Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
A Twist in Mystery of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes` Baby; Hollywood`s Diet Dilemma; Guns and Prayer
Aired July 11, 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, CNN HN HOST: A twist in the mystery of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes` baby. Why haven`t we seen Suri? New details are out and of course we have them. Plus, a dramatic first look at the upcoming thriller, "Snakes on a Plane." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," Hollywood`s battle with body image.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think part of being an actress is that your body is tool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, why thin is so in, it`s driving some female stars crazy in the fight against fat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can get kind of insecure and if I put on a weight or something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So here`s what we want to know.
How come it`s OK for men to be flabby and fabulous?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re starting to see America love realness (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with both sides of Hollywood`s diet dilemma. Also, tonight guns and prayer, a new controversial Christian videogame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This game is literally a wolf in sheep`s clothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It`s spiritual warfare in a very real and violent videogame. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the showdown over God and gunfire.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York City. And it`s the pressure to lose weight and stay thin is driving you nuts, imagine what it`s like for the big Hollywood stars whose careers depend on it. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been bombarded by major stars who are speaking out about the almost ridiculous pressure to look like a skeleton, as if that`s what beauty is really about. Well, tonight, we`re here to show you what we found out, that in Hollywood the thin is in craze has gotten to the point that it`s become a joke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, hey, Nicole. You look so emaciated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, 10 more pounds and I`ll be down to my birthweight.
HAMMER (voice-over): Nicole Richie is a painfully ease I target for MTV2`s new series, "Where My Dogs At," a laugh out loud take on Hollywood`s super skinny celebs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let`s see your engagement ring.
HAMMER: Former "OC" star Misha Barton and "The Simple Life"`s Nicole Richie have become poster children for Hollywood`s weight obsession, which is at a fever pitch. From "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Keira Knightley ...
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, ACTRESS: How does it feel to be always called anorexic? I had no idea that I was ...
HAMMER: To singer Nelly Furtado.
NELLY FURTADO, ACTRESS: There`s a lot of pressure to be thin.
HAMMER: And even Uma Thurman, who told me.
UMA THURMAN, ACTRESS: I can get secure if I put on a lot of weight.
HAMMER: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, the pressure to be thin is something the stars can`t stop talking about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m here to find the man I love.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m deeply flattered but my first and only love is the sea.
HAMMER: These days Keira Knightley is not just answering questions about her role in the box office smash, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2," she finds herself forced to publicly deny that she suffers from anorexia.
KNIGHTLEY: I don`t have it. I`m very sure I don`t have it.
HAMMER: At a press conference in England to promote "Pirates", Kyra insisted she is not an anorexic although the disease has touched her personally.
KINGHTLEY: I have got a lot of experience with anorexia. It was in my family hugely. My grandmother and my great grandmother suffered from it. I`ve got a lot of friends at school who suffer from it. So I don`t think it is anything to be taken lightly.
HAMMER: Just days before Keira Knightley denied she had an eating disorder, "American Idol" star Katharine McPhee admitted she did, revealing her long time battle with bulimia. Nelly Furtado tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that she sympathizes with McPhee.
FURTADO: There is a lot of pressure to be thin. There`s a lot a pressure to be sick thin because to look thin on camera, you have to be like five pounds underweight, under your healthy body weight, so there is a lot of the pressure. So I think it`s easy to develop an eating disorder in this business.
HAMMER: Twenty-something stars aren`t the only ones thinking about the diet dilemma. Even tough girl but still gorgeous, Uma Thurman, tells me that sometimes she doesn`t like what she sees on the scale.
(on camera): You seem so comfortable in your own skin. I don`t know if it was always that way.
THURMAN: I can get kind of insecure, like if I put on a lot of weight or something, but I try to even then not be too like killed over it -- it`s easy to feel embarrassed when you feel like people comment if you`re fat or this or that or the other. And I think that makes a lot of people in my line of work extremely self conscious. I certainly know that when I feel insecure about something you do feel self conscious.
HAMMER (voice-over): Stars have their own ways of dealing with the weight pressure. Elizabeth Taylor says she ignores it. In an interview with "Harper`s Bazaar", Liz sounds off on these rail thin actresses, saying, quote, "I wish I could be that size but I can`t be. I enjoy food too much. In the end, I`m too hedonistic. I enjoy pleasures."
But despite having their bodies scrutinized for the whole world to see, some stars are philosophical about the debate over Hollywood`s weight obsession.
KNIGHTLEY: I suppose in a way it`s good that its out there and people are talking about it.
THURMAN: Life beats you up enough. I`ve always been accused of being really hard on myself, and so I guess, you got to take it easy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (on camera): Well, the debate continues. Joining me now here in New York to talk more about body image in Hollywood, clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Lola Ogunnaike, who is from the "New York Times."
