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Showbiz Tonight
Brangelina Baby Photos Appear in "People"; Heather Mills` Nude Photos Appear in British Tabloid; One Woman`s Crusade to Combat Terrorism; Former "Will and Grace" Star Discusses Life After the Show
Aired June 08, 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: Shocking photos surface of Heather Mills that might affect her split from Paul McCartney. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And Ann Coulter`s outrageous comments about 9/11 widows. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER(voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the pictures are here. The very first pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie`s baby, Shiloh, making hits around the world. Finally, we see what happens when two of the most attractive people on the planet procreate.
Behind the headlines, one woman`s personal war against terrorism. A small town judge, mother of three, tracking terrorists online. Her crusade with a click.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m still surprised to this day that I run into that stuff and it`s out there.
HAMMER: Tonight, meet the woman setting traps for terrorists in cyber space.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. A.J., the veil has been lifted.
HAMMER: Yes. It finally has Brooke and here they are, those ultra-expensive, ultra-exclusive and ultra-cute photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie`s new baby. They`re making front page news and they`re now available for all the world to see.
ANDERSON: They are very, very cute and they were all over the morning news shows and the internet. Sibila Vargas joins me in Hollywood with more on the grand unveiling -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That`s right, some websites had those baby photos on the internet on Tuesday, but wisely took them down when they hearing from lawyers from "People" and "Hello" magazines. Now, those magazines reportedly paid several million dollars for the exclusive rights for the Jolie-Pitt baby photos and they were in no mood to share, Brooke. But today we are able to legally get a glimpse at the most famous baby in the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEREDITH VIEIRA, "THE VIEW": Can we have a drum roll, please? Here it is, the product of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
VARGAS (voice-over): "The View" was all too happy to view the new pictures of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt`s new baby, Shiloh Nuvell. Other morning talk shows couldn`t get enough of the high priced baby pics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it is right there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Baby`s galore. We`ve got Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie`s exclusive new baby pictures.
VARGAS: The pictures of the proud parents the week-old Shiloh were taken at the resort in the African country of Namibia where the Jolie-Pitt family has been staying. A photographer from Getty Images snapped the photos. Getty`s CEO tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT his agency got the gig after a previous shoot with Jolie and Pitt went well.
JONATHAN KLEIN, CEO, GETTY IMAGES: A few weeks ago a photographer of ours went up to Namibia and took some pictures of the family having a picnic in the sand dunes. If you like, it was a test case and that worked very well. We generated significant revenue and the money went to charity and we felt very comfortable that we could do it well in relation to the photos when the baby was born.
VARGAS: Pitt and Jolie sold the North American rights to the photos to "People" magazine and the international rights went to "Hello" magazine. Proceeds went to charity and various reports estimate it was a multimillion dollar deal. But as the pics made the rounds on the morning talk shows, like "Today," no one was talking about the money as much as they have about the mouth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Shiloh has mom`s mouth but dad`s eyes.
VARGAS: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie aren`t the first ones to sell pictures of their baby to raise money for charities. Julia Roberts, Courtney Cox, and Britney Spears have also gone that route. Still it appears, Pitt and Jolie`s baby has set a new standard for pricey pics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Now, in addition to the photos, the new "People" magazine has some new details about the birth of the Jolie and Pitt daughter. Apparently it was a family affair. Pitt`s 65-year-old parents and Jolie`s brother flew to Namibia to see the new baby. I`m sure it was a long flight, but it was well worth it. Is that a cute baby or what, A.J.?
HAMMER: It`s a pretty cute baby, I got to say. I mean, it looks like a baby to me, but it`s a pretty cute baby and it`s got the full lips. A lot of people saying it has Angelina`s lips. And you mention in your piece, Sibila, the fact that they are not certainly not the first celebrities to donate the monies, the proceeds from a picture to charity, but man, what a good example to set, really.
VARGAS: Absolutely. Adorable.
HAMMER: Thanks very much, Sibila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas joining us from Hollywood tonight. So, now we would like to hear from you. What do you think all of this. For our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day" we`re asking: Brangelina Baby Photos: Will you Pay to See them? You can vote on web at CNN.com/showbiztonight, you can also e-mail us if you have more to say, we will share some of your e-mails showbiztonight@CNN.com is the e-mail address. And we`ll get into your thoughts later in the show.
ANDERSON: It`s a Paul McCartney-Heather Mills shocker. Tonight as the former Beatle and his wife go through a painful split, pornographic pictures of her have turned up. The question is will this affect who gets custody of their the daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Mere weeks after Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills announce they are ending their four-year marriage, another bombshell. Nude pictures of Mills surface this week in the British tabloid the "Sun" and on its website. In the explicit photos, Mills is either nude or partially clothed, posed with an unidentified man in the shower, covered with baby oil, sometimes with whipped cream or champagne. In one she`s is he deductively eating a strawberry, in others she`s holding a whip or wearing handcuffs.
