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Showbiz Tonight
Star Jones Reynolds Shown the Door at `The View` and the War Continues; `Superman Returns`; Michael Jackson Being Sued by Former Associate for Unpaid Loans and Expenses
Aired June 29, 2006 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: The man behind the man of steel. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And the Oscar-nominated actress who claims to have psychic abilities and wants to keep your life from getting out of control. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: "Star Wars: Episode III," Tonight, the all-out, take no prisoners, she-said, she-said battle between Star Jones and Barbara Walters gets even nastier. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest disses, as the ladies lash out over Star`s shocking daytime departure. And we just gotta ask -- will Star Jones shocking "View" adieu destroy her career?
Also, Britney does a semi-Demi. Tonight, a very pregnant Britney Spears, in the buff! Why Britney is suddenly shedding her clothes, and her image. But will she be able to shake all that "bad mommy" talk with this major makeover? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, with the naked truth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hello I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there, I`m Brooke Anderson in holiday. And as one we know said, A.J., it is not nice to fool with Mama Barbara.
HAMMER: No, it is not. The Star Jones explosion and feud with Barbara Walters after she got booted from "The View" has gotten so hot you need a fire extinguisher to put this thing out. And the question so many people are asking to day, has Star Jones-Reynolds put a bullet in her career by taking on one of the most powerful women in television? I got to tell you, we love this story. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas in Hollywood tonight with the latest -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: And I got to tell you, the nerves, the anger, and the hurt feelings are still raw between Star Jones- Reynolds and Barbara Walters. They both continue to disagree over who betrayed whom in Star`s high-profile booting from "The View." And they`re fighting it out, as you can see, all over the media. With no end in sight, these "Star Wars" may still be going on a long, long time from now in a TV galaxy far, far away.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): War! Three days after her startling TV announcement, Star Jones-Reynolds is off "The View" and in a tense war of words with former co-host Barbara Walters. Today, "The View" is going on without her, and both Atar and Barbara are hitting the airwaves trying to tell their sides of the story. It`s "Star Wars, Episode III: The Co-Hosts Strike Back."
It`s as riveting as a big-budget summer movie, the ongoing battle between Star Jones-Reynolds and Barbara Walters. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the latest, as Barbara tells every media outlet that she feels betrayed and Star Jones calls in to radio shows to respond.
STAR JONES-RAYNOLDS, FMR. CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": If anyone should feel betrayed, then it should probably be me.
MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": "The View" has eclipsed the "Young and the Restless" and it may be right up there with "Dynasty."
VARGAS: There was almost no mention of the dispute or Star on "The View" Thursday -- almost. Actress Renee Goldsberry sat in Star`s old seat. She has something else in common with star. Star is an attorney, while Renee` plays one on "One Life to Live." That was too much of a coincidence for Barbara Walters.
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": What do you play?
RENEE GOLDSBERRY, ACTRESS: I play an attorney?
WALTERS: Oh, heaven help me. Let`s hear Renee say, "I`m a lawyer."
GOLDSBERRY: I can`t get in the middle of this.
VARGAS: Well, you can`t blame Renee for not wanting to get in the middle of this clash of TV titans, which began on Tuesday when Star, to the surprise of her "View" co-hosts, abruptly announced, on the air, her pending departure from "The View" -- an announcement that was supposed to have happened later in the week.
JONES-REYNOLDS: I feel like this is the right time to tell you that the show is moving in another direction for its tenth season, and I will not be returning as co-host next year.
VARGAS: Walters says she`d been trying for months to keep word of Star`s firing under wraps so that star could exit gracefully. But then came Star`s surprise announcement Tuesday and her subsequent statements that ABC executives essentially fired her when they opted not to renew her contract. Those statements led an angry Barbara to turn Star`s pending departure into an immediate one.
WALTERS: It has become uncomfortable for us to pretend that everything is the same at this table and therefore, regrettably, Star will no longer be in this program, except some shows that have been prerecorded.
VARGAS: And the air war begins.
JONES-REYNOLDS: We had always planned to make the announcement this week. We had planned to make it on Thursday, but I woke up Tuesday morning after so much media, so much speculation, and said, "time for me to say goodbye right now."
VARGAS: And Star lashes out over "The View" hiring of Rosie O`Donnell, who is coming onboard in the fall. Rosie has publicly accused Star Jones-Reynolds of not being honest about what led to her dramatic weight loss. And Star believes Rosie`s hiring was an extra knife in her back.
JONES-REYNOLDS: If anyone should feel betrayed, then it should probably be me, because in the same week that I was told that I was not being renewed, that`s the same week that Rosie O`Donnell vilified me in the media, and the exact same week that Barbara -- my mentor, my friend and colleague of nine years -- called her and invited her to be co-host on "The View."
VARGAS: So, the big question now is, what does Star do next? She tells "USA Today" that she`s fielding offers for television shows in addition to working with children. But can she really have a viable career in television after publicly ticking off one of the most powerful women in television?
