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Showbiz Tonight
Celebrities React to a Day Without Immigrants; Danica Patrick Dishes on Racing World
Aired May 01, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Race car driver Danica Patrick live. She`s a star in a sport dominated by men. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
SIBILA VARGAS, CO-HOST: And an inspiring tale of a pop star who cheated death and is using religion to give back. I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Hollywood all fired up.
DAYANARA TORRES, 1993 MISS UNIVERSE: I think we should all show our support. I support them.
ANDERSON: The coast-to-coast fight over immigration.
And the Spanish version of America`s national anthem.
ARMANDO "PITBULL" PEREZ, RAPPER: I don`t think nobody that made this record was trying to disrespect this country.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the stars and the star-spangled battle.
Also girls fighting girls, caught on tape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could not believe that the mother was actually there helping her daughter fight my daughter.
ANDERSON: Tonight the shocking story of young women brutally beating and punching each other while their parents actually cheer them on. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the gruesome world of girl fighting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Hello. I`m Sibila Vargas, in for A.J. Hammer live in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson live in New York. Sibila, this has been an extraordinary day of protests around the country over the great immigration debate that has really gripped America.
VARGAS: You got that right, Brooke. And it`s not just the immigration issue but also the remix of "The Star-Spangled Banner" made into a record in Spanish that got so many people feuding and fighting. That includes some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, who like most Americans, have something to say about all this, and they`re speaking out to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: From coast to coast immigrants, legal and illegal, are staging a boycott.
VARGAS (voice-over): Whether it was on the streets or in cable news channels, you could not escape A Day Without Immigrants, a day-long boycott to demand rights for illegal immigrants. From New York to Hollywood and all points in between, all sides in the illegal immigration debate are making their voices heard loud and clear.
In Hollywood, stars are selling SHOWBIZ TONIGHT what they think of today`s historic protests.
ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": The big mistake that so many people make is they equate immigration with illegal immigration. They are very, very different.
VARGAS: Canadian-born "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek was just one of the celebrities at the Daytime Emmy Awards who had something to say to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about immigration.
ANTONIO SABATO JR., ACTOR: Everybody who has come here, including myself, from another country, we love this place, and we work really hard here. So anybody should not be let in just like that.
VARGAS: Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres supports today`s protests.
TORRES: I think we should all show our support. I support them. Monday I don`t work. So I think that I believe in their -- in their respect and in their rights, and I think we should all do this.
VARGAS: But "One Life to Live" star Kamar De Los Reyes tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he has a different take.
KAMAR DE LOS REYES, ACTOR: You`re here to work and make money and feed your family and put a roof over your head. If you don`t go to your job for a boycott -- for this boycott and you lose your job, then you can no longer do that, obviously. So I think it`s -- I think it`s a big mistake. I think it`s not the way to show unity.
VARGAS: And when Mexican-American "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria talked to me on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, she couldn`t help but weigh in on the immigration issue.
EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: I think everybody should kind of educate themselves and get rid of the ignorance that you have as to, "Oh, get rid of the Mexicans." It`s not the solution, you know. You need to be educated about what the Mexicans and what we contribute to this society and this economy.
VARGAS: While the controversial topic of immigrant rights is front and center on the streets today, a controversial song supporting immigrant rights is also generating heat.
A heavily reworked and mostly Spanish version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" called "Nuestro Himno"` or "Our Anthem", is playing on radio stations and amid a rocket`s red glare of criticism.
Even before hearing it, President Bush went on TV to say that he, for one, was not a fan.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English.
VARGAS: One of the artists who performed the song came on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to defend it.
PEREZ: It may be outrageous to a lot of people, but the way we feel about it, it was more like a statement. And you know, I don`t think nobody that made this record was trying to disrespect this country.
VARGAS: And so it goes on the streets, on Hollywood, and on the airwaves. The hot issue of immigration is alive and well.
Oh, say can you see an ongoing debate?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And stars such as Edward James Olmos and Salma Hayek are backing today`s boycott.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Sibila.
Country music star Jett Williams, the daughter of the legendary Hank Williams, is all fired up about the immigration debate and the national anthem in Spanish. Williams released a statement that`s really raised some eyebrows, saying, quote, "Illegal is illegal. You are not an undocumented immigrant. You are an illegal alien, period. If I hired you, I could be arrested."
It also said, quote, "If they don`t like our national anthem as we wrote it and lived under it, why don`t they go back to Tijuana? Legal is legal and illegal is illegal."