NATHAN BRACKETT, "ROLLING STONE": It seems like almost every model/actress has something, you know, from 20 years ago they`re probably ashamed of.
ANDERSON: Eighteen years ago in this case. The pictures are featured in a 1988 German sex book called "The Joys of Love." A spokesperson admits Heather did appear in the book, explains, quote, "This is a lover`s guide, not hard core porn.and Heather did not have sex with the man in the photos."
According to the "Sun`s" official website, the book contained no words at all and more than 100 pages of images so explicit, they couldn`t print them all. Since they announced their split, Paul McCartney has defended his estranged wife posting regular messages on his website, including, quote, "One of the worst aspects of going through what Heather and I are currently going through is the malicious spreading of rumors and made up facts."
But when we contacted the former Beatle`s spokesperson to get the star`s reaction to these explicit pictures, he had no comment.
(on camera): The release of these pictures comes at a time when custody of the couple`s young daughter is in question. But both Heather and Paul deny any decision has been made of their two-year-old Beatrice.
(voice-over): And it`s just not clear if Heather`s pictures from the past will in any way affect that decision in a British court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And then there`s this. Ironically, Mills released a new book last month titled "Life`s Balance." Now in it, she writes about having overcome a turbulent past to a more balanced future.
HAMMER: Well, now on to another divorce that`s going on right now in what is a very public way, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards and this one has gotten even uglier. Sheen and Richards have agreed to extend a temporary restraining order which requires Sheen to stay at least 300 yards away from Richards and the couple`s two daughters except during supervise visits. Now, on court papers Richard says Sheen pushed, shoved, and threatened her and she denies all of that. She filed for divorce when Sheen was denied all of that. Richards originally filed for divorce back in March of 2005 when she was six months pregnant with her second daughter. But it seemed like they might be working things out after she is born. It turned out in January they requested that the divorce proceed.
ANDERSON: Kyra Sedgwick has a successful Hollywood marriage story with Kevin Bacon and she`s back in action in her hit series "The Closer." We`re going to talk to her, coming up in a "Showbiz Sitdown."
HAMMER: Plus, are you ready? Paris Hilton`s new video. No, it`s not that kind of video. This one actually ha music in it and Paris is actually wearing clothing, although not much of it. But can she sing? Well you can probably guess, but you`ll find out for yourself coming up. We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m so surprised to this day that I run into this and it`s out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One woman`s personal war against terrorism from her home computer. Meet the woman who is setting traps for terrorists in cyber space, coming up.
But first, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." In "Back to the Future" what speed did Dr. Brown`s car have to hit before going back in time? Eighty-five miles-per-hour? Eighty-eight? Ninety? Or 100 miles-per-hour? You remember this. Think about it, we will be right back with you answer. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly Great American Pop Culture Quiz." In "Back to the Future" what speed did Dr. Brown`s car have to hit before going back in time? Eighty-five miles-per-hour? Eighty-eight? Ninety? Or 100? The answer is B, double eights, 88 miles- per-hour, 88.
HAMMER: That`s so easy. Sometimes they`re simple.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. It`s time now for another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous." Although I really have to say this one is certainly a story that several people on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff could probably use. It`s a hotel in Chicago that offers you, are you ready? Blackberry detox. The manager at a Sheraton there will actually put your Blackberry under lock and key to give you a braek, to separate the two of you. He said he started it because of his own Blackberry addiction and how much better he feels now that he quit cold turkey. Blackberry detox, now "That`s Ridiculous." Although, Brooke, I will tell you, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT senior producer, Albert (UNINTELLIGIBLE) just got back from vacation, he had put Blackberry down for a few days, he told me he literally had the shakes from putting it down. You`re not even paying attention to me.
ANDERSON: What are you saying, A.J.? Sorry. I`ll put my crackberry down now. I can believe that Albert had the shakes. And you know what? This hotel manager said that it`s free of charge -- no charge for keeping the Blackberries for the guests. And he said he`s a much better person now that he`s done away with his Blackberry. A.J. he says he`s more affective, feels more better, sleeps better, his family likes it a lot better. So I guess we could take a cue from him.
HAMMER: It is possible to separate again.
ANDERSON: Yes it is.
All right, moving now to Ann Coulter, she has done it again. The conservative pundit has caused outrage with her new book and what she`s saying about September 11 widows. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You can`t miss Ann Coulter with her mane and miniskirt. The banner asked "can Bush fire up conservatives?" Don`t know, but maybe that mini skirt can. Coulter is always quotable, but this time:
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Ann Coulter went too far?
