than her. That`s going to be really interesting to hear about their life.
Also, we`ve been talking quite a bit over the past several months about "United 93," the film about the plane that crashed on 9/11 into the field, taken over by people who are on board the plane. It`s finally in theaters today.
I have come to feel that everybody should go see it, but maybe you haven`t decided yet. We`ll get an actual review from "People" magazine`s Leah Rozen. I respect her opinion greatly, and that`s coming up in just a few minutes.
But first tonight, imagine getting a knock at your door and you answer. It`s a creepy stranger. Why is he there? Well, that`s what`s so frightening. CNN`s Deborah Feyerick is here for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with one woman`s `net nightmare, and a scary, scary story -- Deborah?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very scary story, because the person who`s showing up at your door is looking for sex. It`s a growing problem, harassing people online, stealing their identity. And it`s not a prank; it`s cyber-stalking, and it`s a crime.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): Last September, out of nowhere, Claire Miller began getting obscene phone calls and sexually explicit e-mails. She shrugged it off, but then strange men started ringing her doorbell.
CLAIRE MILLER, STALKED OVER THE INTERNET: There were some scarier ones that showed up very late at night.
FEYERICK (on camera): What are they telling you?
MILLER: That I`d set up a date with them online.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Online, on a hardcore adult Web site, someone had posted a personal ad pretending to be Claire Miller. It revealed where she lived and how to reach her and said she was into swingers, group sex, and erotic e-mails.
The phony ad invited men to stop by Miller`s Manhattan apartment, promising, "I could make you very happy and satisfied in my den of love pad."
(on camera): Do you have any idea who might be doing this to you?
MILLER: No, I really don`t.
FEYERICK: Have you thought possibly an ex-boyfriend?
MILLER: Very unlikely.
FEYERICK: A stranger?
MILLER: Most likely.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Miller, a publishing executive, is being cyber-stalked. She has no idea who it is or why they`re doing it and says she has never posted her personal details on any Web site. She agreed to speak with me, only on condition she disguise herself so the stalker won`t know what she really looks like.
MILLER: The thought that someone would spend countless hours online trolling for complete strangers to harass me is very strange.
FEYERICK: Strange, and yet it`s happening more and more. These days, finding personal details online can be as easy as typing in a name.
(on camera): This must be so frightening, to look yourself up and see that somebody`s put you on something like this.
JANE HITCHCOCK, WORKING TO HALT ONLINE ABUSE: Oh, yes. I would be frightened.
FEYERICK (voice-over): After being victimized herself, Jane Hitchcock created the group Working to Halt Online Abuse, or WHOA for short.
HITCHCOCK: I call it Internet road rage, where, for whatever reason, just like offline road rage, where somebody just snaps and starts chasing somebody down the information superhighway.
FEYERICK: No one keeps official statistics on cyber-stalking, but Hitchcock says she gets about 50 new calls a week. One of those calls came from Claire Miller, confused why this was happening.
HITCHCOCK: Maybe she spurned somebody and somebody took something she said the wrong way. It could be any number of things, but somebody obviously got very, very angry with her for some reason and they took it personally. And so they wanted to get back at her in the nastiest way possible.
FEYERICK (on camera): How difficult is it to get your identity back, once it is posted on an adult Web site or someplace else like that?
KEVIN BARROWS, RENAISSANCE ASSOCIATES: Well, to get it back, it`s virtually impossible.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Former FBI agent Kevin Barrows investigates computer crimes.
(on camera): What is it about the Internet that makes people think they can do this and get away with it?
BARROWS: It`s very easy. You don`t have to have personal contact. You don`t have to call someone on a phone and confront them that way. You don`t have to sit in front of someone`s house and watch them. All you do is type a few keys and hit send.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Which raises the question: Who`s doing it?
HITCHCOCK: These are normal, everyday people. They`re professionals. They`re usually white-collar, don`t have criminal records. But for whatever reason, they just lose all sense of being a good person when they go online. It`s almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide.
FEYERICK (on camera): Do they see themselves as cyber-stalkers?
BARROWS: I don`t believe so. In my experience, I think that they see themselves as getting back, getting revenge.
FEYERICK: And yet getting revenge may mean destroying somebody`s reputation.
BARROWS: That`s right.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Cyber-stalking is now a crime in 45 states. And while stalkers may think what they`re doing is harmless, even a prank, there`s always a risk it can escalate into something more dangerous.
Even if they try to hide or change their Internet address, most stalkers can be traced, but it takes a lot of time and effort and few are ever prosecuted. As for Claire Miller, she still doesn`t know who`s harassing her, though she thinks it may be someone connected to an old high school friend.