Jett Williams is live with us tonight from Nashville. Live from Miami is attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, who is not too happy about what Williams had to say.
Welcome to you both.
Jett, I want to begin with you. Those, they`re some inflammatory words. Why did you put out that statement?
JETT WILLIAMS, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: Well, Brooke, I don`t think it`s inflammatory. I mean, the fact is illegal is illegal and legal is legal. And the immigrants that are here are illegal. That is against the law.
ANDERSON: But saying, "Why don`t they go back to Tijuana?" Some people might regard that as insensitive.
WILLIAMS: Well, I just picked that. It could be Brownsville. They need to go back to Mexico, or any illegal alien that`s in this country, go back to the country, go through the proper channels, go through the procedure, and enter this country as a legal immigrant. Don`t do it illegally. Go back to the country, start up, and come back and come back into this country the proper way.
ANDERSON: Lida, what is your reaction to this?
LIDA RODRIQUEZ-TASEFF, ATTORNEY: Well, you know, legal versus illegal. This term only came to be in the 1920s. Prior to that anybody could come here without documents, without anything, and we welcomed them. And in fact, they fought in our wars and they have been in our country.
So this legal versus illegal, it`s just not part of our history. In fact, it has not been part of our history for most -- for most of the time that America has been a nation.
And more importantly as Jett, I`m sure, well knows, these people, these undocumented immigrants, contribute massively to this economy. They`ve put more on the table.
WILLIAMS: No, they don`t.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Yes, ma`am, they do. The statistics show...
WILLIAMS: Explain to me the federal tax that they`re paying. Explain to me...
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: They are paying federal taxes, yes, ma`am. And in fact, the Social Security Administration. Listen to me. Listen to me.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Jett, let`s give Lida room to talk.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Yes, they are. Jett, Jett, Jett, yes, they are. In fact between 1990 and 1998 the Social Security Administration had $20 billion that had been paid by undocumented people.
WILLIAMS: How come everyone is paid in cash?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: They`re not being paid in cash.
WILLIAMS: Why are -- why are the immigrants working for under -- working for under minimum wage?
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: OK, I want to bring it back here. I want to bring it back here. Of course, I know you both have very strong opinions.
Jett, I want to bring it back to "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish. On the one hand, you want immigrants to understand this country, but the producers of this song in Spanish say that`s what this version does, that it promotes understanding, it promotes unity.
WILLIAMS: This is not a bilingual country. This is not a bilingual country.
ANDERSON: There are many bilingual Americans.
WILLIAMS: They`re not bilingual. The national -- English is in this country, and if they want to sing our national anthem, they want to be an American, they need to learn to sing it in our language and in English. If I went to Mexico, I would not sing the national anthem in English. I would think enough of that country to learn Spanish to sing it to them in their own language.
ANDERSON: OK. OK, well, Lida, you must understand why people are upset about this. Even President Bush isn`t a fan of the Spanish version of the national anthem. Why do you say it`s OK?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, you know, the biggest form of praise is imitation. And what is happening here is these immigrants -- who, by the way, 75 percent of all immigrants who come to this country learn English within 10 years. They become citizens of this country. In our...
WILLIAMS: The legal way.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: They become naturalized. Absolutely. And the reason they want to sing it in Spanish is because they haven`t learn it in English yet, and they want to show this country that they respect it, they love it, they`re committed to it. And they intend to learn English. And they do learn English in massive rates.
So you know, we are not a bilingual country. We`re an English- speaking country, but there are a lot of people historically, from the beginning of this nation, that have spoken more than one language. And...
WILLIAMS: Not singing the national anthem. And can I say something? I want to jump in right here.
ANDERSON: Of course. Go ahead, Jett.
WILLIAMS: Let`s take -- why do we have immigration laws? Why are we -- why are we letting -- if you happen to be Cuban and you come into Florida, we turn the boat back and so you can`t come in because you...
ANDERSON: OK, Jett, I want to bring this back to some other high profile names, Jett, right now who disagree with your take on this. Edward James Olmos, Salma Hayek, Susan Sarandon, they say that immigrants are just easy targets for the larger problems in this country. Do you think that`s the case? Are you taking an easy target here?
WILLIAMS: No, I`m not. I`m trying to take a position. There is a proper way to enter into this country, whether you`re coming through the border in Mexico, whether you`re coming through Florida, whether you`re coming through New York. That`s why we have immigration. That`s why we have immigration laws. There is a procedure that people that want to enter into this country.