MOOS: Coulter the Cruel screamed the "New York Daily News."
ANN COULTER, CONSERVATIVE PUNDIT: I`m thrilled.
MOOS: In her new book about godless liberalism, Coulter attacked the group of New Jersey widows who have been so politically involved following the loss of their husbands on 9/11. Writes Coulter, "I`ve never seen people enjoying their husbands` deaths so much."
That led to this on the "Today" show.
MATT LAUER, "TODAY" SHOW: So, why can`t they make their point?
COULTER: You`re getting testy with me.
LAUER: No, no, I think it`s your dramatic statement. "I`ve never seen people enjoying their husbands` death so much."
COULTER: Yes. They`re all over the news.
MOOS: The widows responded, "There was no joy in watching men that we loved burn alive. There was no happiness in telling our children that their fathers were never coming home." Even conservative pundits seemed shocked by Coulter`s words.
TUCKER CARLSON, "THE SITUATION": Average Americans are going to think Ann Coulter is a whack-job and a bad person and I`m not buying her book and I`m not listening to her ideas. Isn`t it self-defeating to say things like that?
COULTER: Um, I guess we`ll see by my book sales. I don`t think they will say that.
MOOS: Hillary Clinton jumped in accusing Coulter of a vicious, mean spirited attack.
(on camera): Senator Clinton says that perhaps Ann Coulter should have called her new book "Heartless" rather than "Godless."
(voice-over): Coulter says her point is that having widows score political points makes it impossible to criticize their views. As for criticizing Coulter, she was once heckled at the University of Connecticut and responded, "I love to engage in repartee with people who are stupider than I am." And she accused "Time" magazine of manipulating her cover photo, saying, "My feet are the size of the Atlantic ocean and my head is the size of a tiny little aunt."
Then there is the time she got pied.
COULTER: You take away the terrorism and liberals would hate...
MOOS: Forget Al-Qaeda, the two pie throwers called themselves Al Pie Da. What`s a little custard cream when the target is use to throwing verbal grenades?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And listen to this, our friends at "Time" magazine just told us she`s happy about the controversy, telling them it was a "smashing success."
HAMMER: Well, everybody knows somebody who is successful at their job but struggle at their personal life. Maybe that person is you. And that is just the problem that actress Kyra Sedgwick character faces. She is a tough talking LAPD detective in the hit series, "The Closer." She solves high priority murders, but she can`t seem to get her love life straightened out. In fact she even forgets to feed the cat sometimes. Kyra Sedgwick joins me here in New York.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Kyra.
KYRA SEDGWICK, "THE CLOSER: Thank you so much. I loved your intro. It was really great.
HAMMER: Was it dead on?
SEDGWICK: You did great. I was very impressed.
HAMMER: Well, congratulations, we`re very impressed with your show. It was like the No. 1 show on cable last year. It`s doing very, very well. You`re coming back with it. You`re a fellow New Yorker, always happy to have a New Yorker here.
SEDGWICK: Thank you.
HAMMER: But, you`ve always been a very family oriented person. Your show shoots in L.A., your husband Kevin Bacon and the kids live here in New York. That has got to be tough.
SEDGWICK: It is. It`s tough. And the first year was challenging and this year is challenging. But it seems to be working out so far so good. Knock on -- there`s no wood.
HAMMER: There`s no real wood on this set, sorry.
SEDGWICK: But, you know, all I can say is I think you make choices in life and you just kind of hope for the best and the kids were older. It`s definitely not a choice I would have made when they were younger. They are 17 and 14 now, and we made the decision as a family not to move out to L.A. and you know, they really wanted to be here and Kev was wonderful about being really supportive about it. So, you know, it`s a choice that you make, and then you just hope for the best because you never really know.
HAMMER: And your husband Kevin Bacon he certainly is a busy man, but he`s not doing episodic television right now.
SEDGWICK: Right. That`s right.
HAMMER: So, he`s kind of like Mr. Mom, isn`t he?
SEDGWICK: Well, he hates that.
HAMMER: OK, let me retract that. Kevin looks after the kids. When you see him as the primary caregiver when you are out there working, is there one thing that you find that he does better than you?
SEDGWICK: Oh, he does so many things better than me. I hate to say. He cooks for one thing.
HAMMER: Is he a good cook?
SEDGWICK: Yeah, he`s a really good cook?
HAMMER: What`s his specialty?
SEDGWICK: Gosh, anything grilled. He`s just amazing.
HAMMER: Anything he really struggles with as a dad?