(on camera): If you could sigh anything to this person, what would you say to them?
MILLER: Stop. Stop now.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Miller says she`s not frightened, but she has changed her phone number, taken her name off the door, and disconnected her apartment buzzer, just in case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Now, the men who came to Claire Miller`s apartment thought it was for a date, and so they left without incident. But in another case in California, a cyber-stalker sent men to a woman`s home under the pretense she had rape fantasies. Well, the cyber-stalker went so far as to say, if the woman put up a fight, it was all part of the fantasy. Really sick and really, really dangerous.
HAMMER: And so scary, because the truth is here this can happen to anybody.
FEYERICK: Anybody. And you don`t know what might spark somebody to come after you. It may be something as innocent as they don`t like your screen name, and so they come after you. That`s how disturbing it can be.
HAMMER: Does this woman who was victimized here, Claire Miller, does she have any recourse at all with the Web sites? Can she go after them? Can she sue them?
FEYERICK: None, really, because all these Web sites, they don`t ask for details. Most of them don`t check you. There are a growing number of Web sites that are saying, "We`re going to do background checks on you," but they`re in the minority.
HAMMER: And it is frightening. CNN`s Deborah Feyerick, thanks for joining us.
ANDERSON: OK. It is time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines." For that, we go to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, who joins me live here again in Hollywood.
Hi, Sibila.
VARGAS: Hi, Brooke, thanks.
Rush Limbaugh arrested today on prescription drug charges. Just this afternoon, the conservative talk show host turned himself into Florida officials. This is his mug shot.
In a statement, Limbaugh`s attorney tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the charge will be dismissed in 18 months. Now, prosecutors who have been investigating this for three years say Limbaugh illegally tricked doctors into writing prescriptions for nearly 2,000 painkillers.
Another celebrity in trouble with the law tonight, a Baldwin brother busted. Daniel Baldwin arrested on cocaine possession charges in California. Daniel, the brother of Alec and Stephen, was picked up after police responded to a call from a woman who claimed she was threatened at a hotel. When cops showed up, they say they found Baldwin with a small amount of drugs.
Well, lots of people talking about this one today, the Spanish version of the "Star-Spangled Banner." The producer of "Nuestro Himno" says he just wants to honor immigrants, but a lot of people are outraged. President Bush said today the national anthem should be sung in English only.
And Jennifer Lopez says she`s not thinking about kids right now. The sultry singer-actress tells "People" magazine it would be nice to have a baby with husband Marc Anthony, but it will happen naturally when the time is right. Lopez has been named "People in Espanol`s" most beautiful person. That issue hits newsstands Monday.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines." And, you know, Brooke, I think that, when she`s ready to have kids, she`s going to still be one hot mama.
ANDERSON: Oh, I definitely agree with that, and no rush. Good for J- Lo. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas. That`s right, thanks so much.
Coming up, James Brolin goes treasure hunting and how he treasures his wife, Barbra Streisand. James Brolin, live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s next.
Plus, we`ve also got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not going to land this plane. They are not going to take us back to the airport.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any other option we have?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The story of the brave passengers who fought back against the 9/11 terrorists on "United 93." Tonight, the controversial film is out in theaters. We`ve got a review coming up next.
And we want to hear from you tonight for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." We`re asking: "United 93": Do you want to go see it?
Continue to vote by going to CNN.com/showbiztonight. You can also write to us if you have more to say at showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e- mails are coming up a bit later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: OK, James Brolin is hunting for the world`s greatest treasure. No, not his wife, Barbra Streisand; he`s got her already. His quest for gold isn`t for a movie or a television show. He`s actually teamed up with some professional treasure hunters to find the world`s most valuable hidden stuff in the ocean. The group he`s working with is called Deep Blue Marine.
Joining me live in Hollywood for a "Showbiz Sitdown," James Brolin. But you tell me you go by Jim.
JAMES BROLIN, ACTOR: Yes.
ANDERSON: So, Jim, welcome to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
BROLIN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Thanks for being here. OK, in 1997, you played a character, Captain Ramsey, in the film, "The Haunted Sea." Your character discovers -- do you remember this?
BROLIN: Yes, barely, yes.
ANDERSON: Your character discovers a treasure. Are you a real-life Captain Ramsey now? What are you trying to do here?
BROLIN: I`m a real-life diver. I mean, as far as -- free diver, you know. I spend a lot of time in the South Seas diving, but, you know, not with any air supply or lung. It was always free diving.