And I think it`s a disgrace for all of the people that come to this country that have gone through the proper channels that have come into this thing that are legal aliens in this country for us to say just come on in. Why not open all our borders and say, "Everybody in the world, come on. Come to America"?
ANDERSON: OK, Jett Williams, Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, it is a polarizing issue that will be debated for a long time to come, but we do have to leave it there tonight. I appreciate both of you coming on tonight to share your strong views and your sides to this. Thanks, guys.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Thank you.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
ANDERSON: OK. Now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of day. The national anthem: was it wrong to record it in Spanish? Vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Here`s the address. Send us an e-mail, ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some of your thoughts later on in the show.
VARGAS: Teri Hatcher shocked everyone when she told the world her uncle sexually abused her as a child. Now the "Desperate Housewives" star opens up to Oprah about the explosive allegations.
She says her uncle`s alleged abuse has affected her present-day sex life. Quoting now, "He was touching me and he said to me, `Doesn`t this feel good?` It is something that I`ve really struggled with, because if I let sex feel good, if I let sex be what a women should have with man she care about, then somehow he was right."
Teri`s talk wasn`t all heavy duty. Sometimes -- she also comes clean about her reported romances with George Clooney and "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest. Here`s a sneak peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: You were photographed kissing Ryan Seacrest.
TERI HATCHER, ACTRESS: Right. Right. Oh, Jesus.
WINFREY: There have been George Clooney rumors, too.
HATCHER: And boy, they would not let go of that one. I mean, I read things about how he sent me a teddy bear and chocolates for Valentine`s Day, and I`m like, in my mailbox? Really? Did he really?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: We`ll have more on Teri Hatcher`s story tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And of course you can see her full interview on "Oprah" tomorrow.
ANDERSON: Coming up more daytime dish. What the ladies of "The View" had to say about their new co-host, Rosie O`Donnell.
Plus we`ve also got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could not believe that the mother was actually there helping her daughter fight my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Girls fighting girls caught on tape. Tonight the shocking story of a young woman brutally beating and punching each other. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the gruesome world of girl fighting.
ANDERSON: Also, she`s fought her way to the top of her sport. Coming up, Danica Patrick`s inspirational story of beating the odds in the male- dominated world of auto racing. Danica Patrick live. It`s in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Music. OK, everybody. We`ve got Danica Patrick coming up. But first, here`s Brooke. Ready, five. Push, dissolve, mic cue.
ANDERSON: And we will talk to Danica in just a few minutes. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
Well, it`s time now for the story that made us all say, "That`s just ridiculous." Listen to this.
Your mission, should you accept it, is to simply pick up a newspaper. Easy, right? Well, not if you were buying an "L.A. Times" this weekend. When you opened the news racks you saw some scary looking wires. People panicked, thinking the boxes were filled with bombs. Authorities even blew one of them up just to be sure.
But it was all part of a promotional campaign for "Mission: Impossible 3", which Paramount hopes won`t bomb at the box office. And we`ve just got to say, thought, "That is ridiculous."
Sibila, they put them in about 4,500 randomly selected news racks. Fortunately, I get my "L.A. Times" delivered, so I wasn`t subjected to a scare like that.
VARGAS: I can`t believe, though, in this post-9/11 age that somebody would actually do that and think that, "Oh, this is going to be a good joke." It resembles a bomb. Not a good joke.
ANDERSON: It was supposed to pay the "M:I 3" theme song. Not quite.
VARGAS: Not a good idea. Well, let`s move on.
Rosie O`Donnell is a huge -- and we mean a huge -- fan of Tom Cruise, so when she joins "The View" this fall I wouldn`t surprised to see him sitting or maybe jumping off that couch.
I know you probably know that Rosie is replacing Meredith Vieira, who`s going over to "The Today Show" to replace Katie Couric, who`s now going over to the "CBS Evening News".
Well, Rosie says that when "The View" co-host Barbara Walters asked her to come on board, she dropped everything. Now, this is what she had to say on her blog. "There r those in ur 4 u anything - file. She`s the to sit in an anchor chair, paved the way for all females who followed. Barbara Walters is in my 4 u anything - file with gratitude."
Walters made it official on "The View" today. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": Here`s a formal announcement. As of September the wonderful Rosie O`Donnell, after an absence of four years on television, will be our newest co-host on "The View". The show is very pleased about that.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": I`ve been practicing koosh ball all day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: On her blog, Rosie adds that Walters first approached her for a job after a screening of "Rosie`s Family Cruise". That`s an HBO documentary about a boat trip for gay parents -- Brooke.