SEDGWICK: Oh, boy. That`s a hard question. I think understanding my daughter maybe a little bit.
HAMMER: It`s a little tougher.
SEDGWICK: I think understanding, you know, the son is easy because it`s just, you know, boys are pretty sort of direct, aren`t they? You kind of -- they say what they mean and they mean what they say and girls are kind of...
HAMMER: Yeah, sometimes we do.
SEDGWICK: Yeah.
HAMMER: Well, I`ve spoken with a lot of actors, in fact, I had Luke Perry on the program last night who was a proud father and he said -- I asked him in he would ever let his kids act and he said...
SEDGWICK: Never!
HAMMER: Never in a million years. And I know you use to be very vocal about saying the same thing.
SEDGWICK: That`s right. I`m such a hypocrite.
HAMMER: So now Kevin has directed this film that you`re in and your son is in and your daughter is in. You`ve let them in. So, first of all, before I asked you what changed, why were you so adamantly against it to begin with?
SEDGWICK: Well, I started working professionally when I was 16, and I just thought it was too young, because my world got very narrow very quickly. I had an idea of what I was supposed to be. I felt like a failure at 18 because I hadn`t worked in a year. I mean, it was crazy. So I didn`t want that for them. I want them to see, you know, a bigger picture and go to college and, you know, see options in their life.
HAMMER: So, did it seem that doing it as a controlled family thing where you could keep your eye on them.
SEDGWICK: I guess it was real hypocritical. I mean, that`s all I can say about it. The fact of the matter is, is that, you know, Kevin said you know, wouldn`t Sosie be great as play you as a little girl? And I said, yeah, but honey what about our rule? We have a rule, like no professional anything before they`re 18 and he said, yeah, you`re right, you`re right, and then about two days later he said, she`d be really good, you know. So it was total...
HAMMER: I`m guessing they have a pretty clear perspective on things. Because, you know, anytime I see you or Kevin, you`re obviously -- you got your stuff together and that is not always the case. I mean look, you`ve been married 18 years, which as we know and you probably have people telling you you`re the Hollywood couple that made it. I mean, it`s amazing. It is amazing.
SEDGWICK: Yeah.
HAMMER: Your character Brenda, in "The Closer" is a woman who -- she`s tough. And she is flawed. And she really struggles with trying to have it all. She wants to have the job and be a hard working good professional and she wants to have the family life and she can`t get that together and that really is something that so many people watching right now probably relate to.
SEDGWICK: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I can relate to it too because while I have a balanced home life, I certainly can relate to how hard it is to juggle everything. And how -- I`m -- you know, I still struggle with so many things and issues and we`re always sort of trying to learn something new or get, you know, learn something more about ourselves or not be so entrapped by our histories. I mean, I think that`s something that human beings, often, many of us do.
HAMMER: Is there one particular challenge that your character Brenda faces that you have a hard time deeming with yourself?
SEDGWICK: Well, you know, she forgets everything and loses everything and can`t find her keys and her glasses.
HAMMER: That`s you?
SEDGWICK: Absolutely. You know?
HAMMER: You never know where your cell phone is?
SEDGWICK: Right. I know my lines ,but I don`t remember where the car keys are.
HAMMER: Well, congratulations again on the success of the show. And it great to have you here, Kyra. Come back anytime, please.
SEDGWICK: Thank you so much.
HAMMER: And you can catch Kyra Sedgwick in the second season of "The Closer" when it kicks off June 12 on TNT.
ANDERSON: "Soprano`s" star Lorraine Bracco tells us about the dark days before she got the part on the hit HBO drama and just how depressed she really was. That`s coming up. We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, it was the determination of just trying to, you know, stop this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: One woman`s personal war against terrorism from her home computer. You`ll meet the woman who is setting traps for terrorists in cyberspace, that`s coming up.
ANDERSON: Plus, well, it has arrived. Paris Hilton`s first music video. OK, you know you`re curious. Can she really sing? Take a guess, we`re going to have that, coming up.
First, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Birthday Shout Out," this is where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday and tonight we`re sending one out to Kanye West, who`s celebrating his 29th today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA: Hi, I`m Sara from Woodstock, Illinois. And just want to wish Kanye West a happy birthday. I love your music and have a great day, Kanye. You`re awesome!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Tomorrow, well, first it was Katie. Now it`s Meredith`s turn to say good-bye. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on the set of "The View" as Meredith Vieira leaves the show after nine years. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right there, and that is tomorrow.