Ladies, it is a pleasure to see you both.
We see rumors swirling around celebrities all the time. We`ve gotten to the point now was if they don`t come out and defend themselves against everything that`s lodged against them, yet we see Keira Knightley coming out and defending herself against charges of having an eating disorder. That struck me as pretty unusual. Why would she have to do that?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, A.J., frankly, talking about weight in this culture makes for news. And I think she knew that, hey, she could grab some headlines. I think I may be a bit jaded but we`re still talking about her. And look at our obsession with people and their weight gain and their weight loss. Janet Jackson is launching her album come back on the fact that she has lost 60 pounds in four months. She is on the cover of "Us Weekly."
We`re still obsessed with how Star Jones lost all that weight. People want to know what this medical intervention is. Was it gastric bypass? Was it not gastric bypass? We`re just obsessed with people`s ups and downs.
HAMMER: And the stars are talking about it or they`re denying it, they`re making an announcement. I do have an eating disorder, I don`t have an eating disorder. Particularly for people who may be dealing with these themselves, Dr. Judy, can`t this really kind of mess with their heads?
JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOIST: Yes. And there are good things about it and bad. I think the good part is what Keira Knightley said, thank goodness we`re talking about it. The word anorexia is out there, bulimia is out there. What is it? It is the need to control some part of your life when you can`t be in control.
And in Hollywood, but in real life, too, girls don`t feel they are in control of what`s going on. So how can you control your food in you`re bulimic and you are going to purposely throw up, that`s a control over your life. If you`re anorexic and refuse your food, you`re controlling your life.
That`s the issue. So talking about Keira Knightley being accused, rightly or wrongly, and Nicole Richie being stick thin, gets girls to talk about it.
HAMMER: Let`s talk about Nicole Richie for just a second because it has gotten to the point of the ridiculous. Danny, can you roll that cartoon one more time? This is the thing that MTV2 is doing that is lampooning these stars, like Mischa Barton, like Nicole Richie. And this isn`t so far of the mark what we`re looking at right now. What, Lola, is feeding into their need to look like that? Because, I don`t know about you, that ain`t sexy to me.
OGUNNAIKE: Not to you, but to the fashion industry, it`s not sexy to be a size 8. It is sexy to be a size 2 and a size 4. These girls have got to fit into sample sizes. They want to wear the beautiful gowns on the red carpet and those don`t come in the double digit, those come in the very small, small single digits.
HAMMER: I hear you, Lola but ....
OGUNNAIKE: They have to be glorified hangers. That`s it.
HAMMER: I`m sorry, I don`t buy it that they are motivated to look like a stick because they want to fit into fashion.
OGUNNAIKE: They are. There`s that. And they are competitive. And if Lindsay is a 2, then Nicole has to be a 2. Jessica Simpson can`t be an 8 while Lindsay is a 2. That`s not fair
HAMMER: The competition I understand. The clothes, not so much.
OGUNNAIKE: How can you not understand fashion? If a Galliano gown is a size 4 and you are a size 8 you got to purge or you got to do something to get into that gown.
KURIANSKY: It`s not realistic. I mean, it really hurts me to see that girls are putting themselves through that. I think what they need to do is to really realize this is fashion, and that`s the way Nicole Richie wants to look, or Paris Hilton, because she is so stick thin, as you know, too. And that`s the way she is, but I don`t have to be that way. You said, A.J., there are guys who like breasts and who like, you know, buns. And j low is a good example.
And I think if you look at people like Brooke Shields even and Liv Tyler, one of the most beautiful women, I think ...
OGUNNAIKE: But Liv Tyler is considered humongous in Hollywood. It`s unfortunate but it`s true.
KURIANSKY: I say these -- let her be your role model, she got pregnant, she is not worried about it now, she is wearing baggy clothes and walking happily with ...
OGUNNAIKE: But she is not a sample that can fit into the Mark Jacobs sample size.
HAMMER: You know what accentuates or sort of calls attention to all this absurdity, anyone who saw "The Devil Wears Prada," Stanley Tucci`s character basically infers that if you`re wearing a size 6, you`re huge. Now to that, I say, "that`s ridiculous!." Lola Ogunnaike and Dr. Judy Kuriansky, always wonderful to have you hear on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
So what about Hollywood body image and the guys? Now, ladies, you might think this is really unfair, but it kind of looks like everyone is loving love handles on men. Look at the big stars in the big summer movies, we`re going to have a revealing look at exactly why flab is fashionable on the guys. That`s coming up a bit later here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
You might call it a double standard. And we want to hear from you on all of this. For our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "question of the day we are asking, thin stars, do they make you feel fat? Go on line to vote at cnn.com/showbiztonight.
I would like to remind you that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now be seen seven nights a week. There is no escaping us because you will want to hang out with us on weekends, now, too. We are bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your weekends.