MURPHY: Star did the one thing that we tell everyone not to do -- don`t burn your bridges. She burned them in public!
VARGAS: Still, the only thing more common in the entertainment world than a high-powered catfight is a big-time comeback.
MURPHY: Celebrity is a very odd position to be in. You can be very famous for misbehaving and have a long career. So, I would bet that Star Jones, because she is a very bright woman, will have a career. But it`s going to be rocky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And as far as life on in "The View" goes, even though there was a guest host on this morning`s episode, ABC has not yet announced if, and with whom, they will permanently replace Star Jones-Reynolds, but A.J. I`m wonder if there is going to be a Episode 4. Which, I kind of think there might be.
HAMMER: Yeah, I wouldn`t be surprised about that at all, Sibila. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, thanks a lot for joining us from Hollywood tonight.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, of course, all over these Star Wars. Let`s try to answer this question. Who will be the big winner? Who will be the big loser in this morning show battle? Join me, Deborah Schoeneman, contributing editor to "New York" magazine. Lloyd Grove, columnist at the "New York Daily News," joining me from the "Daily News," tonight. I appreciate you both being with me.
We just heard Mary Murphy from "TV Guide" saying, you know, things are going to be a little rocky for Ms. Jones-Reynolds. So what do you think, Lloyd, did she shoot herself in the foot here? And what does she do now with her career because a lot of people would suggest that she`s damaged goods.
LLOYD GROVE, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Well, right now she`s trying to rehabilitate her image and telling "USA Today" that she`s working with children as an example of that, when Star famously doesn`t allow children. I mean, she wouldn`t allow Meredith Vieira to bring her child to her wedding. So, this is just all part of showing the softer side of Star Jones and making her more likable, because I think that was probably one of her problems in the research at ABC.
HAMMER: She`s going to have to be very conscious about what she does with her public image right now. Deborah, what do you think, I mean, she says she`s fielding offers, but where should she go with her career at this point?
DEBORAH SCHOENEMAN, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Well, it`s going to be a big challenge. Crossing Barbara Walters is not exactly a great career move in television. Also, I think, more importantly, that Barbra Walters would have probably helped her with her next endeavor; they wanted to announce on the show what she was doing next. I mean, there were going to probably give her a boost.
HAMMER: Do you think though that, Lloyd, she should be riding this wave of publicity like she seems to already be doing and taking every opportunity? You know, she`s speaking out in several places. Or do you think she should sort of lay low for the summer?
SCHOENEMAN: Oh, no. I think she should get out there and say here I am, a lamb chop in the window, bite me.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Well, you heard it here. Lloyd said she said "bite me."
SCHOENEMAN: Lamb chop.
HAMMER: Well, clearly, you know, people are speculating. Who`s the winner? Who`s the loser in this situation? Star Jones-Reynolds certainly does not look very good to a lot of people. But, Barbara is facing the fact she essentially had to come out and say that she was lying on television, all be it for what seemed like a good reason to protect Star. What do you think?
Well, that`s a little challenging because we want to trust Barbara Walters. We always have, she`s had such a major career as an anchor. Although I think it shows Barbara trying to be a good person. I think it showed that she was trying to help her colleagues and she was trying to support her and she might have made the decision not to renew Stars contract, but she was going to try to help her out.
HAMMER: Lloyd, what do you think? Is it a big deal that Barbara basically lied in order to try to protect her and give her that opportunity to ride it out with dignity?
GROVE: Well, I guess people can understand it, but it`s never good to lie in public particularly when you essentially are a journalist. I mean, Barbara`s not doing a lot of journalism these days, but she has that background and I don`t think it`s really good to lie. "The View" has always had some of these problems. There was a controversy some years ago when all of them were suddenly talking up Campbell`s soup products in the conversation, it turned out, it was discovered, they had a deal where Campbell`s soup was paying them money. That was an embarrassment and they had to stop that. I think this of a similar kind of embarrassment.
HAMMER: So maybe a credibility issue and they`re going to have to really start protecting that. I have to talk about the fact that Star is portraying Barbara, as we just heard, as a backstabber, essentially, you know, angry at her for announcing Rosie O`Donnell the same week she found out that her contract wasn`t being renewed. Rosie has basically gone after Star Jones-Reynolds in a very public way about the fact she was not honest or forthcoming about how she lost her weight. Who is the public going to side with here, Deborah?
SCHOENEMAN: Well, Rosie`s pretty funny and she`s got the audience now because she`s got the show. She also told a gossip website (INAUDIBLE) that she thought that Star Jones thought she was Beyonce, so I mean, Rosie`s funny and people are going to listen to her and she seems to be good humored about it, so I don`t know, I think that she might have more of an audience than Star does.
HAMMER: Lloyd, what do you think? Best week ever? I mean, we`ve never really seen anything like this have we?
GROVE: Thank god for this. You know, I thought the summer was going to dull and just muggy, but at least they are muggings now, and that`s fine.
HAMMER: There`ll be plenty to talk about over the holiday weekend for everyone. Lloyd Grove, Deborah Schoeneman, thank you very\so much for join us.