HAMMER: Well, life is pretty good for "Soprano`s" star Lorraine Bracco these days. She`s on a hit show, she`s got a new book out, but you know, it was not always smooth sailing for her. Bracco has been very open about her struggle with depression and in her new memoir, called "On the Couch," she talks about the dark days before she started work as Dr. Melfi on the "Soprano`s." She suffered through a real nasty split with Harvey Keitel, a nasty custody battle, and she was facing bankruptcy. I sat down with Lorraine and we talked about how she felt during that time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORRAINE BRACCO, "SOPRANO`S": I felt that I was constantly in a fighting mode. I mean, I was constantly putting out fires. If it wasn`t one fire, it was another. It was a very difficult time, very trying time. I wasn`t getting any work. And I really, you know, parts of me, you know, there were days I just stopped believing in me.
HAMMER: But never a point where you said, I don`t think I want to go on?
BRACCO: No. Because I had those two lovely little children, and that was really, you know, I could never think of, you know, leaving them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Lorraine Bracco`s new book is called "On the Couch" and it`s in stores now.
ANDERSON: Paris Hilton`s first music video has arrived. Come on, you know you`re curious. Can she sing? Find out, coming up. We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m still surprised to this day that I run into that stuff. It`s out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: One woman`s personal war against terrorism from her home computer. Meet the woman who is setting traps for terrorists in cyberspace, that`s coming up.
ANDERSON: Plus, Nicolas Cage is starring in the remake of the 1970`s thriller "The Wicker Man." We`re going to show it to you, coming up. Stay with us. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news hour. And A.J., your life is finally complete. Paris Hilton`s new music video, first music video has finally arrived. You know she`s pursuing a singing career now and we`re going to have that coming up so that everyone can decide for themselves can the girl really sing?
HAMMER: Sounds more like my life may be over Brooke. Well you know three weeks ago tonight "Will and Grace" had their series finale. So what is the first thing that Eric McCormack, the straight actor who played the gay character Will did after the series wrapped up? He moved to a predominantly gay neighborhood in New York City? Why? How`s that going, Erica will explain coming up when we sit down with him here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
But first, I am certain that you have seen the wall to wall news coverage of terrorist Al Zarqawi being killed when U.S. warplanes bombed his house in Iraq. What may surprise you is that back here in the U.S., a Montana judge and mother of three is on a crusade with a click of a mouse. She is one of the best unofficial weapons America has against terror. Here`s CNN`s Paula Zahn for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: By day, Shannen Rossmiller is a mother of three, a municipal judge in a small town in Montana. But when night falls, she fights her personal war against terrorism. And she does it all from her computer, tracking would be terrorists who in some cases are ready to take action.
SHANNEN ROSSMILLER, TRACKS TERRORISTS ONLINE: Basically what I`m trying to do is to probe them to see if they`re just a big talker or if they have access to contacts or information that might be valuable to know. If they are a part of any group that might be, you know, in the process of, you know, trying to prepare conduct any kind of attack. I`m still surprised to this day that I run into that stuff. It`s out there.
ZAHN: They are that overt in their communication?
ROSSMILLER: If they feel secure.
ZAHN: It was Rossmiller`s own insecurity about U.S. vulnerability and outrage after 9/11 that started her on this strange journey from knowing nothing about terrorism to becoming a successful mole deep within its core.
Shannon, how do you explain that you didn`t even star studying Arabic until after 2001 and really hadn`t invested yourself in the Middle East cultures until the fallout of what happened on September 11, 2001, and here you are helping solve some really important cases.
ROSSMILLER: I guess I had talents and abilities I wasn`t really aware of that I`ve been able to tap into. And for me, it was the determination of just trying to, you know, stop this. And it still angers me every day.
ZAHN: What started as curiosity soon turned into a passion. She learned Arabic, read history, and ventured on line, creating the identities of more than two dozen Al Qaeda sympathizers. But Shannen Rossmiller didn`t assume just the sympathizer`s name.
ROSSMILLER: Every identity that I use, I have a street address, I have a name, I have the mosque. I know the moms, I know as much as I can know about that neighborhood what`s going on there.
ZAHN: Worlds away, from her small town in Montana, she started lurking in internet chat rooms. She learned about what motivates potential Jihadists and what frustrates them.
ROSSMILLER: Sometimes you know it might be frustration what leads to desperation. Whatever that be financial to get these things going. Sometimes it`s surreal, but I always have that knowledge that, you know, this is not a game you know.
ZAHN: To set her traps, Rossmiller`s online character offers help, money, logistics and support. In return, she gets information. How to build a bomb. How to train for a terrorist attack. It`s a risky dialogue, a relationship based on false trust. Rossmiller must tread carefully.
Over the course of four and a half years you have assumed the identities of some 24 different fake males. How do you know that online when you`re corresponding with someone that they`re not doing the same thing to you?