ANDERSON: OK. If someone ever said to you, "You drive like a girl" and you thought they were dissing you, you might want to remind them about racing superstar Danica Patrick. She`s overcome many obstacles to take the mal-dominated racing world by storm.
Danica became the first female to ever lead a lap at the Indy 500, all at the age of 23. She`s just put out her autobiography, "Danica: Crossing the Line". And joining me live here in New York for a "SHOWBIZ Sit-down," Danica Patrick.
Thanks for slowing down a little bit to chat with us today.
DANICA PATRICK, RACE CAR DRIVER: Yes. I don`t know. New York is pretty fast paced, though.
ANDERSON: It`s pretty fast paced, frenetic paced here in New York.
PATRICK: Yes.
ANDERSON: But first, I want to congratulate you. You were recently named one of "People" magazine`s 100 most beautiful people.
PATRICK: Can you believe that? I can`t.
ANDERSON: You`re quite the glamour girl without the helmet on. Look at here and...
PATRICK: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: Look at you in this picture. Wow.
PATRICK: I was very flattered to be asked to be in the magazine, and I had to keep it a secret for a month or two. And I didn`t want to. It seemed like bragging, probably, if I was telling people, so it`s good that I had to keep it a secret.
But I was just flattered to be asked. It`s like I remember reading the magazine when I was, you know, years ago.
ANDERSON: Right.
PATRICK: Last year, the year before and the year before, and thinking maybe one day I`ll be lucky enough...
ANDERSON: It`s well-deserved.
PATRICK: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: And your life has been so full. You got married in, what, November?
PATRICK: I did, yes.
ANDERSON: Congratulations.
PATRICK: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: I heard a funny story about this. You met your husband, who`s a physical therapist, when you were injured but not an injury you suffered on the track.
PATRICK: No.
ANDERSON: An injury you suffered, was it, in yoga class?
PATRICK: Far, far from the track. It was -- I was doing yoga. There`s this program in the morning called Inhale. And it`s pretty good. And it`s like 6 a.m. And I`m trying to compete with the people in the class. And I`m sure it`s like middle of the day, you know. They probably have done 10 shows by that point. And here I am at 6 going I can beat you. I`m more flexible.
And it didn`t really work out. So I limped around for six weeks. And finally, my boss, Bobby Rahal, said, "All right. I`ve got a guy you need to see." So I went out and saw Paul "Dougie" Hospenthal.
ANDERSON: You met your husband. It was well worth it after all of that.
PATRICK: It was for sure.
ANDERSON: How do you do it, Danica? Driving more than 200 miles per hour, much faster than the NASCAR race drivers drive. I get the shakes when I get up to 75 on the freeway. Do you get nervous? Do you feel anxious in the pit of your stomach, or does it not affect you anymore?
PATRICK: No. You get real used to. You know, I`ve been -- it`s been a really nice progression from go-karts and building the speed through that, even, to cars to -- from Atlantic and then Indy cars. The jump to Indy cars was a big jump, but, you know, for the most part, if you can drive a race car, you can drive a race car. So you know...
ANDERSON: Just as easy as that?
PATRICK: If you can do your job, you can do your job. So...
ANDERSON: You make it sound so easy.
PATRICK: Yes, yes.
ANDERSON: You broke into this male-dominated sport. When you first began, did you get a little bit of razzing? Did the guys make fun of you? Did you have to overcome some of that?
PATRICK: You know, when we were really young I kind of intimidated them a little bit. And then as we got older, I don`t know if maybe their friends started teasing them or something, but they seemed to get a little bit more macho on me. And that`s OK.
But right now, I mean, I`m really good friends with all the other guys in the series, and we have a really good time. So we all just got back from Japan, and we had a blast there. It`s a really cool country, and it`s off to Indianapolis now.
ANDERSON: That`s right. And I do want to say I don`t mean to be a downer here, but you have faced adversity. In March you lost teammate Paul Dana. He died during a practice run in Miami.
PATRICK: Yes.
ANDERSON: How do you overcome that yourself, such a tragedy? You know it`s a risk when you get on that track every time. How do you overcome that fear now that something like that has happened when you yourself get behind that wheel?
PATRICK: Well, I think you know it`s out there. Well, I mean, at least I do. I know that the danger is there. The risk that you take is one that you just -- you consciously take. We don`t really talk about that side of it, but all I can say is we know it`s there.
ANDERSON: Make sure you buckle up and be as safe as you can, Danica. Thanks for coming in and speaking with us.