SCHOENEMAN: Thanks so much.
HAMMER: I appreciate it.
ANDERSON: OK, we`ve got a huge but very one-sided response to last night`s question of the day. Star Jones-Reynolds: Are you a fan? Only 13 percent of you said you were, that means a whopping 87 percent of you said Star shines too brightly.
Here are a couple of the e-mails we received. Debbie from North Carolina is glad Star`s gone. "Her attitude seems to be that she thinks she is above, better than the average person."
Said Mary from Texas, is a star fan, "She was one of the main reasons I did watch. I will no longer be watching. I will not support a lesbian." Mary`s referring to Rosie O`Donnell, of course, who is joining the show in the fall.
OK, keep voting, cnn.com/showbiztonight, send us an e-mail, showbiztonight@cnn.com. We will read more later on in the show.
HAMMER: Well, from a "Star War," to a guy from beyond the stars -- Superman! Coming up, the director of "Superman Returns," Bryan Singer, joining us in the interview you`ll see only here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: And Britney Spears, naked. Why Britney is suddenly shedding her clothes and her image. But will she be able to shake all that "bad mommy" talk with this major makeover? Plus, we`ve also got this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody buckle up now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This movie is called "Snakes on a Plane." I`ll give you one guess as what it`s about. Oh, you figured it out. Your first look in tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase," coming up.
ANDERSON: Oh, "Snakes on a Plane," but first, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz." How many singers were fired from Destiny`s Child in 2000? One, two, three, or four? Think about it, we`re coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz." How many singers were fired from Destiny`s Child in 2000? One, two, three, or four? And the answer is C. three.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I am A.J. Hammer in New York. Time now for a story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!" When is Brad Pitt not Brad Pitt? Well, when he`s accused of stealing an awful lot of money. So here`s what I`m talking about. A Jordanian salesman is on trial in Dubai for trying to steal 22,000 bucks from a courtesy exchange. Now, he tried to claim the cash with an identity card with Brad Pitt`s photo on it. The "Gulf News" reports this story and the guy told the police he didn`t even know who Brad Pitt was, he just downloaded the picture from the internet. He must not be reading the "Us Weely" or the "Star" over there.
I just don`t understand it, you figured the guy`s got to kind of look like Brad Pitt if he`s going to put the picture on his card.
ANDERSON: Maybe not. Criminals can be very, very stupid, A.J. Though, and it seemed like maybe he was trying to take a page out of an "Oceans 11," "Oceans 12" script, but he obviously hasn`t seen or heard of either of those.
HAMMER: Not too crafty.
ANDERSON: No, but a man posing as Brad Putt who doesn`t know who Brad Pitt is, to try to steal, tens of thousands of dollars, it`s all very convoluted,. And "That`s ridiculous."
Well, no faking it here, "Superman Returns" in a super way. According to figures released by Warner Brothers today, the man of steel brought in more than $21 million in its first day out. That`s the eighth largest Wednesday opening ever. But get this -- Fandango, the movie ticketing service, did some exit polling, presidential style. And they found out, 60 percent of the people who already saw "Superman," plan on seeing it again. Some more interesting Fandango factoids: 80 percent said it was excellent or very good. And when this summer`s blockbusters went head to head, like "X-Men," "Mission Impossible and "The da Vinci Code" -- 64 percent said they liked "Superman" best.
With me here tonight in Hollywood, is the director of "Superman Returns," Bryan Singer. Bryan, welcome.
BRYAN SINGER, DIRECTOR: Hell, now are you?
ANDERSON: Hello. Doing well, now. I mean, talk about great numbers, first day out, Bryan, amazing feedback from movie goers. Congratulations. You must be feeling pretty good here.
SINGER: Thank you. Yeah, I do feel pretty good. Actually, it`s interesting, we were talking about the chairman in the studio. We`ve made almost, nearly, probably about five or six million dollars more than "Superman 4" did in its entire United States release. So, it`s kind of, putting it into perspective, to see where the Superman franchise was left off a couple of years ago, it`s very good, very hopeful.
ANDERSON: It`s quite impressive. Now, Bryan, we know you directed the first two "X-Men" films and you were set to direct the third "X-Men" film, and then "Superman Returns" came along and you choose to do that over "X-Men." But when I saw you a couple of weeks ago and we were chatting, you said that Superman has actually been an inspiration for you for a long time. That even on the set of "X-Men," you guys were watching the original Superman films, do you have your super heroes confused? What`s going on?
SINGER: No. We had five hour bootleg of the original "Superman movies," something someone put together on tape, cutting in all the old scenes that had been cut and we would watch it if the trailer and it was very inspirational. If it wasn`t for that first Superman movie in 1978, I don`t think I or any of us have know how to address these Superheroes as like genuine films with credible actors on an epic scale, so it`s a very important movie to me.
ANDERSON: Well, you`ve always had a personal connection with Superman, right? As a child, you were adopted, just as Superman was adopted after being sent from another planet. Talk about the emotional affinity you have felt for Superman for a long time now.