ROSSMILLER: They very well could be, but I communicate, you know, with the federal intelligence agencies and they know my identity, and if that were to happen, if I was to encounter someone, you know, attempting to do that, you know, the communications would stop immediately.
ZAHN: When Rossmiller began to realize the information she was gathering could be valuable, she turned it over to the FBI. She says she was surprised to learn that law enforcement agencies were not patrolling in the same cyber space world she was.
The FBI is learning from you?
ROSSMILLER: Yeah, they`re getting information and learning from me, and then I am from them. So it`s a give and take process.
ZAHN: As you know, there are skeptics out there that say folks like you who are self-appointed spies are only emboldening the enemy and that in fact, now that your methods have become public, it will harden their motivation to come up with even more duplicitous ways to attack.
ROSSMILLER: I`ve never called myself a self-appointed or I`ve never called myself a (INAUDIBLE) or anything. All I`m doing is out there utilizing what I have, gifts, skills, talents, whatever you want to call them in order to be able to stop these people.
ZAHN: Rossmiller says she doesn`t know how much she`s helping but her intelligence gathering helped lead to the arrest and conviction of specialist Ryan Anderson, a U.S. guardsman about to be deployed to Iraq and looking to assist Al Qaeda. Her email exchanges with him were used as evidence. He was convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison. Rossmiller will not reveal information about other cases on which she may have worked. Neither will the FBI. But now because of the National Guard case, her cover has been exposed. She`s come to terms with that and wants others to know they can help.
ROSSMILLER: Do I throw the towel in and say oh, I`ve been outed? I no longer have anonymity, I`m done, or do I step up to it and say, okay, well, we will make the best of this and keep going because I feel it`s something important. I know it`s important.
ZAHN: In other words, she`ll stilling be logging on late at night.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: See what a difference one person can make. That was CNN`s Paula Zahn for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: It is time now for tonight`s hot headlines. For that we go to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S Sibila Vargas. She joins us again here in Hollywood. Sibila?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey Brooke. Well tonight China has kicked out the code. The Chinese government has ordered theatres to sop showing "The Da Vinci Code" affective Friday. Now the reason why isn`t clear but sources say it`s because of protests by Chinese catholic groups. H and M is dressing her up. Madonna is the new model for the cheap chic clothing store. The material girl and her entourage will get a whole bunch of clothes to wear off stage while on her worldwide confessions tour. She`ll also be part of an H & M ad campaign that will start running later this summer.
And Barbara Streisand has taken to the stage one more time. For the first time in more than a decade Babs will hit the road. She`ll play 20 concerts in U.S. cities. This is big news because you may know that Streisand suffered from stage fright and has already done a couple of farewell tours. She`s going to donate some of the proceeds of the tour to environmental, women`s health and education causes. Nice thing. And those are tonight`s hot headlines. Back to you.
ANDERSON: Here comes Baps once again. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas joining us again in Hollywood. Thanks.
HAMMER: So Eric McCormack just wrapped "Will and Grace," he`s happily married. But if he were single, what would he say in his personal ad. Well what it would sound like may shock you. That`s coming up. Plus, we`ve got this.
ANDERSON: That`s Paris Hilton if you didn`t know and that`s her new music video. And that`s ridiculous. Want to hear more? Stick around. And even if you don`t, you should stick around anyway. Believe me.
HAMMER: Brooke, Paris Hilton singing -- is scary.
And speaking of scary things, Nicolas Cage has one scary movie coming out. It`s called "The Wicker Man," we`ve got your very first look in tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase," coming up next.
ANDERSON: But first here`s a look at what`s new at the movies this weekend. Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt and even Larry the cable guy and George Carlin rev up for cars. Now this flick is about a hot shot race car that cares only about winning and gets a valuable life lesson from some other animated autos. Okay Merryl Streep, Kevin Klein, Lindsay Lohan and Tommy Lee Jones star in Robert Altman`s "A Prairie Home Companion." It`s about a PI who keeps tabs on guests as a long running radio show prepares for its final broadcast.
And "The Heart of the Game." A documentary about a losing high school girl`s basketball team, that turns things around. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`ll be right back, stay with us.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Time now for yet another story that just made us say, "that`s ridiculous." And I`m thinking that maybe the 666 apocalypse is just arriving a few days late because ladies and gentlemen, Paris Hilton has a new music video. Should I just let that sink for a moment guys? Yeah, that`s right. And we just can`t quantify how ridiculous it all is, so as famous sportscaster Warner Wolf says, let`s go to the videotape.
Well maybe I`m being hard on her. It`s so original. Wherever did she come up with this idea? And it`s really not the worst thing I`ve ever heard. The song is called "Stars are Blind." Apparently they`re hard of hearing too. The album is self-titled and in case you have a couple of extra pennies stuck in your sofa, you`ll be able to buy it in the bargain bin later on this summer. We say that`s ridiculous to the N power. Not a clich'd moment in that video, ah Brooke?