PATRICK: Yes, yes.
ANDERSON: Best of luck at the Indy 500.
PATRICK: Thank you very much. Thank you.
ANDERSON: My pleasure. All right. Danica Patrick.
And you can pick up a copy of Danica`s book, "Danica: Crossing the Line". It is on book shelves now.
OK. So why was George Clooney speaking in front of thousands in Washington? We`ll tell you coming up. Plus, we`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know it sounds crazy, but they really feel that they are teaching their child to stand up for themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Why in the world would parents cheer these kids on instead of breaking up their fights? Tonight, girls gone wild. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates girl fighting.
ANDERSON: Also, he cheated death. He was part of one of the biggest bands ever, and tonight he`s singing again. Find out the unique way Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell is giving back. That`s live in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Tomorrow will Tom Cruise "cruise" his way to the top of the box office. "Mission: Impossible 3" is about to open, but will Cruise`s personal life get in the way? Is Tom Cruise alienating his fans, or is he Teflon Tom? We`ll look into it tomorrow.
VARGAS: As we told you earlier, celebrities are out in full force today, speaking out on heated topics like immigration, the Spanish version of the national anthem and more.
George Clooney also getting out there. He joined thousands of others in a Washington, D.C., rally for the Sudan on Sunday. Organizers want the U.S. to play a larger role to stop mass ethnic and political killings in Darfur region of the African country. Clooney called what`s going on over there, quote, "the first genocide of the 21st Century."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: All of you decide what is right and what is wrong. We`re at the doorstep of something we thought was impossible to dream of in the 21st Century. If we turn our heads and look away and think it will disappear, then they will. All of them, an entire generation of people, and we will have only history left to judge us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Clooney and his father, Nick, just got back from Sudan, where they were filming a documentary of the terrible things they saw there. Very heart-felt.
ANDERSON: That`s right. Coming up, two of music`s biggest stars, Neil young and Bruce Springsteen, have some very strong words for President Bush.
Plus, we have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could not believe that the mother was actually there helping her daughter fight my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Girls fighting girls caught on tape. Tonight the shocking story of a young woman or young women brutally beating and punching each other. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the gruesome world of girl fighting.
ANDERSON: Also SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the latest on Anna Nicole Smith`s Supreme Court victory. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York, and you`re watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.
Well, coming up tonight, he is part of one of the biggest boy bands ever. Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys is now taking a different approach to music. He`s making Christian music. He`s got a debut Christian music album out, and he`ll join us live to talk about it, coming up.
Also, many musicians are being highly critical of President Bush, including Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. And we will share with you some of their lyrics and what they`re saying, also coming up.
But first, we have to warn you the video you`re about to see is kind of hard to watch, girls going after each other, fighting in the streets. That`s disturbing enough, but what`s really scary is who`s part of the crowd just watching it all play out.
Here`s CNN`s Ted Rowlands for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This cell phone video of two girls fighting is hard to see, but it`s the audio that`s most disturbing. The father of one of the girls is not only watching the fight, but he can be heard coaching his daughter.
This is another girl-versus-girl fight recorded in Fresno, California. Again, a parent, in this case a mother, is watching. The video of this fight goes on for almost seven minutes. The mother of the other girl who was clearly losing the fight said she was horrified to find out that a parent was there and didn`t step in.
DIANE THROWER, MOTHER: I could not believe that the mother was actually there helping her daughter fight my daughter.
ROWLANDS: Rosalind Wiseman, who wrote the book "Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads," says you`d be surprised at how many parents actually encourage their children to fight.
ROSALIND WISEMAN, AUTHOR: I know it sounds crazy, but they really feel that they are teaching their child to stand up for themselves, that they are, you know, protecting their child from, you know, something that`s happening to them that`s not fair, that they think that, you know, that people are out basically to get them.
ROWLANDS: Terry Paulson is a Los Angeles-area psychologist and author of "Can I Have the Keys to the Car?"
TERRY PAULSON, PSYCHOLOGIST/AUTHOR: We have become more concerned about being their friend than we are being a parent, where you provide the structure.
ROWLANDS: Females fighting, which years ago was usually only see in B-Hollywood movies or as comic relief is now, some say, becoming part of mainstream culture.
Some experts think this is making girls more open to fighting in the schoolyard. In Chicago, where a 2003 high school hazing incident involving girls received national attention, more than 500 girls had been disciplined for fighting this school year alone, up 30 percent from last year.