But this all started because I`m a day-trader, and I came across this stock of these guys starting this group of treasure hunters, I mean, putting together a group that would go with the latest equipment and technical equipment to go after sunken treasure.
ANDERSON: So it sparked your interest?
BROLIN: Yes, it did. So I bought some stock.
ANDERSON: So an investment and hobby? OK, are you looking for some sort of Holy Grail? Is there a specific treasure you have your sights set on here?
BROLIN: Well, there are -- the guy that put together the company has brought together seven of the best treasure hunters in the world, all who have probably worked together at one time or another, but never has a group been assembled like this. Mel Fisher had had his group, but nobody had operated it like a corporation.
So I bought the stock. I went on the Web site, this alldeepblue.com, and found Wilf Blum, the guy that created it. I found his name. I called him up, never thinking that I would get a hold of him, and we talked about this.
And he said, "We`re coming to Santa Barbara next week. Why don`t you come down and meet us? And all of the guys are meeting before we go to the Bahamas, to the Florida coast to begin to search."
I went out there, and I ended up doing what you`re doing. I ended up interviewing these guys...
ANDERSON: Interview, too, and then you thought it was a good idea.
BROLIN: ... yes, because they were running some tape.
ANDERSON: Well, let me ask you this. You and Barbra have been married, what, eight years now?
BROLIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: And you went to her and you said, "Honey" -- do you call each other honey?
BROLIN: Yes, oh, yes.
ANDERSON: You said, "Honey, let`s invest in this company that searches for sunken treasures." She said what?
BROLIN: Great, sounds great.
ANDERSON: Oh, very supportive.
BROLIN: Yes. And when I mentioned the stock, she usually -- you know, she`s a great trader. She can tell you what stock was what price last Friday at 10:00.
ANDERSON: And I`m sure she trusts your judgment, too.
BROLIN: No.
ANDERSON: Not necessarily?
(LAUGHTER)
BROLIN: No, not when it comes to trading. I`m not as good as she. You know, she`s the kind of person that when you`re playing blackjack, she remembers all the cards that were played already. Not me.
ANDERSON: Great memory, that Barbra. And speaking of her, we all know that she is very outspoken with her political beliefs.
BROLIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: In fact, on her blog, she`s highly critical of President Bush, his administration, his policies. You`ve played a president before, President Reagan, in fact, in a controversial TV movie.
BROLIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: Do you and Barbra see eye to eye on politics?
BROLIN: Very much.
ANDERSON: Very much so?
BROLIN: Yes, very much. And I`m a great -- you know, I`m a nice, easy-going guy, but I`m a great cynic about everybody. And when I meet all of these politicians, I`m really just sitting there going, "What does this guy really want?"
ANDERSON: Think there are ulterior motives?
BROLIN: I look for that. I look for the worst. And then, when it`s not there, then, you know, obviously the best is left. You know, it`s psycho-cybernetics. It`s results by deduction, you know.
ANDERSON: Do you and Barbra share that same view on life? Is she kind of like that way?
BROLIN: No, she just instinctively knows what`s right and wrong. Me, I have to work it.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: We women have those instincts at times, don`t we?
BROLIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: And also, Barbra, on her blog, has recently talked about an unauthorized biography that she`s very, very upset about. It`s titled "Barbra."
BROLIN: Well, none of it`s true. That`s the thing.
ANDERSON: Right, but...
BROLIN: There are even people mentioned in there, quite a few, that she`s never heard of and people who she was with that she never met. I`d say 90 percent of it is totally fabricated, and 10 percent is based on the truth and fabricated.
ANDERSON: Because there have been many unauthorized biographies written about her.
BROLIN: Thirty-six.
ANDERSON: But this one has really angered her.
BROLIN: No, no, not really.
ANDERSON: Not more so than the others?
BROLIN: No, they all -- every one that comes through comes and go -- you know, you go, "Oh, my god, not another one." And if somebody tells you what it said, you know -- after 36, how can you be angry, you know?
The thing she has to do is sit down and tell you the truth about what happened, because here`s a person who is incapable of lying.
ANDERSON: Is she going to authorize a biography or do an autobiography?
BROLIN: She`ll do an autobiography.
ANDERSON: Does she have plans -- official plans?
BROLIN: Oh, yes, oh, yes, she always has.
ANDERSON: When will we see that?
BROLIN: Don`t know. You know, one just has to sit -- right now, we`re building, and that will take the rest of this year. And then she`ll probably sit down and do it.