ANDERSON: No, not at all A.J. And I mean call me crazy but it`s not half bad, I tell you. It`s got a --
HAMMER: Well yeah, and you think it`s done without any computerized assistance in the studio?
ANDERSON: I think there`s some vocal manipulation there, I do. But it`s got a good reggae infused beat, not too bad. The album will be out in the fall.
HAMMER: Well she`s singing and not behind the controls.
ANDERSON: Any way, in tonight`s SHOWBIZ SHOWCASE, Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn star in the remake of the 1973 thriller, "The Wicker Man." Cage plays a sheriff who searches for his estranged daughter after she mysteriously disappears on a secluded island. Kind of scary. Here`s your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Afternoon.
Sorry about that.
It`s okay. I`ll get it.
Give me your hand!
Edward, I know that we haven`t spoken in a few years. I need your help. I have a daughter. Her name is Rowan. She has been missing for two weeks now. I fear she is in danger, so now I turn to you. Be careful and believe nothing that you see or hear.
Hey. Sorry, snuck up on me there.
This is private property.
Do you know her?
I don`t recognize this child.
Welcome.
My little girl is still here. She has been taken by who I don`t know.
I`ll find her.
If she existed, we would know of her.
Whose desk is this?
Rowan? Hello?
You suspect foul play?
The Wickerman returns.
Who`s the Wickerman? I`m going to search every inch of this town.
She burned to death. She burned to death.
I need your help.
Rowan!
Daddy.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Creepy. "The Wicker Man" hits theaters this September.
HAMMER: Alright, so just three weeks ago, fans said good-bye to "Will and Grace," but Eric McCormack, who played Will on the gay-themed sitcom, is certainly out and about. He is starring now in the New York off- Broadway play, "Some Girls," and he is executive producing a new series for "Lifetime." Now when I sat down with Eric, he told me life after playing a gay TV character hasn`t really changed all that much.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well first of all, it is nice to see you.
ERIC MCCORMACK, EXEC. PRODUCER, "LOVESPRING INTERNATIONAL": Nice to be seen.
HAMMER: On the series finale of "Will and Grace," not an easy thing to do a finale to a show that has become some iconic and to wrap it all up. But I really, I laughed my butt off the entire time.
MCCORMACK: Thank you. It was sentimental too. We`ve always kind of done the half funny, half weepy. And I was really proud of it and it went out big.
HAMMER: Yeah, nice numbers.
MCCORMACK: We went out with the top 10, how about that?
HAMMER: How about that. Biggest numbers ever for the show, if I recall correctly.
MCCORMACK: I think certainly since -- probably since the Matt Damon episode in season three.
HAMMER: And now you`ve had some distance obviously since you finished that all up and wrapped it all up. You`ve been working ever since, you`re getting ready for your big Broadway debut, but are you still sort of having like the work dreams, the "Will and Grace" work dreams. Because I imagine, you know we all dream about our jobs and is that still part of what goes on in your head?
MCCORMACK: Well, I went from "Will and Grace" to doing an off- Broadway show on history in the village. So the gay hasn`t fully ended yet. It`s not fully over.
HAMMER: It has to be very strange then if you`re walking down the street on your way to the theater the interaction you must have.
MCCORMACK: Yeah it`s interesting. And I have this moment with Fran Dresher where we are both basically in our underwear and I thought this show was going to be a real transition from one thing to another. But I`ve gone from "Will and Grace" to being in my underwear on Christopher Street. So it`s a slow transition.
HAMMER: Playing a straight man.
MCCORMACK: Yes, it`s not bad, that`s not bad.
HAMMER: In your underwear in the predominantly gay neighborhood in New York City. Alright, and you know, it`s not like "Will and Grace" has gone away, I imagine people are coming up to you and talking about it on the street though still.
MCCORMACK: Yeah, I mean it`s -- we`re going to be in syndication for hopefully a long time, until at least my kid`s in college.
HAMMER: "Love Spring International", your new show, is actually kind of being billed as a companion piece to "Will and Grace."
MCCORMACK: It`s an amazing little -- it`s a cast of six unbelievable funny improv actors. We right the story, but they create the dialogue.
HAMMER: Completely unscripted.
MCCORMACK: Yes.
HAMMER: That`s amazing to be able to do that. And basically you guys are in a very high end dating service situation and in fact, in one of the episodes that`s upcoming, you actually make a guest starring appearance as Roman, who is a guy who is a member I guess, a client of this dating service.