JAMES GARBARINO, AUTHOR, "SEE JANE HIT": In the past, you might have said to your girl, "Girls don`t hit," and be able to back that up with what she saw in the larger culture. Today, that`s simply not true; it`s not true. Girls do hit, and they can see evidence of that. So they are being given permission.
ROWLANDS: But not everyone agrees that female fighting has actually increased.
MIKE MALES, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ: There`s very little statistical evidence that we`ve seen more violence among girls. In fact, the seem to be safer and less violent today than in the past.
ROWLANDS: Whether it`s on the rise or not, many experts do agree that the appetite to watch girls fighting is very real. DVDs, like "The World`s Wildest Chick Fights," are available at video stores. Clips of girls fighting are also available on the Internet.
The Fresno video of the two girls fighting was posted on the popular teen Web site MySpace.com. The mother on that video is now the subject of a criminal investigation. Police say she may be charged with felony child endangerment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That`s disturbing. That was CNN`s Ted Rowlands for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
OK, it has been three years since President Bush declared victory in Iraq, and tonight everyone from Neil Young to average Americans are speaking out about whether the mission really has been accomplished. You may remember the huge banner that read "Mission Accomplished" as the backdrop for the president`s victory speech. That was on the aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln back in 2003.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Neil Young addresses the "Mission Accomplished" question in his new song, "Shock and Awe." The song is on Young`s protest album, "Living with War," which will be in stores now and is streaming now online at NeilYoung.com. Here`s part of "Shock and Awe."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
NEIL YOUNG, MUSICIAN (singing): Back in the day of mission accomplished, our chief was landing on the deck. The sun was setting on the golden photo-op, back in the day of mission accomplished.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It seems most American agree with Young. A new CNN poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation shows that only 9 percent thought the U.S. mission in Iraq had been accomplished, and 44 percent said the United States would never accomplish its goals in Iraq.
And Neil Young isn`t the only one using music to criticize the president. Another major music star is lashing out at President Bush over the response to Hurricane Katrina.
For the first time, Bruce Springsteen performed at the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival over the weekend. On stage, he said there was, quote, "criminal ineptitude" after Hurricane Katrina hit the city. He also rewrote the lyrics to an old song called, "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live," and dedicated it to, quote, "President Bystander." Here`s some of the song.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, MUSICIAN (singing): How can a poor man stand such times and live? Bodies are floating in canal and the levees gone to hell. Martha, get me my .16 gauge and some dry shells. God got out of town, and you then you ain`t got left to drown, tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The New Orleans Jazz Festival started Friday, and it ends next Sunday.
Well, the president doesn`t seem to be letting the criticism get to him. As a matter of fact, over the weekend you could have said "Live from Washington, it`s Saturday Night starring President Bush." The president put on a skit for the annual dinner for White House reporters over the weekend, and he brought along a look-alike, sound-alike sidekick to say what the president was really thinking. It`s the skit that everybody`s talking about! Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As you know, I always look forward to these dinners.
STEVE BRIDGES, GEORGE W. BUSH IMPRSONATOR: It`s just a bunch of media types, Hollywood liberals, Democrats like Joe Biden. How come I can`t have dinner with the 36 percent of the people who like me?
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: You know, it`s good to see so many influential guests here tonight: Justice Scalia, Justice Alito...
BRIDGES: Yes, all the usual suspects. Speaking of suspects, where`s the Great White Hunter?
BUSH: I`m sorry Vice President Cheney couldn`t be here tonight.
(LAUGHTER)
Ladies and gentlemen, I`m feeling chipper tonight. I survived the White House shake-up.
(LAUGHTER)
So I want to talk about some serious issues, such as...
BRIDGES: OK, here it comes, "nuclear proliferation," "nuclear proliferation," "nuclear proliferation."
BUSH: ... "nucular proliberation."
(LAUGHTER)
See, I`m an activist. I object to those stories that say I`m a lame duck.
BRIDGES: I`m not a lame duck. I`m a sprinting duck. I`m a hustling duck. I`m a leadership-of-the-free-world duck.
BUSH: And I`m continuing to spread our agenda globally and around the world, as well as internationally.
BRIDGES: Some of my critics in the international community call me arrogant. I will not even honor that with a response. Screw `em.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Nice to see that self-deprecating humor. The featured entertainer at the dinner was Comedy Central`s Steve Colbert, but I think it`s safe to say the president and the impersonator, Steve Bridges, really stole the show.
OK, Rush Limbaugh makes a deal in his prescription fraud case. We`ll tell you what he has agreed to do. That`s next in "Hot Headlines."