Make sure you tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, not only Monday through Friday, but Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 Pacific as well.
Well, people everywhere are asking -- where is Suri Cruise? Now the mystery deepens over Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes` baby. The juicy details are coming up. Also we`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This game is literally a wolf in sheep`s clothing. It`s been marketed to Christian parents for their kids, trading on the label of Christianity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Controversy heats up over a new video game that puts Christians in the middle of war. Plus, find out why Hollywood is buzzing over Samuel L. Jackson`s new thriller. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your first look at "Snakes on a Plane." That`s ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
First, your "Entertainment Weekly" great American pop culture quiz, which star interviewed President Clinton for an Earth Day 2000 special which aired on ABC? Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie or Drew Barrymore. We`re coming straight back with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Once again tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" great American pop culture quiz. Which star interviewed President Clinton for an earth day special in 2000 on ABC? The answer is A, Leonardo DiCaprio
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we are TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Time now for a story that just made us say, "That`s ridiculous!."
It is the World Cup soccer highlight that`s got even non-sports fans talking. Of course soccer players use their heads all the time to move the ball around the field and wherever they need to get it. But when France`s star player lost his head and decided to head butt an opposing player, we just had to say, "That`s ridiculous!"
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the head butt heard around the world. And when the captain of the French team was thrown out of the game, the groans of Italian fans in New York turned to cheers and obscene gestures. What a way to end an otherwise glorious soccer career. The "New York Times" called it a shameful departure, a "Times" columnist saying Zinedine Zidane lost his mind. Even Americans more familiar with Beavis and Butthead, were marveling over this head butt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought that was pretty amazing by the great Zidane. He usually doesn`t lose his head that way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happens in every sport. Look what Tyson did to the guy, bit his ear off.
MOOS: Mike Tyson reportedly said the reason he bit off a chunk of his opponent`s ear was because Evander Holyfield head butted him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I played soccer and I`ve been head butted. Some girls can play really rough.
MOOS: Most headbutting is done by four-legged animals using their heads to butt each other or one of us. Luckily this guy only lost his pants and not his life. The Internet overflows with sophomoric head butting -- butting heads with bottle caps, butting heads with cookie sheets, buckets versus helmet. And then there is the elephant head butt, brace yourself, it purports to show a caretaker cleaning up after an animal when the elephant backs up. Sort of makes the soccer head butt seem tame.
A "New York Daily News" columnist said of Zidane, "He went nuts, went out like a enthused, like Dennis Rodman." Actually, if you blink, you`ll miss the time Rodman head butted a referee. There it is again.
And talk about blaming the victim. Some criticize the Italian who was on the receiving end of Zidane`s head butt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s very melodramatic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s part of the act with the Italians. And you saw him. It looked like he got hit by a cannon, not by Zidane`s head.
MOOS (on camera): Is your hair white from head butting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: You sure?
(voice-over): In the movie "Road Warrior", the villain did the headbutting, but at the World Cup Zidane was still voted most valuable player. At least after Zidane did the dirty deed, he didn`t do what the head butting bull did -- run around with underwear on his head.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Well, speaking of the absurd, we are still desperately seeking Suri. And as a service to you, we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are still on the case. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brought it to you first asking, where in the world is Tom and Katie`s baby Suri Cruise? Well, now prepare yourself, the mystery deepens. With new developments today, it turns out the birth certificate raises more questions than it answers. Harvey Levin, managing editor of the entertainment news Web site tmz.com joins me from Glendale, California, with some very interesting details he just uncovered concerning Suris` birth certificate.
Harvey, let`s get into it. It is already one of those elements of the story you just can`t make up, the fact that Tom Cruise and one of his biggest foes, Brooke Shields, gave birth down the hall to one another. Of course she gave birth to baby Grier the same day Suri was born in the hospital. But now it gets even stranger, Harvey, doesn`t it, because the birth certificates have something in common.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Yeah, I mean, it really is crazy. There was a nurse who signed both birth certificates at St. John`s Hospital, where both babies were born, normally the doctor signs. But in this case the doctors weren`t available. So this nurse is allowed to sign. She signed. The weird thing is that, when you look at a license number, it wasn`t her license number, which it should be. So it looks like she is giving all these different license numbers. I think we cracked it and I think what she was doing is she was writing this mistakenly writing down the various doctors` license numbers. But we are thinking they are going to convene the Warren commission over this thing next.
HAMMER: And she didn`t even write the same number on the different certificates, the one for Suri Cruise and the one for Grier, Brooke Shields` daughter.
LEVIN: They are supposed to list their own but she listed each individual doctor. So we are looking at this and it is all over the place.
HAMMER: This is all very strange. Are they able to get anything right here? The story of this whole birth certificate has kind of become a joke, hasn`t it?