SINGER: Yeah, I was an only child, and adopted and I also grew up as a Jewish kid in an all catholic neighborhood, so I always felt like bit of an outsider. I wasn`t a particularly great student. So, when I was a kid, I was looking for characters like Superman, Luke Skywalker, like these were kind of the mythologies of my childhood and the mythological characters that clung to, so, so that`s kind of where my fan ship began for Superman.
ANDERSON: And then look at you now behind the man of steel. Not only do you have a connection with Superman, but it seems like apparently so many other people do as well, Bryan. I`ve been hearing so much lately that Superman`s catholic, Superman`s Jewish, Superman`s Jesus Christ, Superman`s gay. what is it about Superman that everybody thanks that they wants a piece of him or they think they own a bit of him?
SINGER: I think because he`s the first superhero, because he`s probably because he`s the most powerful superhero, because he can fly. I mean, he`s got a pretty clear moral compass. He`s a good guy and I think when you got a hero like that, people`s -- you know, people of all kinds, all types, and all, you know, they all want to, you know, have some identification with Superman. I mean, I did as a kid, so it`s not unusual to me at all. It makes absolute sense. And he does have a certain Judeo- Christian mythology going on. You know, the family that sends the child down the river to fulfill his destiny. In the case, it was the young baby (INAUDIBLE), it`s very Moses-like, and also, it`s also about saviors and sacrifice, things like that, so there`s a lot of, you know, undeniable allegory happening.
ANDERSON: Right, there are some parallels there. Has the next Superman been green lit yet?
SINGER: We`re just talking about it. We just started talking about it just a little while ago.
ANDERSON: OK, well keep us apprised of what happens there. Bryan, congratulations, I love the film.
SINGER: Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: It`s absolutely riveting. Thanks for joining us tonight.
SINGER: Thank`s so much for having me.
ANDERSON: "Superman Returns," thank you -- it`s in theaters everywhere.
HAMMER: Easily one of the best movies of the year. Well, coming up, the Oscar nominated actress who claims to have psychic abilities, and wants to keep your life from getting out of control.
ANDERSON: Also, Britney in the buff! Why Britney is suddenly shedding her clothes and her image. But will she be able to shake all that "bad mommy" talk with this major makeover? That`s still to come. Plus we`ve also got this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONNIE CHUNG, FMR. NEWS ANCHOR (singing): Thanks for the memories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. What`s with the never-ending game of anchor musical chairs? Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Star Jones --- enough already! A provocative ---but funny ---look at all of that, coming up!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow: Stars versus PETA, the animal rights activists that ambushed Beyonce over fur, but have PETA`s anti-fur protests gone too far? We`ll investigate on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow!
ANDERSON: And it`s time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines.". For that we go to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas who joins us again from Hollywood -- Sibila.
VARGAS: Thanks Brooke, well, jury selection has started in California in a case against Michael Jackson, that reportedly could get ugly. Jackson is being sued by a former associate for unpaid loans and expenses, and the "New York Daily News" reports that the trial could devolve into mudslinging. A source tells the "Daily News" that if Jackson`s defense brings up the fact that his associate used to direct porn is ready to talk about Jackson`s sexual tendencies. Jackson himself won`t be at the trial - - the jury will see his taped statements instead.
Well, Universal Pictures has made a donation to the families of Flight 93. Universal release the 9/11 movie `United 93` on DVD this September, and the studio announced it has made a $250,000 contribution to the Flight 93 National Memorial project.
And celebrity baby news -- Mariska Hargitay and her husband have a brand new son. The baby boy was born yesterday -- a week late and get this, weighing in at more than 10 pounds! He did not want to leave mommy`s tummy. This is the couple`s first child. And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
ANDERSON: Congratulations to them. Thanks, Sibila.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Sibila Vargas, thank you.
HAMMER: Well, coming up, the Oscar-nominated actress who claims to have psychic abilities and wants to keep your life from getting out of control!
And Britney Spears, naked. Why Britney is suddenly shedding her clothes and her image. But will she be able to shake all that "bad mommy" talk with this major makeover?
Plus, we`ve also got this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody buckle up now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This movie`s called "Snakes on a Plane," guess what it`s about? We`ve got your first look at it in tonight`s "Showbiz Showcase," SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, for a Thursday night, is coming right back.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment show.
HAMMER: Brooke, we`ve had an awful lot of goodbyes from the various TV anchors lately. We had Katie saying goodbye. Meredith bid adieu to "The View". Charlie`s goodbye just yesterday. And the rather unexpected departure of Star Jones.
A lot of people getting a little tired of it, getting a little fatigued by all of it. So we`re going to take a provocative yet very fun look at all of the goodbyes, coming up in just a few minutes.
ANDERSON: You can`t miss them these days. You can`t turn on the television without seeing them, A.J.
Also, it`s an upcoming movie starring Samuel L. Jackson that`s called "Snakes on a Plane". The title really says it all. It`s created an Internet phenomenon. And we`ve got the trailer, and we`re going to show it to you coming up.