Plus, how did a Backstreet Boy cheat death, get back on track, and find the Bible along the way? We`ll find out when Brian Littrell joins us live. That`s coming up in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Plus, what does Paris Hilton think about being satirized in the video for Pink`s "Stupid Girl"? Let`s just say she has a unique take on the topic. That`s next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
But first, we`ve been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." And it is this: The national anthem: Was it wrong to record it in Spanish?
Keep voting, CNN.com/showbiztonight. Write us, showbiztonight@CNN.com. Your e-mails are coming up in a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
It`s time now for a "That`s Ridiculous" update. OK, you know we told you about the woman who was suing her company because she was spanked in front of her co-workers? It was seen as kind of a team-building exercise competition between sales teams.
Now, the winners got to throw pies at the losers, feed them baby food, make them wear diapers, and, yes, even spank them. Now, that`s ridiculous. But get this: The woman who sued, well, she just won $1.7 million in damages. Now, we say that`s ridiculous, too. The company that was sued says they think the award is a bit excessive.
OK, time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
Rush Limbaugh has reached a settlement to dismiss a prescription fraud charge against him. Under today`s agreement, Limbaugh has agreed to submit to random drug tests, continued treatment for painkiller addiction, and he cannot own a gun. On his radio show today, Limbaugh said the settlement shows there isn`t any real evidence against him.
The Supreme Court has sided with Anna Nicole Smith in the fight over her late husband`s estate. The court ruled unanimously that Smith can keep trying to get part of J. Howard Marshall`s oil fortune. It`s estimated to be worth as much as $1.6 billion.
And we`ve got some celebrity baby news tonight. First, L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, have a new baby girl. Gianna was born early this morning. Now, the couple already have a three-year-old daughter named Natalia.
And Don Johnson has a new son tonight. He and his wife, Kelly, celebrated their seventh anniversary with the birth of their third child together, a boy they haven`t yet named. Johnson`s rep told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Johnson is over the moon times six.
And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
OK, the Backstreet Boys are one of the most recognized singing groups to ever come out of the boy bands pop craze with legions of female fans, a sexy look and sexy lyrics. So would it shock you to know that one of those boys has a solo Christian album coming out tomorrow?
Backstreet alum Brian Littrell may be surprising some fans with the release of his Christian solo record, "Welcome Home," but to Brian it`s still about great pop music, although this music has a message.
Brian Littrell joins me now live from Atlanta. Brian, welcome to you. Thanks for being here.
BRIAN LITTRELL, MUSICIAN: Good evening, Brooke. How are you doing?
ANDERSON: Doing great, thank you. I have to point out, first, a lot of people may be surprised to hear this. I mean, as a Backstreet Boy, girls, of course, worshipped you. You were part of a larger-than-life pop group. You sold 74 million records. Now, here you are coming out with a solo Christian album. What`s going on here, Brian?
LITTRELL: What`s going on? Well, that`s the question and the topic of the hour.
I grew up singing in church in Lexington, Kentucky, as a child. And I had an opportunity to go to Cincinnati Bible College and study youth ministry and music ministry, but that was just before my cousin, Kevin, called me to become a Backstreet Boy.
So this has been a long time coming. "Welcome Home," my CD, comes out tomorrow, and it`s truly a homecoming of faith in my venture into Christian music, of where my heart has always been.
ANDERSON: Ah, so you`ve wanted to do this for a while. You say you have been a Christian since you were eight years old.
LITTRELL: Yes, I have.
ANDERSON: Brian, you were born with a heart defect. You almost died when you were five years old. How has that changed your life and impacted what you`re doing professionally?
LITTRELL: Well, I think the events in my life have always kept me close to my faith, close to my God, and close to my family. When I was five, I had a staph infection called bacterial endocarditis that I was not supposed to live from.
So, in my early 20s, I developed -- you know, we talked to specialists and found out that my heart was enlarging due to my murmur that I was born with. So there`s been significant events in my life that have happened that have always kept me close to my faith, and I think the fans, the dedicated Backstreet fans, know me as a person, and hopefully they respect me as a father and a husband. That`s who I am.
ANDERSON: Brian, let`s talk about some things that may have tested your faith. You obviously had some pretty racy songs, suggestive lines as a Backstreet Boy. At times, I`m guessing your faith must have weighed heavily on you in that world.
Tell me about the photo shoot with "Rolling Stone" magazine. You really stood your ground, didn`t you?
