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Showbiz Tonight

Mudslinging in Christie Brinkley Marital Mess; Interview With Actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

Aired July 19, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST: The moment we`ve all been waiting for, a Suri Cruise sighting.
I`m Brooke Anderson.

JASON CARROLL, HOST: And Gayle King answers the big question: Are she and Oprah gay?

I`m Jason Carroll, in for A.J. Hammer.

TV`s most provocative entertainment news show right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the mudslinging in the Christie Brinkley marital mess. Pop singer Samantha Cole`s startling claim that Brinkley`s husband wooed her, too, when she was just 19. A story shockingly like the other teen`s claims.

DIANA BIANCHI, HAD AFFAIR WITH CHRISTIE BRINKLEY`S HUSBAND: He would make advances towards me first, and then, I guess, it just, you know, escalated or something that I didn`t expect.

ANDERSON: Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on why Diana Bianchi`s claim about Christie`s husband has exposed a dirty little secret, why so many men are leaving their older wives for younger women.

Tonight, the manaissance. Move over pretty boys. It`s the return of manly men on TV.

KEIFER SUTHERLAND, ACTOR, "24": You`re going to have to reinstate me.

ANDERSON: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will reveal why metrosexuals are out and the brawny and the burly are in.

KEVIN JAMES, ACTOR, "KING OF QUEENS": All right, I`m your guy. I`m in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Hi there. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.

CARROLL: And I`m Jason Carroll, in tonight for A.J. Hammer.

ANDERSON: If you can believe the claims, Christie Brinkley`s husband, Peter Cooke, has a thing for younger women. And we`re not just talking about Diana Bianchi, the teenager`s startling claims of an affair have -- with Cooke have allegedly shattered Brinkley`s marriage. Today, somebody else came forward with a story remarkably similar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIANCHI: I just regret a lot.

ANDERSON (voice over): As 19-year-old Diana Bianchi tells her shocking tale of her alleged affair with Christie Brinkley`s husband, Peter Cooke, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now learning something even more shocking.

GALINA ESPINOZA, "PEOPLE": Another woman came forward to say that she, too, had a relationship with Peter when she was only a teenager.

ANDERSON: The woman is singer Samantha Cole, who has recorded a cover of the 1980s hit "Obsession." She says she was Cooke`s obsession back in the mid `90s when she was 18, the same age Bianchi was when she claims see began seeing Cooke.

Just like Bianchi, Cole says Peter Cooke got her a job in his architecture firm and shortly after that they started dating.

ESPINOZA: Samantha told people that she couldn`t believe how similar her story was to Diana`s. They were both the same age when Peter started romancing them. They were both aspiring singers. They both worked for him. And she also added that Peter proposed to her about a month before he got engaged to Christie Brinkley.

ANDERSON: Cole says she broke up with Cooke to focus on her singing career. And soon after that, Cooke married Brinkley. But Samantha Cole is quick to add there is one thing her story does not have in common with Diana Bianchi.

ESPINOZA: Samantha notes that there is one important difference between her relationship with Peter and Diana`s. Peter was not married when he was seeing Samantha Cole. And so she is really quite shocked that he would do something like this. As she pointed out, there are kids involved.

ANDERSON: The kids are Cooke and Brinkley`s 8-year-old daughter Sailor and 11-year-old Jack, Brinkley`s son from a previous marriage. Brinkley has reportedly taken them to California to be with her parents.

And with her 10-year-old marriage, Brinkley`s fourth, in ruins, everyone is asking, how could this have happened?

ESPINOZA: People look at Christie Brinkley and say, "My god, what else could he have wanted?" If Christie Brinkley can`t keep a man happy, what hope is there for the rest of us?

ANDERSON: Peter Cooke is a successful architect catering to the rich and famous in the Hamptons. He was also a model.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has uncovered this 1981 "GQ" magazine cover featuring a buff 22-year-old Peter Cooke with model Carol Alt. Still, his modeling career never researched the superstar heights of Christie Brinkley`s.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is that exciting?

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, MODEL: I`m very excited.

ANDERSON: Like we see in this 2003 video of the final flight of the supersonic Concorde, where CNN`s Richard Quest reaches over Peter Cooke to talk to Brinkley, Cooke lived much of his life in the shadow of his more famous and still beautiful wife. And some say that may have been a problem.

ESPINOZA: One friend told us that Peter was getting tired of being known as Mr. Brinkley. A lot of people saw him just as Christie`s husband. And after a while, it took a the toll on his ego.

ANDERSON: And now, Cooke`s alleged affair has taken a toll on his seemingly picture-perfect marriage to Christie Brinkley.

ESPINOZA: No one really thinks that the couple will reunite. I think people feel that Christie has just been too humiliated, too betrayed, and that it would be impossible for her to forgive Peter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT contacted the office of Peter Cooke`s attorney for comments on this story. The attorney did not get back to us by air time.