LEVIN: Well, kind of interesting. Brooke Shields signed the birth certificate as a mother two days after her baby was born. As for Tom and Katie, nobody signed anything for 16 days. And, finally, a friend of theirs came in and signed it. They never signed the birth certificate.
And I was told by the hospital that normally they file these things 10 days after the baby is born. In this case it took 20. And somebody from the hospital told me, the reason was, this baby needed a passport stat. So the friend came in, signed immediately, and I guess they used the birth certificate to get a passport.
HAMMER: Which raises even more questions. Ooh. Where are they going? But, here`s what I want to know, Harvey. You know when you get, let`s say, a parking ticket and the cop maybe leaves a box out on fills out a wrong number, you can take it to court, you can say it`s not correct and they throw it out. Could this be a little mistake on the birth certificate, if there is one, invalidate it?
LEVIN: No. I think it`s a valid birth certificate. Obviously the big mystery here, A.J. is whether -- where this baby is. Nobody has seen the baby. And Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were so public about the pregnancy, everybody wants to see this darned baby.
HAMMER: There are those who are saying the mystery is -- there is no baby. But we`ll get into that another time. Harvey Levin from tmz.com, thanks as always for your insight on Suri watch.
LEVIN: OK, A.J.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reached out to Tom Cruise`s representatives, by the way, for comment on the TMZ findings, as of show time, we have not heard back from them.
Well, last night we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, because we want to know if you even care. Tom and Katie`s baby, do you want to see a pi picture of Suri? Only 22 percent of you said, yes, you do want to see a picture, 78 percent of you say, no, you don`t care to. Here are some of the e-mails we got.
Arlynda from Virginia writes, "What if it were your newborn kid? Would you be in a big hurry to display her to a howling pack?"
And Christopher in Ontario, Canada says, "I don`t want to see what I`m sure is a beautiful child. I applaud a celebrity couple who hasn`t caved to the media."
Well, the search nor a new "American Idol" is now coming to a city near you. Details on how you can be the next idol just ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is always nice to see somebody and say, hey, you know, I could get that, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: forget the chiseled body. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at how your ideal man may be getting a little soft around the edges, if you know what I`m saying. Plus, controversy over a videogame that`s putting God in the middle of war. It is surprising. We`ll have the details when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Tuesday nighut is coming right back.
And now we have a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT birthday shout out, where we give the fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday. Tonight we send one out to Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi, of course, is celebrating his 47th birthday today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, my name is Christina and Richie Sambora, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I hope all your wishes come true. I`m from New York and I`m one of your biggest fans. Happy birthday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, tomorrow we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are taking a stand. We`re saying, metrosexuals are out. And manly men are in. That`s right. We`re talking about strong, alpha males, not those who care about their nails that are popular in Hollywood. "24"`s Jack Bauer is a good example and Superman. Manly men, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Although, there are some who would argue that Superman is fairly coifed and, you know, put together. Anyway, "American Idol" fans, get ready. The search for the next "American Idol" is here, auditions for the sixth edition of "American Idol" start on August 8 in Los Angeles. The show is going to hit six more cities before it narrows it search. The new season of "American Idol" is going to premiere in January. Now if you think you`ve got what it takes, you want to check out their Web site, get all the information. Americanidol.com is where you go.
And, can you feel the excitement in the air? I know I can. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will be back at it again in new episodes of "The Simple Life". E has ordered another round of TV`s favorite socialites. The new episodes debuting sometime in 2007. The show has been a huge hit since it made its move from Fox.
Why men with a little more substance are taking over as your leading man. We`ve got that story still ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Plus, find out why Hollywood is buzzing over Samuel L. Jackson`s new thriller. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with your first look at "Snakes on a Plane."
Plus, we have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This game is literally a wolf in sheep`s clothing. And it has been marketed to Christian parents for their kids, trading on the label of Christianity.
Controversy heating up over a new videogame involving Christianity, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, everybody, I`m Richelle Carey with your "Headline Prime" newsbreak. Massachusetts attorney general is considering filing negligent again homicide charges against contractors and construction workers following last night`s fatal accident in the Boston "Big Dig" tunnel. At least 12 tons of concrete fell on a woman`s car as she was traveling in that tunnel. Governor Mitt Romney is starting proceedings aimed at ousting the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman.
Using credit cards to pay online gambling bets would be banned under a bill passed by the House today. The Senate is not indicating when it might take up that issue.
And Americans can import prescription drugs legally from Canada under a Senate bill passed today. It would create a loophole in an FDA ban on such imports. Prescriptions are generally cheaper in Canada.
An Air National Guard captain is jumping for joy. Dan Shilling (ph) took 201 consecutive jumps off a bridge setting a new world record for BASE jumping. It raised money for college scholarships. Look at him go.