LITTRELL: I did. There was an issue for "Rolling Stone" magazine that wanted to paint this picture about the Backstreet Boys that I didn`t agree with. It was a shoot of 50 young ladies who were not dressed in the background behind us.
And, you know, our world that we live in today, it kind of paints pictures of pop stars as they can have anything and do anything that their heart desires. And for me, as a husband and a father, that`s not what I wanted.
So I stood strong in my faith, you know, and I`m accountable to my God. And, you know, the article ended up turning around in my benefit and getting a chance to talk about my faith, and why I`m here, and why I do sing with a God-given gift.
ANDERSON: You got to walk the walk if you`re going to talk the talk, that`s right.
LITTRELL: Yes.
ANDERSON: And talk to me -- you have some interesting thoughts on violence and crime, in terms of today`s youth. Do you think that pop culture has something to do with that? And do you think, if pop culture changed today, that we would see an improvement there?
LITTRELL: I think so. I think our pop culture and our society that we live in today, if artists like myself and other artists that are in the pop culture can stand up for what is right. There`s so much violence that we see on TV and on the news that it`s happening in our world.
And I think our pop culture promotes some of that in the movies that are out there, in the videos that you see, on the video programming. And I think standing up for something that is right, and that`s, you know, kind of why I`m here. I think, if we take hold of it, we can help nurture our youth, because they are the future.
ANDERSON: Very quickly, 10 seconds, will we see another Backstreet Boys album?
LITTRELL: This summer we`ll be back in the studio for, hopefully, the end-of-the-year release. Was that 10 seconds?
ANDERSON: That was. Very good, Brian. I appreciate that.
LITTRELL: Thank you, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Thanks so much for coming on with us and sharing what you`re up to now. We appreciate it, Brian Littrell.
LITTRELL: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: You can get Brian`s album, "Coming Home." It`s in stores tomorrow.
Get this: Paris Hilton considers herself a role model, but apparently she isn`t a big TV watcher. Today on "Ellen," the subject of Pink`s video for "Stupid Girls," came up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PINK, MUSICIAN (singing): Maybe if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: In the video, Pink lampoons the Olsen twins, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton. Everyone has seen it by now, well, everyone but Paris, apparently. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Are you mad? Are you hurt? Or what do you feel about that?
PARIS HILTON, HEIRESS: You know, I haven`t even seen it yet, but I think, you know, when people make fun of something, it`s just a form of flattery, like, to something that they obviously are looking at. Like at "SNL," if they make fun of you, like, it`s not like that embarrassing. It`s actually funny. I don`t mind.
DEGENERES: Right. So you haven`t seen it?
HILTON: No.
DEGENERES: Well, I mean, do you feel a responsibility -- because, for me, I love being in this business, and I love that I can have some kind of, you know, opinion, and something to say, and influence. Do you feel like you have a responsibility to be a role model at all?
HILTON: Yes, I think definitely am a role model. I work very hard. And, you know, I came from a name, but I`ve done my own thing. And I proved, if you can really work hard and do what you want to do, you can...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ellen also asked about Paris`s feud with her "Simple Life" co-star Nicole Ritchie, but Paris wouldn`t talk about it.
Throughout the show, we have been asking you to vote online on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." The national anthem: Was it wrong to record it in Spanish?
Let`s look at how the vote is going so far: Pretty one-sided here, 78 percent of you say yes; 22 percent of you say no.
Here are some of the e-mails we`ve received. Sue from Kansas writes, "If a person wants to be an American, he or she should learn our language. The anthem is American and should be sung in English."
Amanda says, "We should embrace the multicultural history of this country. To do otherwise would be un-American."
We appreciate your e-mails. You can keep voting at CNN.com/showbiztonight. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It is time now for a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Birthday Shoutout." This is where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday. Tonight, we`re going to send one out to country singer Tim McGraw. He`s celebrating his 39th today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, my name is Haley. And I just want to wish Tim McGraw a happy birthday, and I love your country music.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, it`s time to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. So, for that, let`s take a look at the "Showbiz Marquee."
Tomorrow, will Tom Cruise "cruise" his way to the top of the box office? "Mission: Impossible III" is about to open, but will Cruise`s personal life get in the way? Is Tom Cruise alienating his fans or is he Teflon Tom? We`ll look into tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, "High School Musical," it`s the Disney movie that`s become a phenomenon. We have the cast of "High School Musical" tomorrow in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching, everyone. Have a great night. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. Stay tuned for more from CNN Headline News.
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