CARROLL: The Brinkley-Cooke marriage meltdown has not only captured the attention of many across the country, but it`s also quite possibly one of the most scandalous stories to have taken place in the Hamptons in quite some time.

Joining me here in New York are Couri Hay, society columnist for Hamptons magazine.

Thanks so very much for being with us.

Now, this has got to be the talk of the Hamptons. I mean, this is a community where news and gossip obviously travels very fast. I want to know what people are saying now about this second young woman, Samantha Cole. She is now coming out.

What`s the buzz?

R. COURI HAY, SOCIETY COLUMNIST, "HAMPTONS" MAGAZINE: Well, Samantha is a very popular girl in Southampton because she`s a Southampton native. She was born there.

Actually, her mother was -- worked in the same police station that Diana Bianchi`s stepfather worked in. How`s that? Both of them aspiring pop singers. And Samantha Cole had the exact same story as Diana`s. In fact, Samantha`s mother told me that she thought she was reading about her own daughter, only 10 years earlier.

CARROLL: Wow.

HAY: Samantha Cole was picked up on a boat by Peter Cooke, hired as his personal assistant, a personal assistant who got very intimate very quickly.

CARROLL: And here`s what`s interesting. You have a bit of a development on this because you actually spoke to Samantha Cole, what, last night? Had a lengthy conversation with her?

HAY: I spoke to her three times yesterday, and she`s very concerned because she is worried that she also not be seen as taking advantage of the situation. But she feels she has to tell the truth and tell it like it is.

And what she says is that she was still sleeping with Peter Cooke in May of 1996. That`s three months into his relationship with Christie Brinkley.

He got engaged to her on August 3rd. So, he was already leading a double life at the very beginning of his relationship with Christie Brinkley.

CARROLL: That`s interesting.

Let`s talk about when celebrities break up. I mean, people obviously take sides. We look at happened with Aniston and Pitt and Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. And I`m wondering, how are things going out there in the Hamptons? Who is taking what side?

HAY: I`m sure there`s somebody that`s sympathetic to Peter Cooke, like his mother, and that`s about it. The reality is, everybody has come down on Christie Brinkley`s side. And I think it`s obvious why.

He really shouldn`t be an architect. He should be an actor. He has been leading a double life for at least 10 years. And now that we see that this is a repetitious, romantic series of things that he`s done, that is clear lust, that he`s always been exactly that, duplicitous in his romantic relationships.

When he first started dating Samantha Cole, he was actually engaged. Hello? Engaged. And then he`s still seeing Samantha when he`s dating Christie.

CARROLL: All right. So...

HAY: He went out to L.A. and offered her a ring in April, saying, please marry me, I want to marry you. And when she said no, he said, well, there is going to be a new announcement in my private life. Well, that picture was the picture of him and Christie Brinkley in the papers. So...

CARROLL: So no big surprise that there`s not a lot of sympathy for Peter Cooke.

HAY: No big surprise.

CARROLL: But let`s talk about Diana Bianchi for just a moment. And a lot of people are saying she is no miss little innocent here either. I mean, even though she was 19 years old, but, look...

HAY: Eighteen when it started.

CARROLL: But took gifts from this man for a period of time, had a relationship with him for about a year.

What are people saying about her?

HAY: Well, you have to understand that the Hamptons is a town of the haves and the have nots.

CARROLL: Sure.

HAY: The super rich and the working class. And Diana Bianchi represents the working class. So all her life she is looking at the big $25 million houses, she is looking in the windows at these expensive dresses and bags and shoes and the jewelry. So she is dreaming of another life.

He comes into a toy store, she is making $12 an hour. He offers to give her $50 an hour to do a Web site. What he actual did, in my opinion, was pay her to sleep with him.

CARROLL: A story that`s not going away any time soon.

HAY: Not going away any time soon.

CARROLL: All right. Thanks very much.

R. Couri Hay, society columnist for "Hamptons" magazine.

Thanks very much for joining us.

HAY: You`re welcome.

CARROLL: And a little bit later in the show, we`ll take a closer look at why older men seem to cheat with younger women.

ANDERSON: Now we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day."

Christie Brinkley marital mess, is it harder than ever to stay married? Go to CNN.com/showbiztonight. There`s the e-mail address.

Write us, showbiztonight@cnn.com.

CARROLL: And don`t forget, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now on seven nights a week. That`s right. We`re bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your weekends. So be sure to tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 Pacific.

ANDERSON: It`s a bird. It`s a plane. It`s Suri Cruise. It`s true, there has been a Suri Cruise sighting.

We`ll tell you who laid their celebrity eyes on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes daughter coming up.

CARROLL: Oprah`s best friend Gayle answers the big question: Are she and Oprah gay? Why everyone is asking and how it`s affecting Oprah`s relationship with Stedman. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the word straight from Gayle`s mouth.