HAMMER: Yes, because it`s been spreading on the Internet because people haven`t seen the actual trailer. We`ve got it.
But first tonight, by now you`ve all heard the big news about Britney Spears appearing on the cover of "Harper`s Bazaar" six months pregnant and completely naked. Well, no, she had some jewels on, actually.
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to bring you the inside story of exactly how the pop princess came to grace the cover of the magazine, with the photo that has everyone talking. Who better to help us out than Laura Brown, the articles director for "Harper`s Bazaar."
Thank you for joining us.
LAURA BROWN, ARTICLES DIRECTOR, "HARPER`S BAZAAR": Thank you.
HAMMER: I appreciate you being here. I want to know very specifically how did it come about? Did Britney call you? Did you call Britney?
BROWN: We wanted to work with Britney for such a long time. She`s such a compelling pop cultural figure. She`s had huge amounts of press. And it just happened magically that she called us at the same time. So off we went.
HAMMER: So she was reaching out to you. Why...
BROWN: We reached out to each other.
HAMMER: Reached out at the same time. But why did she want to specifically work with Harper`s as a magazine, because obviously, everybody wants to put her on the cover?
BROWN: Of course. But you know, we really celebrate women. We really make them look beautiful. We also really collaborate with her. And we welcomed her ideas to the shoot, as well. And we`re just really, really interested in making woman look great and fashionable.
HAMMER: Well, I want to get into the specifics of the actual shot that we`re seeing on the cover in just a moment.
BROWN: Sure.
HAMMER: But first, how was she generally? Because obviously, it has not been necessarily the easiest times for Britney.
BROWN: No.
HAMMER: The press has not been kind to her. She constantly is being stalked by the paparazzi. What was her vibe on the subject?
BROWN: Yes, I think she`s -- she`s been through a lot in the last couple of years and a lot of attention that, you know, she`s received, but not for her work. And I think it`s been hard in a lot of respects. But when she came to the set, she was in such good humor. You know, she came with her nanny, came with a beautiful son, Sean Preston, and was really up for a really friendly, playing music, loved looking at the clothes, loved talking about concepts and ideas with the photographer and stylists and was such a good sport. Really, you could feel that she was kind of getting her performer mojo back, actually.
HAMMER: Oh, really?
BROWN: Yes.
HAMMER: It is somewhat of a creative outlet, to actually get to hang out with the photographer.
BROWN: Absolutely. And to be performing to the camera again. It`s a still camera, but you could see her in some of the shots. You could see Britney sort of coming back and she was like -- she has a certain look that she gets when she`s being photographed and you know she`s a total pro and she hasn`t been seen this way for awhile. I think she enjoyed it so much, because she`s been, you know -- obviously, she has Sean Preston. She has a second baby on the way. And she`s dipping her toe back in the water again. I think she`s really excited.
HAMMER: Is that why you think she wanted to do the photo shoot?
BROWN: Yes, I think. I mean, she -- you know, her baby is due in about three months. And then she really wants to get back into the studio, start playing around with some tunes, you know, really think about performing again, you know, going back to the gym and working out. And she`s getting excited. You can feel that in her.
HAMMER: Obviously, people will make instant comparisons to that famous "Vanity Fair" cover with Demi Moore, naked on the cover.
BROWN: Exactly.
HAMMER: Was it a conscious decision, to sort of emulate that cover that we`re looking at right now?
BROWN: It`s -- not so much, to be honest. I mean, that is an iconic cover. Everybody speaks -- you know, everybody remembers that. When you put a pregnant naked woman on the cover, there`s not so many ways you can do it. So you know, I mean, it wasn`t a conscious thing, but obviously, if it recalls that, that`s not a bad precedent.
HAMMER: Biggest thing that impressed you about her Britney Spears on this photo shoot?
BROWN: Her absolute good humor and her ease and relaxation, which I was really surprised. I thought, given the treatment she`s had lately I thought she`d be a whole lot more wary with people than she actually was. And a great mom and wouldn`t let go to her son unless, you know, she was called to the set. But she -- he was stuck to her hip the whole time.
HAMMER: Well, that`s nice to hear, because we certainly have been hearing a different side of things.
BROWN: Yes.
HAMMER: Laura Brown, articles director from "Harper`s Bazaar".
BROWN: Thank you.
HAMMER: Really appreciate you taking us inside the Britney Spears naked pregnant photo shoot with the new hair.
You can get your copy of "Harper`s Bazaar", the one you`re seeing right here, with Britney Spears on the cover, when it hits newsstands on July 25.
Well, a few weeks before Britney shot that particular cover for "Harper`s Bazaar", she had that rather infamous interview with Matt Lauer, which could be classified as somewhat bizarre!
Now, we saw a pretty disheveled Britney at that time. She didn`t have her handlers around her. Giving what was -- some have said was a pretty ill-advised interview in that case.
But now it seems that Britney`s doing everything she can to put that interview behind her, and she`s probably hoping that you will, too.