That is the news for now. I`m Richelle Carey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Tuesday night. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Well still to come tonight, it appears there may be yet another double standard in Hollywood. It seems that we`re constantly hearing about women- in-Hollywood`s obsession with fitness, staying thin, being thin, getting thin. Well if you look at some of the biggest male stars in Hollywood - a bit soft around the edges, you might say. I`m not going to name names right now, but we will. Because it`s spreading beyond Hollywood. We will look into the love of flabby limb coming up in just a minute.
Also, what happens when snakes take over a plane in mid-air. Of course, you need Samuel L. Jackson to save the day. We`ve got your first look at his latest thriller, "Snakes on a Plane."
But first tonight, there`s been a lot of talk about how some video games are too violent, which is really nothing new. So you would think that a religious-themed game would stay away from graphic fighting and blowing stuff up. Well, that`s not the case here, and the creators think buyers will love it. So do they have a prayer of a chance of it working?
Here`s CNN`s Ted Rowlands for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, it looks like any other video game, with dramatic graphics, special effects, lots of violent shooting and death.
But in this game, next to the button used to shoot bad guys is a button to pray.
TROY LYNDON, GAME DEVELOPER: We are the first product that appeals to more than one marketplace: the hard core gamers and also to a Christian marketplace.
ROWLANDS: A Christian video game that appeals to the masses. That is what the makers of "Left Behind" are praying for. The game is based on the wildly successful "Left Behind" Christian fictional book series. And in the game, like in the book, the world is in the hands of Satan. Players fight evil forces while gaining strength through prayer.
Watch as a player stops shooting to bow his head and pray. Doing this increases the player`s strength on the battlefield.
The Christian messages are there. But unlike other religious-based games, which stay away from violence, the main focus of this one is warfare.
LYNDON: The only way we`re going to appeal to any hard core gamer in a real-time strategy game is to bring warfare to life. The difference is we have added a new element: spiritual warfare.
ROWLANDS: Troy Lyndon, who used to help produce main stream games, like Madden Football, is confident that "Left Behind" is good enough to break into the mainstream. The game created a buzz at this year`s E-3 Video Game Convention in Los Angeles.
ADAM SESSLER, G4 TV: When you take religious-themed game, this is definitely the highest quality I have ever seen.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Producers of "Left Behind," say that the violence in the game will be enough to attract the mainstream. But critics say that violence is violence no matter what, whether God`s involved, and it is inappropriate, especially for children.
JACK THOMPSON, VIDEO GAME CRITIC: This game is literally a wolf in sheep`s clothing. And it`s been marketed to Christian parents for their kids, trading on the label of Christianity, when in fact it`s a very secular product that has the same harmful effects as other games that don`t have the Christian motif.
MECHANIZED VOICE: I will reclaim heaven and rule the universe unchallenged.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Christian video games have been around for years, and while they can be found on store shelves next to other games, they haven`t made much of a dent in the market. Christian game developers Tom and Bill Bean are demonstrating one of their games, called "Dance Praise." While none of their games have violence, they don`t have a problem with "Left Behind."
TOM BEAN, DIGITAL PRAISE: They`re doing it through a different method than we are. We`re focusing right now a little bit more on the family sector. And they`re looking more at the hard-core gamers. And I think there is a place at table for all of these different kinds of games and we encourage them, applaud them and hope that they do great.
ROWLANDS: Doing great means attracting the hard-core players. We asked a couple people at convention to try out "Left Behind" and compare it to other games.
MARK WEINBERG, GAMER: I thought it was a good game. I thought it looked really great. It was fluid game play. You know, I don`t know enough about the story to really get emotionally involved. You know, on a quick play though, it played great.
RONALD DIEMIECKE, GAMER: This whole spirit thing seems kind of different. But it`s kind of cool.
ROWLANDS: "Left Behind" is scheduled to hit store shelves later this year. The game`s producers are hoping to attract enough players to make some money and make a difference.
LYNDON: I have an unusually blessed opportunity in that, the same goal to distribute as many product as possible, also aligns with getting kids to think more about matter of eternal importance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: You got to figure it was only a matter of time. That was CNN`s Ted Rowlands for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Well, in tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," we`ve got your first look at "Snakes on a Plane." That`s the title, and basically that`s what the movie`s about. Samuel L. Jackson right there to save the day on a flight over the Pacific Ocean - you guessed it, when poisonous snaked get loose. It`s got a lot of people hissing - buzzing already.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rick (ph)? Rick!
(MUSIC)
SAMUEL JACKSON, ACTOR: You know all those security scenarios we ran? We`re snack in the middle of one we didn`t think of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can anybody hear me?
(SCREAMING AND CRYING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shh! Did you guys hear that?
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Ooh. "Snakes on a Plane" slithers into theaters on August 18.