ANDERSON: And make way for television`s manaissance. The pretty boy is out. The manly man is in.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looks at the primetime comeback of the men guys like to be friends with and women love to love.

CARROLL: But first, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz."

What was the name of Vaughn`s schoolteacher girlfriend in revealed -- as revealed in the first season of "Alias"? Was it Alice, Ashley, Amber or Anna?

We`ll be right back with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CARROLL: So, again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz."

What was the name of Vaughn`s schoolteacher girlfriend as revealed on the first season of "Alias"? Alice, Ashley, Amber or Anna?

The answer is A, Alice.

There you go.

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.

I`m Brooke Anderson.

It`s time now for a story that made us all here say, "That`s Ridiculous!"

For starters, it involves Britney Spears. The pregnant pop star posted her latest stream of consciousness on her Web site. She compares people to animals, saying we all desire the same things, like love, lust and adventure. Spears says she`s mesmerized by the tiger.

She writes, "Their eyes, their stripes, their constant quest for survival... they pull you in and make it difficult to look away. A sense of eerie awe comes over you in their presence. Behold the beauty of the tiger."

Britney`s ode to the tiger, Jason, the blogs are having a field day with this one. Let me tell you, PerezHilton says that they hope it`s the pregnancy hormones, while Defamer says that the subtext is clear, that Spears identifies with tigers, and perhaps even thinks she was one in a previous life.

CARROLL: She was something. I don`t know if it was a tiger, but she was something, all right.

ANDERSON: Ooh, hard to know what to say to that.

But Britney`s ode to the tiger? Now, "That`s Ridiculous!"

CARROLL: Absolutely.

All right. On to some breaking news now on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

There has been a Suri Cruise sighting, just when we were beginning to question her young existence.

"King of Queens" co-star and fellow Scientologist Leah Remini, has come face to face with Suri, the daughter of, of course, of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. (INAUDIBLE) say Remini and her husband, Angelo Pagan, have indeed met the mystery baby. Remini`s camp calls the little bundle of joy "lovely," of course.

None of this seems to have been captured on the camera, so we can`t all see for ourselves. We will just have to wait to se that very first baby picture.

ANDERSON: Yes, we will.

OK. Everybody rembers that famous line from Tom Cruise`s 1996 smash hit "Jerry Maguire," "Show me the money." Now, it wasn`t Tom Cruise who said it. It was Cuba Gooding Jr., of course, who made that line an instant catch phrase.

The actor who won an Oscar for his supporting role in that movie is about to hit the big screen again in the thriller "Shadowboxer." Gooding plays an assassin.

And Cuba Gooding Jr. is with us tonight from Hollywood.

Cuba, great to see you.

CUBA GOODING JR., ACTOR: Hi. How`s everybody?

ANDERSON: Everybody here is great. Hope you are.

And we can`t help but notice that earlier in the show you were listening, watching intently the Christie Brinkley-Peter Cooke story.

GOODING: Oh, you heard that?

ANDERSON: It`s crazy.

GOODING: The brother`s pimping out there. Pimping.

(LAUGHTER)

Let me just real quick -- Cuba, hard Cu. Cuba, like the country.

ANDERSON: Cuba, like the country.

GOODING: That`s it.

ANDERSON: OK. Got it.

All right. Well, moving on now, I just have to ask you, Cuba, you are somebody who is out there in the limelight, a focus of the paparazzi. I mentioned Tom Cruise before. You`ve worked with him. We`ve been talking about...

GOODING: I`ve seen Suri, by the way.

ANDERSON: You`ve seen Suri?

GOODING: She`s a beautiful black baby.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: He and Katie Holmes made a beautiful black baby. We`ll have to note that.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Well, you`re a dad yourself.

GOODING: Yes, I am.

ANDERSON: Between Tom Cruise, between Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, their kids, why do you think people are so obsessed with celebrity babies? It`s just nuts.

GOODING: Because we`re bigger than life. And you go into theaters and you see our faces as big as the side of a wall and you think, they are so beautiful, they`re so strong. They say they can`t be human.

Oh, they stayed up all night with a little baby? Oh, they just got peed on by a little baby? They are human.

ANDERSON: They`re human.

GOODING: I think that`s why. And then you see a replication of something that you`ve admired in a little forum and it makes you identify with them, I think.

ANDERSON: How do you keep your kids out of the limelight? How do you deal with it?

GOODING: A swift beating. I keep my kids beat down. No, I just...

ANDERSON: You`re not into the time-outs. You`re into the beatings and the spankings.

GOODING: Yes, I`m into straight beatings, yes. My wife gives me a beating for yelling at the kids.

ANDERSON: Oh, OK.

GOODING: No. But I try not to do a lot of personal things as far as publicizing the movie. I mean, we just had our house in "In Style" magazine, and that`s as close as -- even they they go places with me and then they`ve got to deal with that -- but mainly my kids travel with their mom or a nanny, or something like that. So they`re normal kids.