MCCORMACK: Right. That`s actually next week`s episode. The fun thing about this is that we have these six that are the regulars but because a dating service requires constant new clients, it`s a lot of fun for me to go out to some of my friends, Shawn Hayes is going to do one in the coming weeks that is absolutely hysterical.
HAMMER: Well let`s take a look at what you look like doing improv, not working off a script, Roman is just getting back from a big trip and the ladies around the office are very interested in you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
So, Lidia, what`s going on with Roman?
I don`t know. It sounds kind of silly to me, but Roman is delicious. Have you seen him?
I have not seen him.
Oh, baby!
Just tasty.
As they say in the Philippines, I`m back.
Roman!
Hello, Roman.
What are you doing here?
Are you surprised? Ow! Oh, God. It`s a little sensitive.
Oh, right. I am so sorry my boyfriend shot you.
I`m on morphine. Yes, but I`m undeterred. Let me tell you a story.
Yeah, let`s hear the story.
I rolled my new motorcycle in Venezuela six years ago.
Oh, he has a bike. That`s so hot --
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now because it`s all improv all the laughs are real and the reactions are real I imagine. If you were to get involved with one of these dating services and you had to put a profile together for yourself, how would you describe yourself for the online profile?
MCCORMACK: I`d probably lie. I`d probably say I was --
HAMMER: That`s best.
MCCORMACK: Tall black man, probably. I don`t know how -- eventually I guess that blows up in your face.
HAMMER: Yeah and it depends on what picture you`re going to choose and what you would have to do with Photoshop to embellish the picture properly.
MCCORMACK: Yeah. It would be bizarre. Many years ago I answered one of those ads in like a personal thing when some woman wrote in and said I`m about to get married. I want one last fling. I was like I`m 22, sure. And she never called me back. But she still has my picture out there.
Wow!
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: "Lovespring International" airs Monday nights on "Lifetime." McCormack makes his New York City, off-Broadway debut in "Some Girls" tonight. So, we showed them to you earlier and you know we`ve been waiting just about two weeks for them, here`s what`s making front-page news. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie`s baby girl Shiloh Nouvel. She was born on the 27th of May, she`s weighing in at seven pounds and she`s got blue eyes, which I`m told the blue eyes stay. I wasn`t aware of that, I learned that tonight. She`s got mom`s pouty lips. It`s the big story today on newspapers all over the world.
ANDERSON: And you`ve got two of them right there.
Okay we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. So far a huge response and a very surprising response, Brangelina baby photos, will you pay to see them? Look at this. Only 6 percent of you say yes you will pay to see them. 94 percent of you say no, you won`t. Here`s some of the emails we`ve received. Linda from Iowa will fork up the cash. Sure, why not? You get to satisfy your curiosity and do something good at the same time. That`s a win win. But Carla from British Columbia says, no way. It`s simply the birth of yet another child and it happens millions of times a day. The whole thing is absurd. Keep voting, cnn.com/showbiztonight. Send us an email, showbiztonight@cnn.com, we appreciate it. We`re going to read some more of them tomorrow. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow Friday finally arrives, time to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT as we get into the weekend. Here`s your SHOWBIZ marquee. Well, first it was Katie and now it`s Meredith`s turn to say good-bye. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there on the set of "The View" as Meredith Vieira leaves the gabfest after nine years. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right there, tomorrow.
Also, are you the type that has to read every single celebrity magazine out there? Do you scour the gossip blogs for tidbits of info about your favorite stars? Well, you might be obsessed with celebrities. And get this -- it`s an actual psychological condition. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT examines celebrity obsession syndrome, tomorrow.
That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thank you for watching, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night everybody. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Stay tuned for more from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS." Keep it here.
GLENN BECK, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up next, pay back time for a dirt bag terrorist. Al Qaeda`s top guy in Iraq is toast. I`m Glenn beck, we`ll see you back here in a minute.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I`m Sophia Choi and here`s your "HEADLINE PRIME NEWSBREAK." Al Qaeda`s leader in Iraq is dead. Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was killed when U.S. jets dropped a pair of massive bombs on an insurgent safe house near Baquba. Al Zarqawi is (INAUDIBLE) for a number of terrorist attacks in Iraq since the U.S. invaded three years ago.
Registered sex offender Jerry Buck Inman is calling himself a sick animal. According to investigators, that was his only explanation for killing 20-year-old Clemson student Tiffany Souers. Officials say Inman also confessed to two other assaults.
Republican attempts to repeal the estate tax came up three votes short in the senate today. GOP leaders say they`re going to try again later this year. Democrats argue repealing it would cost about 1 trillion dollars over the next decade. That`s a look at the news. I`m Sophia Choi.
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