Well, from a guy who saves the day to a gal who will stop at nothing to save face. In Uma Thurman`s new movie "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," she plays a superhero named "G-Girl" who becomes basically one hellish ex- girlfriend to Luke Wilson`s character, Matt Saunders.
But in real life, I have to tell you, Uma is pretty down to Earth. When I sat down with her, she got very personal. We even talked about her own body-image issues. And as you`ll see her in new film, her character goes to great lengths to keep her man.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OWEN WILSON, ACTOR: Her boyfriend`s a male model, OK? A model. I - I don`t think she`d be very interested in a guy like me.
UMA THURMAN, ACTRESS: What`s your point? So you want to screw her, you just can`t because she`s got a boyfriend.
WILSON: No, I`m just saying that we`re - we`re - we`re friends who work together. We`re work friends.
THURMAN: Don`t lie to me!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So "G-Girl" is determined to hang on to her boyfriend at any cost. She will do anything. Did you bring anything from her personal experiences in life to ...
THURMAN: You know what? I just...
HAMMER: ...to that aspect of it?
THURMAN: I had such fun with this character in that, like, you know - I grew up in New England. I have a European mother. I`ve always been, you know, taught to sort of - you know, you mind what you say. You don`t hurt anybody`s feelings. You kind of do - you just monitor yourself. You know, you make sure you`re polite, good morning, thank you, hello.
And to play a character who is completely unzipped is just - for somebody who`s sort of, like, been kind of restrained her whole life - like, it was just a blast.
HAMMER: You look amazing.
THURMAN: Thank you.
HAMMER: In - in - in - well, you look amazing right now, but you look amazing - and this is quite a costume you - that, you know, slink into and fly around in.
A lot is talked about in Hollywood about actors` obsession with dealing with their body image.
THURMAN: With their body obsession...
HAMMER: With a body obsession.
THURMAN: What is it?
HAMMER: It`s an age-old...
THURMAN: Metamorphic disorder?
HAMMER: There are lots of them - there are lots of women out there.
And I was curious if you - because you seem so comfortable in your own skin. And I don`t know if it was always that way.
THURMAN: No, I - I wasn`t always comfortable in my own skin. But, you know, I think that - I think that - you know, I try to take care of myself. And I try to keep it together. It`s part of what I do.
But I`m also sort of feeling - trying to be forgiving about it all. Do you know what I mean? Like, you just can`t - you know, you`re not going to stay the same. You`re going to change, and everybody`s aging. It`s a unilateral issue. And, you know, it`s just - I don`t know. I - I can get kind of insecure, like, if I put on a lot of weight or something, you know? But I just - I - I try to even then not be to - to, like, killed over it. Do you know what I mean? Like you just - it`s - it`s easy to feel embarrassed when you feel like people will comment if you`re fat or this or that or the other. And I think that makes a lot of people in my line of work extremely self conscious. And I certainly know that when I feel insecure about something, you do feel (INAUDIBLE).
HAMMER: Well what you say to - to young actors, or even to just people watching? You know, young kids, they`re dealing with it everyday. And you have figured out a way, it seems quite clear, to - to sort of come to terms with it.
THURMAN: Well, you`ll grow out of the acne, but you`re going to grow into the wrinkles. You know, I mean, it`s just - I don`t know. I haven`t come to terms with anything. I mean, life is an ever-evolving process, and - as we all know. Duh. But, you know, it`s like - I don`t know. Life beats you up enough. I - I mean, I`ve always been accused of being really hard on myself. And - and so I guess, you know, you got to take it easy, you know? And let down, like, the belt, and try to stop whacking yourself. There`s nothing you can do about it.
You know, you can do something about a lot of things that will - will make your life better. But you can`t necessarily do something about some things that are natural to you. You just got to do what you can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Uma Thurman`s new film, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," opens up everywhere July 21. And I must say, she is lovely.
Well, we`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." We`re asking, "Thin Stars: Do they make you feel fat?" Keep voting: cnn.com/showbiztonight. Got more to say? The e-mail address is showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your e-mails tomorrow.
And remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT now on seven nights a week. You can find TV`s most provocative entertainment news show on your weekends. So make sure you tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on Saturday and Sunday and every night, 11 p.m. Eastern. That, of course, is 8 Pacific.
Well, coming up, the best pickup lines? Yes, there`s a new book out there that claims to have a sure-fire way for you to grab a guy or a girl. But we took a little look and they`re kind of ridiculous. That`s next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) but you know? I could - I could get that, you know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: We told you earlier about how female stars feel more pressure than ever to be thin. But does that apply to the guys? Coming up, how flab is becoming fashionable on main men in Hollywood.