And then they get around dad and they get reminded. You know? And pretty soon they won`t be able to avoid it, but you try to keep them as kids for as long as you can.

ANDERSON: You keep a good balance.

Well, your new movie, "Shadowboxer," certainly isn`t for the kids out there, Cuba. You play an assassin who is having an intimate relationship with his stepmother, played by Helen Mirren.

Now, I`ve seen the movie. This was a bizarre relationship. How did you and Helen tackle it? Were there any awkward moments?

GOODING: Well, I don`t know if -- well, yes. I mean, it`s all -- every time you do a sex scene it is awkward. I mean, there is no getting around it.

There is a lot of choreography, and sex is supposed to be spontaneous. And, you know, yet we have to look like we`re enjoying it, obviously. And coupled -- on top of that, is the emotional connection we have as being mother-son. So it`s...

ANDERSON: It`s very complicated.

GOODING: I laugh when I think about it, but I think the movie makes a powerful statement as far as, you know, the American family. The face of the American family is changing. And there is more reality in this movie than we care to admit to.

ANDERSON: Well, you do take your clothes off. You have some nude scenes.

GOODING: Well, I show -- I have to -- you know, I got a hell of a future behind me, so...

(LAUGHTER)

GOODING: ... sometimes we`ve got to put it out there a little bit and take a look at it.

ANDERSON: Did you increase your workouts knowing you were going to do this? Did you lay off the carbs for a little bit?

GOODING: No, that`s al Cuba`s beef, baby.

ANDERSON: It`s all natural.

GOODING: It`s all natural fat (ph).

ANDERSON: We got it.

Well, you know, since you won thatat Oscar years ago, you`ve done a number of great films. Do you still have that dream role that you want to take part in?

GOODING: Yes. Yes, I do. I do. There is a couple historical stories I want to tell, you know.

ANDERSON: Tell us about it.

GOODING: A couple of them. Well, you know, I was this close to doing the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King with Oliver Stone a few years ago. And, I mean, there is a bunch of wonderful stories that I still want to tell.

ANDERSON: And bio pics do really well these days.

GOODING: Yes, even if they -- yes. Yes, that`s true. That`s true. Yes, that`s true.

ANDERSON: All right.

Well, best of luck with that, Cuba. And congratulations on this new movie. We appreciate your being here. Thanks so much.

GOODING: No problem. Thanks for having me.

ANDERSON: Of course.

You can catch "Shadowboxer" in theaters this Friday.

CARROLL: All right. Want to drive Matthew McConaughey`s car? Well, you`re in luck. The actor is auctioning off his car on eBay with all proceeds going to Oprah`s Angel Network.

McConaughey filmed a PSA explaining the details of the auction. You can take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ACTOR: Matthew McConaughey here. And I am auctioning off my 1971 Corvette Convertible Sting Ray.

Go to eBay and bid on it. Now, 100 percent of what this car is bought for, 100 percent of the proceeds are going to Oprah`s Angel Network to build a playground in Houston, Texas, in a small community that has been built for the evacuees of Katrina and Rita.

So, log on. Let`s do something right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Bid away. The auction ends next Thursday, July 27th at ebay.com/matthewscar.

It looks good.

ANDERSON: The cult movie sequel "Clerks II" will make you laugh, or it might just make you get up and walk right out of it in the middle of it. We`ll tell you about the controversy and a screening of Kevin Smith`s new movie.

That`s coming up.

CARROLL: Older men with younger women, the trend is not just at the center of the Christie Brinkley marriage mess. Why those wandering eyes are looking to bridge the generation gap by robbing the cradle.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the infidelity coming up.

ANDERSON: And make way for television`s manaissance. The pretty boy is out, the manly man is in. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looks at the primetime comeback of the men guys like to be friends with and women love to love.

CARROLL: And now for a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT birthday shout-out, where we give fans a chance to wish their favorite stars a happy birthday.

Tonight, we`re sending one out to Anthony Edwards, who`s celebrating his 44th birthday today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. I`m Johnny Machesko (ph) and this is Ronnie Medino (ph). We`re both from Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we`d like to wish Anthony Edwards a happy birthday.

You were awesome in "Top Gun!"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Tomorrow, embracing women with curves. Famous women who are bucking the trends of the stick-thin stars, from Jennifer Lopez, to Kelly Clarkson, to Beyonce. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at women who aren`t starving for attention.

That`s tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

ANDERSON: You`d expect a sudden outburst of laughter in the middle of a Kevin Smith movie, right? But a tantrum and sudden departure from the theater? Not so much.

That`s what "Good Morning America" film critic Joel Siegel did during a screening of "Clerks II," the sequel to Kevin Smith`s 1994 cult hit "Clerks." Siegel was upset by a scene in the movie which talks about bestiality.

I sat down with director, writer and co-star Kevin Smith, who told me he was more upset that Siegel disrupted the screening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN SMITH, DIRECTED, CO-STARS IN "CLERKS II": He said, "I`ve been reviewing movies for 36 years. I`ve never walked out of a movie. F this.