Joining me from Hollywood, Howard Bragman of 15 Minutes Public Relations. Thanks for being with us.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, 15 MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: Thanks, A.J., how are you?
HAMMER: Very well, thank you.
So a couple of weeks ago Britney gave that interview to Matt Lauer. By all accounts, I mean, just by looking at the thing, kind of a train wreck. It didn`t go so well, particularly not for her public image.
Her hair was a mess. She had the mascara running down her face. She was chewing gum at the time. And now she really seems to have this whole different image thing going on. Do you think this is actually a conscious effort at damage control on her part?
BRAGMAN: Well, you use the word damage control, and half of that is control. And I think it`s really out of control at this time, A.J.
First of all, the Harper`s cover was shot long ago. She`s sending out contradictory messages, and my business is about sending out consistent messages. That`s what the most successful people are.
You don`t go to Matt Lauer and say, "My life is horrible, because I have no privacy" and then go on the cover of a magazine naked and go "Hey, look at me. Look at me."
HAMMER: I have to interrupt you one second. I had my information correct, though, Howard. I do believe this cover was shot since that Matt Lauer interview. We should be clear about that.
BRAGMAN: That was an awful quick turn around to their credit.
HAMMER: It was, it was. I guess it was. So what do you think?
BRAGMAN: Even that...
HAMMER: Go ahead.
BRAGMAN: Even that you still want to achieve control and consistency, which is the last thing she`s got, to my way of marketing a celebrity, a celebrity is a brand, and a brand is epitomized by consistent attributes. We don`t even have consistent hair color. We have inconsistent messages, and everything she said on Matt Lauer is really undermined by doing this cover.
HAMMER: Well, to your point, she made a pretty big deal in that interview with Matt Lauer about wanting to be left alone. And now she`s take these, you know, fairly risque pictures that are right there on the cover. She`s putting herself out there in a very, very public way, not exactly how you get out of the public eye. Right?
BRAGMAN: No, I don`t think it`s the best way to get out of the public eye. It`s really -- it`s really sort of look at me.
And I`m not sure why she`s doing the cover right now. She doesn`t really have anything out there in the marketplace to be pushing except her life. And I think -- I try to make my clients work like -- work very hard when they have a project, and when they`re not, you want to be off stage and get some quiet time in.
HAMMER: And she certainly was as big as they came. You know, and assuming she did do this as an effort for a make-over. You know, she was America`s sweetheart. She was at the top of the charts. She was selling out stadiums. Do you think she could ever bring it back to that past glory, based on what you`ve seen?
BRAGMAN: You know, I have a term that I use called the pinata syndrome. And America likes to take people, and we like to take them to the top of the pedestal. Then we like to beat them with a stick and see what comes out.
But the good news of that is you can come back again. But what Britney really needs to do is get back to her roots and get back to her music, get back to the kind of looks that fans know her with and do something that worked and really energize her base again with some exciting music. And let`s let her personal life stay out of it for awhile.
HAMMER: Well, it did sound like she had a good attitude during that photo shoot, according to our last guest. Let`s hope she can bring some of that to her public persona.
Howard Bragman of 15 Minutes Public Relations, I appreciate your joining us tonight. Thanks.
ANDERSON: The big news right now, Star wars. Star Jones Reynolds` exit from "The View" has riled fans of the show and Star`s and everyone, right up to and including Barbara Walters.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went out to talk to some of the fans outside "The View`s" studio. Here`s what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m glad she`s leaving. I don`t like her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it`s unprofessional. That was the only time that she`s mentioned it, and she didn`t give them prior warning, you know, that that was unfair. I mean, she had her start there at "The View" all those years ago, and no one heard of Star Jones prior to that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe Star felt that if she told someone, maybe they could go -- some type of negative publicity or anything. So she probably thought like, "You know what? Let me just do this thing gracefully like a lady that she is and just go on my merry way and take on other tasks, enjoy my new husband and, you know, continue on her success. So you know, probably that`s what she -- she was thinking about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn`t agree with a lot of her views on things. I liked Meredith and I love joy. I think she`s hysterical. But wasn`t crazy about Star.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We`ve also been getting a tremendous response to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. The vote, very one-sided, response to last night`s question of the day. We asked, Star Jones Reynolds, are you a fan? The votes so far, very one-sides. Only 13 percent of you say yes; 87 percent say no.
Some more of your e-mails, Bridget writes, "`The View` won`t be the same without Star. She`s classy, funny and fabulous."
Linda from California said, "It`s good to see Star Jones leave; she wanted the show to be all about her. The show will be better without her."
HAMMER: Well, coming up, the Oscar-nominated actress who says she can help you keep your life from spiraling out of control. That`s just ahead in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Plus, anchors away! It`s the summer of long goodbyes. Lately, you can`t turn on the TV without seeing a tearful tribute to the host of a TV show. That`s coming up.