ANDERSON: All right, life seems to be going well for you.
BROLIN: It`s hard to complain.
ANDERSON: You look great. And with this new adventure, this new hobby, of course, I`m sure things will keep going on that same track.
BROLIN: Yes.
ANDERSON: Jim Brolin, thanks so much for being here. It was a pleasure.
BROLIN: Thank you. Bye-bye.
ANDERSON: All right, and you can learn more about his project with the Deep Blue Marine treasure hunters. It`s at alldeepblue.com.
HAMMER: It is time now for the "Showbiz Guide." And tonight, in "People`s Picks and Pans," we`re talking about one new controversial movie that has been stirring emotions across the nation even before it`s released in theaters, "United 93."
Joining me now to talk about the film, "People" magazine film critic Leah Rozen.
OK, Leah, we have been talking about this movie literally for months. The one thing we haven`t gotten yet is a review of the film, so let`s start there.
LEAH ROZEN, MOVIE CRITIC, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Well, I would say, if they had to make the movie, it is the best possible version they could have made. This is a terrific film. It is almost documentary-like.
The director, Paul Greengrass, had an earlier film called "Bloody Sunday" about a peace march gone wrong in Ireland. He knows how to just take what happened, the real events, and put it on screen in an order that you`re sort of seeing the big picture, and that`s what he does here.
There are no false heroics, no jingoism. You just get a sense of the incredibly tragic events that happened that day and how what was going on in the plane, what was going on in the ground and how the people on the ground couldn`t put it all together and were just sort of floundering.
HAMMER: What I keep telling people is: It is the best of what moviemaking is supposed to be. It tells a story. And that`s all it tries to do.
ROZEN: It tells a story. It does it well. You, of course, part of when you`re watching, though, is what you`re bringing to it. I mean, the whole time you`re there, you keep going, "Maybe it will end differently this time." And, of course, it`s not going to.
But it`s also just how it resonates. You`re remembering where you were that morning. You`re remembering that which is on the screen that you actually saw, if you were watching CNN or whatever. You know, "Oh, yes, I remember that part." And then on other things are completely new to you.
I mean, I was struck in the film by how the military just was so unprepared, scrambling, had no resources. I mean, that -- if I had read the entire 9/11 report, I`d probably have known it, but I don`t. The movie brought it to me.
HAMMER: It was interesting, because it does educate you. You sound even a little emotional just talking about it. And the truth is, I`ve been telling people who have had anxiety like I did before seeing the film, see the film. Everybody should see the film. When you get a little space, after having see the film, it will feel different to you.
ROZEN: Well, one of the things -- I`m going to be really interested in how it does at the box office, because what I have discovered -- friends in New York, no New Yorker wants to see this movie. Every New Yorker, I go, "But it`s good." "I`m not seeing it. I can`t." They say the wound is too fresh.
What I`m going to be fascinated by is if teenagers go, sort of your 18-, your 19-year-old, your primary movie-going audience. They were 14, 13 when it happened. Do they want to now see it, you know, as almost a grown- up? That which is a teenager, I wasn`t clear on.
HAMMER: It`s a true piece of history. And Leah Rozen, a New York film critic, I appreciate your insight, especially on this film.
ROZEN: Thank you.
HAMMER: And as always, for more "Picks and Pans," you can get your copy of "People" magazine on newsstands now.
ANDERSON: Throughout the show, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." "United 93": Do you want to go see it?
Let`s take a look at how the vote is going so far. Almost split down the middle here. 44 percent of you say yes; 56 percent of you say no.
Here are some of the e-mails we`ve received. Looks like Christie from Iowa will see it. "This movie has the potential help us heal. I have always felt that the passengers of this flight were heroes."
And another Christie from Florida this time says, "I don`t want to see a tragic story that I`ve lived through via the media. I already know how the story ends."
Thank you for your e-mails. You can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight.
Stay with us. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
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HAMMER: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, as we wrap things up for a Friday night. And it is time now to see what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Here comes your "Showbiz Marquee."
Well, on Monday we`ve got a very inspirational story. Backstreet Boy Brian Latrell, he nearly died when he was five. He had open-heart surgery in his early-20s. And because of these near-death experiences, he`s gone from pop songs to religious ones. Brian joins us live on Monday.
Also on Monday, race car driver Danica Patrick, she`s already broken Indy 500 records and hopes to do it again later this month. What it`s like to be a woman in a sport chock full of men, Danica Patrick will tell us live on Monday.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Have a great weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Have a great night, everybody. Stay tuned for more from CNN Headline News.
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