And out he went.

And that`s like -- that, to me, is, like, we got an eight-minute standing ovation in Cannes for "Clerks II." That means even more to me. When you can send Joel Siegel screaming from your picture, the mustache critic from "Good Morning America," I think you`ve got something good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Smith admits some of the dialogue in "Clerks II" gets raunchy, but adds he`s not trying to appeal to everybody.

You can judge for yourself when "Clerks II" opens in theaters on Friday.

We`re going to have more of my one-on-one with Kevin Smith tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."

CARROLL: And coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, cradle robbing, why older men are cheating with younger women.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates.

ANDERSON: Also, Oprah`s best friend Gayle answers the big question: Are she and Oprah gay? Why everyone`s asking and what Gayle`s revealing. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the word straight from Gayle`s mouth.

CARROLL: And make way for television`s manaissance. The pretty boy is out and the manly man is in.

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT looks at the primetime comeback of a man`s man.

Manly men, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.

CARROLL: And I`m Jason Carroll in for A.J. Hammer. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.

Tonight.

ANDERSON: That`s right, Jason.

CARROLL: We`re going to talk about a lot of things, aren`t we?

ANDERSON: Yes, we are. And the first thing is, the Peter Cook- Christie Brinkley marital mess.

CARROLL: Oh yeah.

ANDERSON: The alleged relationships he had with two teenagers brings up the question, Why do older men leave their older wives to have affairs with younger women?

CARROLL: It`s been going on a long time.

ANDERSON: I know, and we`re going to have some answers coming up.

CARROLL: Also we`re going to be talking about the new trend in Hollywood: manly men. I guess the pretty boy is out, and manly men are back in? To know what all that means, you`re going to have to stick around. I`m going to tell you all about it.

ANDERSON: That`s right.

CARROLL: All right. Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King are trying to put rumors that they`re anything other than best friends. In an article in Oprah`s "O" magazine, Oprah says she understands why people might think they`re gay.

She says there isn`t a definition in our culture for the kind of bond between women that she and Gayle have. She says people wonder how they can be that close without it being sexual. But it`s just about having a great friendship that has lasted for 30 years.

For her part, Gayle says if she and Oprah were gay, they`d be upfront about it. She also spoke at length about it this morning on "The View."

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAYLE KING, OPRAH WINFREY`S BEST FRIEND: I told her the other day - I said, you wouldn`t believe how much - how many calls I`m getting about this whole gay thing. It`s their - it`s their writer, Lisa Cogan (ph), interviewed us both. She`s a great writer at the magazine, great sense of humor. If she hadn`t even asked us about it, we would`ve never even commented on it.

But I think that people are so not used to - and I think women who have a close friend really understand this. Nobody who has a friendship like ours questions it. When you have a close girlfriend, we - we talk alike. We can finish each other`s sentences. We`re very like-minded. But the fact that people see us together out and about, it`s a natural conclusion.

I love what you said yesterday, Joy - where is Stedman in all of this?

JOY BEHAR, "THE VIEW": Yes.

KING: Because I think it`s so disrespectful, it sort of negates the relationship they have. You know, my - my social life is sort of, Where`s Waldo? But she clearly has a guy in her life.

BEHAR: Yes.

KING: So it bothers her - what bothers - what bothers Oprah more than people thinking that we`re gay and we`re not is that people think she`s a liar. And if we were gay, we would so tell you. She`s told you every single thing in her life.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Because there`s nothing wrong with it. We would tell you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Gayle King is an editor of "O" magazine. The editor in which she and Oprah are interviewed about their relation - their friendship is on newsstands right now.

ANDERSON: On to the Christie Brinkley-Peter Cook marriage mess. Today pop singer Samantha Cole said Peter Cook wooed her too she was just 19 years old. Now that is the same age as Diana Bianchi, whose claims of an affair have allegedly shattered Brinkley`s 10-year marriage to Cook.

So why is it that so many men leave and cheat on their older wives with younger women?

Cooper Lawrence is here to help with us. She`s a developmental psychologist and the author of "Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry."

Cooper, good to see you. Love the title of your book.

COOPER LAWRENCE, DEVELOPMENT PSYCHOLOGIST: Thank you. Thank you.

ANDERSON: You`re welcome.

Now, what do you think? Peter Cook, now 47 - why do you think he allegedly had these two relationships with teenagers so much younger than him?

LAWRENCE: Well, there`s two reasons.

The main one is, when you have an older wife, she has responsibilities. She has kids; she has her own career. Maybe she has an ailing parent. They have a lot of responsibilities. Whereas a teenager, what`s their responsibility? Other than to take care of the husband, to be the girlfriend.

ANDERSON: So it`s about maybe getting the focus, the attention.

LAWRENCE: Exactly.

ANDERSON: .back on the man?