We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: Everybody buckle up now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It is the trailer everybody has just been dying to see, and we`ve got it: "Snakes on a Plane"! Your very first look, coming up in the "SHOWBIZ Showcase".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s get A.J. to big on left for the next segment. Now stand by the break and roll it. And take black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go three, fade up music, under. Stand by, A.J. Increase that four. Open his mic is on. Camera four, go.
HAMMER: 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 a story that just made us say, "That`s ridiculous!" And for this I have three words for you: Hooters for Neuters. Sounded like a good idea at the time to the Los Angeles Animal Services Department: get Hooters to host a bikini contest to raise a little money for spaying and neutering.
Everything was all set for this thing, but now for the department has reconsidered after city officials said it was degrading to women.
Hmm. Hooters for Neuters. Now, that`s ridiculous.
Star Jones-Reynolds leaving "The View" is just the latest in a recent flurry of on-air goodbyes. In fact, some people are starting to get a little tired of it. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Toast after toast after toast. We`ve had one too many farewell broadcasts.
Goodbye Meredith.
ANNOUNCER: Celebrating Katie.
MOOS: Just leave already. Kiss after kiss. Tear after tear.
CHARLIE GIBSON, LEAVING GOOD MORNING AMERICA: You got me.
MOOS: We`re suffering from goodbye fatigue, exhausted from trying to catch the departing host with a catch in his voice.
GIBSON: Good morning, America. For 19 years, my mornings have -- almost made it.
MOOS: And please, no more dancing hosts and hostesses.
And no more singing.
CONNIE CHUNG, DEPARTMENT MSNBC SHOW (singing): Thanks for the memories.
MOOS: Connie`s goodbye was campy. Katie`s was syrupy sweet. And Meredith`s was a risque roast. And please, no more montages.
DIANE SAWYER, CO-HOST, ABC`S "GOOD MORNING AMERICA": The highlights, the laughter.
MOOS (on camera): I have an announcement of my own to make. I am not leaving CNN. I am not saying goodbye. You`re going to have to suffer through a lot more of these pieces.
(voice-over) Our favorite goodbye turned into a cat fight. What was supposed to be a segment of "The View" on air conditioning was interrupted by Star Jones.
STAR JONES, FORMER CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": I apologize for interrupting you. Something`s been on my heart for a little bit. The show is moving in another direction for its tenth season, and I will not be returning as co-host next year.
MOOS: The four co-hosts held hands. They sang each other`s praises but overnight the graphics department changed this -- to this.
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": And then there was three. But the truth is that Star has known for months that ABC did not want to renew her contract.
MOOS: Star told "People" magazine she felt like she`d been fired, and Barbara said she felt she`d been betrayed.
WALTERS: So it is becoming uncomfortable for us to pretend that everything is the same at this table and therefore, regrettably, Star will no longer be on this program.
MOOS: Sort of makes Dan Rather`s cold departure from CBS seem cheery.
Watching all these goodbyes takes...
DAN RATHER, FORMER ANCHOR, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Courage.
MOOS: And a goodbye gesture can backfire in hindsight. Make that behind sight.
MEREDITH VIEIRA, FORMER CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": I will always keep you near and dear to me. Always.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase", "Snakes on a Plane," starring Samuel L. Jackson. He`s there to save the day when, on a flight over the Pacific Ocean -- you guessed it -- poisonous snakes get loose on the plane. You know fake trailers for the movie have been an online hit for some time. But here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`ve got the real thing.
So here it is, the real "Snakes on a Plane" trailer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: Everybody buckle up now!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And there you have it. "Snakes on a Plane" comes to theaters August 18.
HAMMER: And there you have it.
Diane Ladd`s career is nothing less than an inspiration. From Oscar to Emmy, Ladd has won or has been recognized for practically every acting award under the sun! She has been named one of the top ten actresses in the world by "TIME" magazine, but she`s inspiring people for something entirely different.
Diane Ladd is a healer. And this is her new book all about her life called "Spiraling through the School of Life: A Mental, Physical and Spiritual Discovery."
Diane Ladd is joining me here in New York. It is so nice to have you here.
DIANE LADD, AUTHOR, "SPIRALING THROUGH THE SCHOOL OF LIFE: Thank you, A.J. Pleasure to be here.
HAMMER: We -- we know you so well from so many different things, your movies, "Rambling Rose". You were nominated with an Oscar, with your daughter, Laura Dern.
LADD: One of my favorite movies.
HAMMER: The two of you, first time a mother/daughter team ever nominated for an Oscar.
LADD: And the late Princess Diana chose it as her favorite movie -- hello -- and flew us there. And for a Mississippi country girl, let me tell you...
HAMMER: Not too bad.
LADD: Not too bad.
HAMMER: But now we`re seeing a whole different side of you. Have you always been a real spiritual person?
LADD: Well, I have been involved in health for 30 years, and I have actually been a teacher and I`ve volunteered time and worked with doctors in hospitals and worked for the medical community and the late community at large.
And in this book, I`m sharing what I lectured on. People begged me for a book, and this has gone on for three decades. And I felt I had to share some stuff, including three personal miracles.