And Dave dishes. Tonight, we`ve got Dave Chappelle`s exclusive interview. He finally reveals why he walks away from his TV show, $50 million and the reason behind his mysterious trip to Africa. That`s all coming up next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dissolve. And stand by to break, Master Control. And roll your break, effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by A.J. on Camera 2. And mic A.J. Boost (ph) resolve, cue up.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Tuesday night. We are TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
It`s time now for another story that made us say "That`s Ridiculous!"
Have you ever tried the line, "Hey, what`s your sign?" Well, that won`t really get you a guy or a girl. But there is a list of the top 10 pickup lines out there that supposedly would work at pretty much any bar in the world. So we got them right here, and I want to run through a couple for you.
Was your father a thief because it - because he stole the stars from the sky, and put them in your eyes? I guess I got to make sure I get them right. Or, you must be tired, because you`ve been running through my mind. Mikey (ph), my stage manager, has tried that very line, I believe.
They all sound pretty cheesy to me, but we`re going to send the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT interns out there into the field to try to find out if they actually work. But we still say "That`s Ridiculous!"
Did it work for you, Mike (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HAMMER: Yes. It did work. Maybe they are good.
Well now on to the battle of the bulge, the battle that guys fight. Now what if we told you that flabby is fabulous? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT actually has the proof in Hollywood. And right there on the screen in the movies, the whole buff body thing is out; flab is in.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has actually discovered that a lot of the ladies out there like their men downright squeezable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL FERRELL, ACTOR: Hey honey!
HAMMER (voice-over): OK, listen up: that right there, gentlemen, is now sexy in Hollywood.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is here to tell you: chiseled, buff bodies are out. And let`s see, how do we say that? Man flab is in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man flab is in?
HAMMER: Yes, it`s in. Trust us. From real life to show business...
JACK BLACK, ACTOR: Keep up if you can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right.
HAMMER: Men with more in the middle are making a comeback.
That`s right. Just listen to this guy. He`s the author of "The Average American."
KEVIN O`KEEFE, AUTHOR, "THE AVERAGE AMERICAN": The average American wants to see an average-bodied person on the big screen without a doubt, because they see men that are trim, and they think that those men are spending too much time in the gym, not enough time with their female mates. And women don`t want guys that are weighing less than they are.
BLACK: Big dudes...
HAMMER: Love handles are taking hold in Hollywood.
Just look at this summer`s blockbusters. You`ve got Jack Black in "Nacho Libre"; Tom Hanks in "The Da Vinci Code"; and Vince Vaughn in "The Break-Up."
VINCE VAUGHN, ACTOR: I don`t have any idea what`s happening.
HAMMER: What do they have in common? A leading man with a little more, well, substance.
O`KEEFE: And that`s part of the Vince Vaughn attractiveness, is that he`s a guy who looks like can go - go out and have a good time, have a few beers, have a few burgers. But not go crazy. Not to obesity land. Love the Bond guy.
HAMMER: OK, he loves him. But do you?
We sent out SHOWBIZ TONIGHT producer Kerri Hill (ph) to find out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You didn`t know man flab is in?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn`t know that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, are you happy about it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not particularly, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re won over by a couple extra pounds?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It`s nice to have a little flab, a little cushioness to sleep on. It`s always nice to see somebody and say, Hey, you know what? I could - I could get that, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Man flab is in. What does that do for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s really gross.
HAMMER: OK, so it looks like the jury is still out on this one. But let us tell you, there is a certain security that comes with someone who`s carrying a few extra pounds.
O`KEEFE: There`s a certain security and a - and a certain level of caring that - that comes with this person that is average, and that has a little bit of a midsection. It`s that that person isn`t spending enough time - is spending too - isn`t spending too much time in the gym, isn`t spending too much time worrying about themselves.
HAMMER: Yes, just take it from this guy. He just finished a hot dog when we caught up with him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to have a little extra (INAUDIBLE) something to hold onto, you know what I mean? You can`t be all skin and bones. I think that stuff - yes, that`s old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don`t want him to have a flatter stomach than us.
O`KEEFE: I truly believe that this is the century of the average American, and that Hollywood is just starting to catch up. I mean, you could say it`s shaping up to be the true century of the average man. Literally shaping as far as the midsection in Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, Hollywood may want to start showing more average- looking leading men. In fact, a survey out last year shows that 72 percent of people think Hollywood is out of touch with the life of average Americans. The answer to that, of course, may be more Vince Vaughn.
Well, when Dave Chappelle bailed on his hit Comedy Central series and a $50 million contract last year, everybody was basically shocked. Rumors flying around he was using drugs or had a mental breakdown. Well, Chappelle is finally setting the record straight - and get this - he simply called up CNN himself and said he wanted to talk about leaving the show, his mysterious trip to South Africa, and about what`s next.
Here`s CNN`s Anderson Cooper for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At one point you said -- you talked about doing the Comedy Central show and that you felt almost like a prostitute, I think you used the word.