LAWRENCE: Right.

ANDERSON: Possibly.

Do you think that goes for every man out there who - who does something like this, not just those with important, influential, celebrity wives?

LAWRENCE: Well, men cheat for three main reasons. It`s - it`s one of the three, or it could be a combination of all three.

The first one is novelty. It`s something new, it`s something different than what they have at home.

It could be just plainly for sex.

Or it could be for social dominance, which I think we might be seeing in this case. Because when you have a powerful wife, you don`t get much chance to be the social dominant character here.

ANDERSON: Some people joked that maybe he was tired of being looked at as Mr. Brinkley.

LAWRENCE: It`s very emasculating. That`s a very good point. Because if that was the case, what - you know, where else would he find somebody that would focus the attention on him that would not be as powerful as he is, that he could have power over but a much younger woman? It makes perfect sense.

ANDERSON: Well, let`s talk about the power trip. I - is there - when someone has power, do you think that they feel they have a sense of entitlement? That the rules just don`t apply.

He was these girls` boss at one time.

LAWRENCE: Not only do I - do I agree with you, but it actually has a term. It`s called an unrestricted lifestyle. And it`s for somebody that has the power, that has everything. Because they do have everything, they feel they can have everything.

ANDERSON: Like, have your cake and eat it, too.

LAWRENCE: Right. And it extends to people. Sometimes it`s have everything - cars, jewelry, whatever they want. And then it`s also women.

ANDERSON: Now he was married to one of the most gorgeous, most sought-after women in the world.

But this isn`t the first time something like this has happened. Everybody remembers Bill Clinton cheated with a much younger, 21-year-old Monica Lewinsky.

LAWRENCE: Right.

ANDERSON: .at the time.

Is it also about a man having to feel like he can steal - still, when he gets older, attract a younger woman?

LAWRENCE: Absolutely.

ANDERSON: Feel younger himself?

LAWRENCE: Of course. Yes, there`s definitely an element of that to it. But I`m - I`m not going to say the middle-aged crisis thing, because I don`t believe that.

I believe if there`s problems in the marriage prior.

ANDERSON: You don`t believe the mid-life crisis?

LAWRENCE: No. No. No. Because there`s no evidence to support it. That`s why. I go - I go with the research.

ANDERSON: OK.

LAWRENCE: If the research tells me it happens, then I say, OK. So there`s no research to support that. As a matter of fact, the opposite - that happy couples get even happier.

So in - in those situations, you`re talking about couples that probably had issues to begin with. And now the men who require novelty, who require something different in their lives, that`s where they go with it. Especially men who are powerful, because those men are higher impulsivity. So - so it`s the idea of being impulsive is not thinking about the consequences.

ANDERSON: I see.

The truth is, Cooper, that rarely do these things work out. The guy rarely leaves his wife for the younger woman.

LAWRENCE: You want to know why?

ANDERSON: Tell me why.

LAWRENCE: I`ll tell you exactly why: because the younger woman is about passion and - and sex and - and all that sort of, you know, enjoyment. When it comes to.

ANDERSON: Immediate (INAUDIBLE).

LAWRENCE: Immediate - exactly. When it comes down to the day-to-day stuff like pick up your socks, do the laundry - you know, that`s what the wife is for. They don`t want another wife.

ANDERSON: Well, why would the younger woman go after the older man or agree to do this when there`s not the potential for a long-term commitment?

LAWRENCE: Because there`s a biological component, too. There`s something evolutionary about it. That even though they`re not actually thinking about this - even if they don`t want to have children - you know, it just goes back when in the caveman days, you go for who`s the most fertile. And those are the younger women.

ANDERSON: Everyone needs to think things through. Don`t you agree?

LAWRENCE: Exactly. (INAUDIBLE) basic instinct.

ANDERSON: OK. That`s right. Cooper Lawrence, thanks so much for being here.

Cooper Lawrence, author of "Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry."

OK, we have been asking you to vote on tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Christie Brinkley Marital Mess: Is it harder than ever to stay married?" Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write to us. There`s the address: showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your e- mails tomorrow.

CARROLL: And time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines."

After a nasty break-up with her first husband, former "Star Trek: Voyager" star Jeri Ryan is getting married again. Ryan announced that she`ll marry a Christopher - a chef, Christopher Eme. The two own a restaurant in West Hollywood. You may remember that Ryan`s first husband, Republican politician Jack Ryan, dropped out of the U.S. Senate race last year after she alleged in court papers that he made her go to sex clubs and asked her to have sex in front of customers. Jack Ryan denied that.

The head of ABC Entertainment says better times are ahead for "Desperate Housewives." Series creator Marc Cherry has taken over the production of the show and is promising to bring back some of the feel of the first season. ABC execs say the show will get back to its hard kind of wicked comedy after stumbling in the second season.