And I`m told that potentially this book can help other people. So it`s a Hollywood autobiography but with friends like Johnny Cash and Rock Hudson and the greatness. They don`t always tell some of the good stories that happen in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Sure, sure. But you get to put them in here.
LADD: Well...
HAMMER: And we get to see some of the upside. You`re not the only person to come out of Hollywood who has shown their spirituality. In fact, I love what you wrote right here on the inside of the book. "I like to joke when Shirley MacLaine was out on a limb, I was already out on a branch." What exactly do that you mean by that? I think I have a sense of it.
LADD: Well, I saw Shirley at the party for Johnny Cash, and I walked up to her. And she was there with Congressman Dennis Kucinich and his wife. And I said, "Shirley, I`ve got to tell you I`ve got a book coming out, and I made a remark which was true, that when you went out on a limb, I was already out on a branch."
And she said -- and I thought I don`t know if she really feels so happy about that. But yes, because I was into studying chakras and the human body and I was working on alternative modalities, which is a pretty big subject matter today. I did a congressional hearing testimony for Congressman Dan Burton, who lost his wife from cancer, and he felt that alternative modalities helped her more than anything. And he`s fighting for more of them.
And Congressman Berkeley Bedell founded the National Foundation for Alternative Medicine, NFAM, in Washington, D.C. And doctors like Deepak Chopra and Andrew Wile and Bernie Siegel and all these great doctors.
If you get sick and you don`t know what to do, you call up NFAM and you ask them, "This is the problem. Where can I find the doctor that doesn`t throw out the baby with the bath water and tells me everything I need to know." And I`m an advisor there.
HAMMER: And I think this would surprise a lot of people, because again, we know you from...
LADD: I`m not a doctor.
HAMMER: ... an amazing Hollywood career where we`ve also seen people like Madonna embracing spirituality, the Kabbalah.
LADD: Right.
HAMMER: Do you think a lot of people doing that in Hollywood to sort of balance out the excess and hedonism that Hollywood brings?
LADD: No. I don`t think there`s an excess of hedonism in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Oh, no?
LADD: No. I don`t. No. I don`t see naked girls dancing in tables in Vegas, though I`ve heard that rumor. Never saw that. I don`t see anybody...
HAMMER: But you know it exists.
LADD: No. I see my actors. There is 120,000 -- here`s the truth. The real Hollywood, 120,000 actors. Last count 87,000 actors made less than a $10,000 year poverty wage.
HAMMER: A lot more are...
LADD: Yes. They go out every year, and they raise almost $10 billion, A.J., to help humanity.
HAMMER: Right.
LADD: My gig was the health, and I was led dragging by the chin through a tragedy to it. I actually, when I was very young, married to actor Bruce Dern, we lost a 2-year-old daughter in a very tragic accident.
HAMMER: Which led you to...
LADD: And afterwards I was screaming and I was begging to get pregnant again, and I did, but guess what? It was a tubular pregnancy and I almost died, and five doctors said you will never have another child. I`m sorry. Five.
And I spent two and a half years in the library studying. When Laura Dern was born, they called it a miracle. I said, "Oh, yes. And a hell of a lot of hard work."
So I say kick a little faith.
HAMMER: It is an inspirational story, indeed.
LADD: Have faith and keep it and kick a little dirt, and you, too, can have a miracle.
HAMMER: Diane, I`ve got to wrap it up. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
LADD: Thank you for having me.
HAMMER: "Spiraling Through the School of Life", in stores now.
Well, do movie critics really matter? To find out, I chatted with "Variety" magazine`s Peter Bart. He`s just written a book and TV documentary about some of Tinseltown`s biggest box office blockbusters and bombs.
I had a chance to ask him if critics really do make a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER BART, "VARIETY" MAGAZINE: I think the movie industry is really two industries. You know when it comes to pictures like "The Da Vinci Code" or "Superman" Or "Pirates of the Caribbean," do critics matter? Hell no.
And you know, in many cases -- I say the "Da Vinci Code" -- don`t even show their movies to critics until the day it opens.
On the other hand, there`s the other industry. You know, the pictures like "Crash" and "The Constant Gardner" and "Good Night and Good Luck". And critics matter, because the audience doesn`t go the first weekend like the kids do.
The audience looks at the reviews, thinks about the buzz and then goes the second, third or fourth weekend. And those specialty pictures are becoming big business.
HAMMER: So it`s kind of a double edged sword. You need them. You don`t want them.
BART: If I were a critic I`d have an inferiority complex because their day has come and gone.
HAMMER: Is that the truth? Is that what you`re saying?
BART: It is the truth. Absolutely. It`s the great buzz out there, the Internet. It`s whatever. I wouldn`t want to be a movie critic today. Tell that to Roger Ebert.
HAMMER: Peter Bart`s "Boffo: How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb", in stores now. You can catch the documentary on HBO, premiering tonight. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: That`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Join us for a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow, a look at celebrity obsession. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Thanks for watching, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Have a great night. Stay tuned for more from CNN Headline News.
END