Describe that. What did you mean?
DAVE CHAPPELLE, COMEDIAN: Well, it was so much negativity, so much of what I felt like undue pressure. Sometimes I felt like I was being put under stress deliberately just to confuse me, and just to keep me working and keep me working. And it`s such a big price tag, like, you know, you`re working for $50 million, so you`re like, oh, my God. But at a certain point, you`re like, is $50 million -- I feel miserable.
COOPER: Right.
CHAPPELLE: And I come here every day, and for what? You know what I mean? Like...
COOPER: And - and it wasn`t that way on the first two seasons?
CHAPPELLE: Not at all. Not at all. I think things weren`t bad until - until the show became lucrative.
COOPER: So was -- it was pressure that the money created, basically? Something about the money and the atmosphere that that created and all the people that that attracted made it not fun?
CHAPPELLE: Right. I mean, though, again, it`s part of what coming up as a celebrity is like. You got to remember, I`ve been doing this since I was 14. I might have been like plugged in with like agents and representatives...
COOPER: Right.
CHAPPELLE: ...since I was like 17.
So what happens is when you - when you have all these representatives around you, you have a lot of people doing things for you, and you get atrophy. You know, certain practical skills that people develop under normal circumstances -- a guy who`s been doing show business since he`s 17 may not develop these skills.
COOPER: Right.
CHAPPELLE: And if for any reason people stop doing those things, you`re overwhelmed. And I felt like, to a certain degree -- I said this in "Esquire," they handed me a $50 million business and everyone kind of just stepped back like, hey, big shot, how are you going to handle your business?
COOPER: Right.
CHAPPELLE: It was almost as if they were trying to underscore their necessity. That`s how - that`s how I took it.
COOPER: And what do you want to do now? I mean, you`re doing - you know, had the block party. You`re doing that as the DVD; you`re doing your stand-up. Is that enough for you?
CHAPPELLE: Yes and no.
I mean, I`ll give you an example. I went and saw this movie and I was watching the movie, and it was kind of a serious movie, but I was cracking up laughing. And it was one of those moments where I was like, man I wish I had my show, like I could do something with this. When Dick Cheney shot the guy by accident, it`s like, I don`t have no show anymore. You know what I mean? It`s like - it`s like one of those things where - where you feel like you could really give something.
COOPER: What did you think about Dick Cheney shooting the guy?
CHAPPELLE: No comment.
COOPER: No comment? You`ve got a show right here.
CHAPPELLE: No Comment. It`s funny in sketch form.
COOPER: OK.
CHAPPELLE: But -- but, you know, I mean it`s...
COOPER: Would you go hunting with Dick Cheney?
CHAPPELLE: Absolutely not. I wouldn`t go hunting with anybody.
COOPER: Right.
CHAPPELLE: I have trust issues. Guns in the woods and no witnesses, I don`t do that. I don`t do that, you know. I keep it urban with the guns, but -- but I don`t know, man. You know, I enjoy making people laugh, I enjoy performing.
COOPER: Do you - do you like where you are now? Do you like what`s coming down the pike? Do you like the decisions you`ve made?
CHAPPELLE: Again, you got to constantly take inventory of what`s important to me, because there`s elements of show business that are vicious, man, I think for everybody.
Like, you know, you look around Hollywood and you see these aren`t bad people, but it`s so vicious.
COOPER: Yes.
CHAPPELLE: So, I think sometimes just by design of what it is, and it has all the things that - that - that bring human nature to the dark side -- enormous money and fame and power, the things that people compete for that kind of can bring out the worst in a person.
So it`s like I just - I just -- I`m kind of grateful for this perspective...
COOPER: Right.
CHAPPELLE: Like I`m learning -- I`m seeing things that very few people get to see. And the nature of being a famous person, especially in America, you can see the very best people have to give, and sometimes you can see a real dark side in people. But...
COOPER: You`ve seen both?
CHAPPELLE: Yes. I mean, it`s extreme, you know, but it`s interesting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Anderson Cooper for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
By the way, Chappelle showed up for that interview without a whole big entourage. He was here flying solo, which is kind of interesting in itself.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Time now to find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Here is your "SHOWBIZ Marquee."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT declares metrosexuals are out, and manly men are in. That`s right. It`s strong alpha males, not those who care about their nails, that are popular in Hollywood. Like "24"`s Jack Bauer, and Superman. Manly men, tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And guess who the most powerful family in Hollywood is? It`s the Wayans from "In Living Color" to "Scary Movie," to their new one, "Little Man." These brothers and sisters are a top team. We`re going to chat with Shawn and Marlon and find out the secrets behind their billion-dollar enterprise tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I am A.J. Hammer in New York. Stay tuned for the latest from CNN Headline News.
END