The governor of Arkansas is pardoning Keith Richards for a reckless driving charge from 31 years ago. In 1976, the Rolling Stones guitarist was charged with reckless driving. He paid a fine and went on his way. Governor Mike Huckabee says that he wants to make sure Richards doesn`t hold a grudge against Arkansas, so he`s pardoning him.

And those are tonight "Hot Headlines."

ANDERSON: A friendly reminder now: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on seven nights a week. We`re bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your Saturdays and Sundays. Be sure to tune in for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this weekend, 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.

CARROLL: Now, where would a fish go to the dentist? It`s a question that may need answering when you see the story that we have coming up for you. Stick around for that one.

ANDERSON: Plus, move over metrosexuals: the manly man is back. Coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at the return of brawn on TV and in movies.

CARROLL: And, if an international beer-drinking competition sounds like your kind of sport, have we got a movie for you. We have your first look at "Beerfest" coming up in the "SHOWBIZ Showcase."

ANDERSON: The 22nd installment of the "Now That`s What I Call Music!" series debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, VIDEO, BEYONCE, "CHECK ON IT")

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Everybody`s dancing here in the studio. The compilation includes tracks from Beyonce, Nick Lachey, Kelly Clarkson, Ashley Parker Angel and more.

All of that other "Now That`s What I Call Music!" discs have spent some - have spent time in the Top 10.

Debuting in the second spot this week, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke`s solo record "The Eraser." Pimp C is in third with "Pimpalation," followed by Nelly Furtado`s "Loose." And Gnarls Barkley is in at No. 5 with "St. Elsewhere."

Stay with us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make your move (ph). Dissolve. Stand by your break. Music full. And roll your break. Effect black.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by Jason. In 3, 2 - push his mic. Dissolve Q. Trail in.

CARROLL: And welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Jason Carroll in for A.J. Hammer.

Time now for another story that made us say "That`s Ridiculous!"

A man in Lubbock, Texas, caught a fish that looks like it has human teeth. Check this out. The fisherman reeled in the 20-pound fish on the Buffalo Springs Lake. A game warden is trying to identify it, but one wildlife official in the area says he`s never seen anything like it. Other officials say it could be a paku, which is found in South America. So it`s anybody`s guess as to how in the heck it got to Texas.

ANDERSON: Oh, that`s a long swim, Jason.

CARROLL: You - you know what, Brooke? I think it looks like a high school English teacher I once had.

ANDERSON: Oh, that`s terrible.

You know, an Internet search said that this fish might be one familiar to one that someone in South America.

CARROLL: Who?

ANDERSON: .got rid of it. So, you`re right, it really is anybody`s guess at this point.

CARROLL: Absolutely.

ANDERSON: But we think that a fish that looks like it has human teeth?

CARROLL: Ridiculous.

ANDERSON: Now "That`s Ridiculous!"

CARROLL: Yes.

ANDERSON: All right. Just last week, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT declared that thin is out and flabby is fabulous for Hollywood`s hottest male stars. Jack Black and Vince Vaughn proved our point: men don`t need to be chiseled to have starpower.

Now we dug even deeper. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has found that this is all part of an even larger trend: a trend of manly men.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now you`re back, and everybody seems to be pretty happy about it.

ANDERSON: "Superman"`s Brandon Routh may double as a superhero, but he`s also a perfect example of the trend SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been noticing: manly men in Hollywood. Tough guys who aren`t afraid of a challenge.

WENTWORTH MILLER, ACTOR: This thing would go a whole lot easier if you`d just fire me.

ANDERSON: Another perfect example: Wentworth Miller, from FOX`s "Prison Break." He may be pretty, but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that his character is also rough around the edges. He went to prison to save his brother from the death penalty. Now that`s a man.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND, ACTOR: You`re going to have to reinstate me.

ANDERSON: Another manly man: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer on "24." He doesn`t have time for petty stuff. He`s busy fighting terrorists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think you`re doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stole these from the hatch (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stole them from me.

ANDERSON: A manly man hoards supplies to stay alive, like the men on "Lost," Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway. Their characters do what it takes to survive.

But is this bad news for the everyday man?

KEVIN JAMES, ACTOR Do you see what I did there? I made you think it was good when actually it was good.

ANDERSON: The best part of the manly-man trend is, these characters aren`t perfect.

Kevin James` character on "King of Queens" is more bebe (ph) than buff. But you got to love him. And at the end of the day, a cold beer and watching TV makes him - can you say manly man?

JAMES: All right. I`m your guy. I`m in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: From metrosexual to the manly man, what`s behind this menaissance?

Joining me here in New York is Ali Gazan from "TV Guide."

Ali, great to see you. Thanks for being here.

ALI GAZAN, "TV GUIDE": Of course. Thanks for having me.

ANDERSON: OK, we just saw a number of examples of more and more scruffiness in TV.

Now is TV setting this manly-men trend, or is it just following what`s going on in real life?

GAZAN: I think it`s following what`s going on in real life. I mean, what average guy has two hours to spend getting ready before they go to work? Or even the money - I mean, really, what woman has that kind of luxury?

And so I think it`s really mirroring what`s going on in just regular people and what they`re doing everyday.

ANDERSON: Now we say Ryan Seacrest this year, the ultra metrosexual.

GAZAN: The ultimate metrosexual.

ANDERSON: The epitome of a metrosexual. He is - has admitted to manicures and pedicures. He has sported some scruffiness this year.

I - what happened to the metrosexual thing? And - and Jason wanted to know earlier, can`t someone be both pretty and manly? (INAUDIBLE)

GAZAN: You can be pretty and manly, but I think at some point you`ve got to choose one or the other. You know, you can`t be going to get your manicures and your pedicures every single week and then claim to be a manly man.

ANDERSON: Yes, one or the other. (INAUDIBLE)

GAZAN: You can`t have it both ways. Exactly.

ANDERSON: Well, we say Kevin James from "King of Queens." He`s not exactly a hero on TV. I - a bit more buff, shall we say, than, you know - a bit more beefy, I`m sorry, shall we say, than buff.

But is that part of it, too?

GAZAN: It`s the kind of guy that you can identify with.

(CROSSTALK)

GAZAN: Yes, exactly. It`s the person who could be your brother, your friend. You`re not intimidated by him. You can go, you know, catch a game at the park - the ballpark and just have a good time.

And so it`s the whole idea of just sort of being an average guy.

ANDERSON: And - and "TV Guide," you guys have featured the sexiest men this summer in "TV Guide" from "Grey`s Anatomy," "Prison Break," "Lost," "Desperate Housewives."

The guys in these shows, they`re not afraid to get their hands dirty. A little bit rough around the edges.

GAZAN: Exactly.

ANDERSON: Is that part of it, too?

GAZAN: Of course.

I mean, here are these men that are going out, as in Kiefer Sutherland on "24" - he`s saving the world. Or you have Isaiah Washington, who is one of our sexiest men, who is just saving people`s lives. But at the same, it`s sort of this, I`m going to go and take charge. And you know, do things and I`m a strong person and a strong character that everyone finds really appealing, both men and women.

ANDERSON: Well on that same note, Jack Bauer in "24," out to save the world. He`s fighting the terrorists. Not wimpy whatsoever.

So is that part of the main appeal?

GAZAN: Of course. It`s - there`s something very attractive - and I think it`s attractive for both men and women who are watching. You know, a guy looks at it and says, That`s so cool; I wish I could do it. And a woman watches it and is - probably like, that`s so cool, I wish I could do it. But it`s really also sexy and is - in a way.

ANDERSON: So we`re not talking about a lumberjack, with the.

GAZAN: No.

ANDERSON: .you know, big plain (INAUDIBLE) shirt and the pickaxe here.

GAZAN: No. I mean, they`re just a little bit scruffier. They`re not going back to Neanderthal type of stages. But, you know, they`re still pulled together and they`re kind of polished. But they`re not the point at which they`re spending more time in the mirror than women are.

ANDERSON: What do you think about the trend going forward? Do you think we`ll see it reverse on television?

GAZAN: I don`t think so, because I think a lot of times you see what`s on TV really mirroring the culture. And I think right now we`re in this kind of comfortable phase where we just want to sort of be, you know? We want to see our guys in jeans and flip flops and T-shirts. We don`t want to see them in suits all the time. It`s just not that fun.

ANDERSON: I heard Jason over there.

GAZAN: I know. Sorry, Jason.

ANDERSON: Guys look great in suits, Jason.

GAZAN: To go to work. But on the weekend, you know.

ANDERSON: All right. Well, thanks so much for your insight. This was fun. Ali Gazan of "TV Guide," we appreciate it.

GAZAN: Thank you.

CARROLL: They don`t let me wear jeans.

I - all right. In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," "Beerfest" is the story of two brothers who travel to Germany for Oktoberfest, buying themselves (ph) challenge to compete in one of the most competitive beer games in the world.

Gentlemen, raise your glasses. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your very first look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a sport where teams from around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like we got the Brits in Round 1.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: .gather to compete.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going to put the (INAUDIBLE) you plunker (ph)!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what he`s saying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Beerfest."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let the games begin.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve been training for a super-secret international beer-drinking competition. And we`re taking on the Germans for a national prize.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN GERMAN)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The competition.

(SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we`re going to drink like the Germans, we`re going to need a little help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where the binge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want a war? We`ll give them a war they won`t believe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: .is best served ice cold.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m better when I`m drunk.

(SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the geniuses who brought you the phenomenon "Super Troopers" .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is hot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s barleys. It`s yeasts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I`ll stay away from that one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: .the motion-picture event of the year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the greatest beer in the world (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish it were winter. We could make it into ice blocks and skate on it. And then melt it in the springtime and drink it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re here to mix it on, boys (ph). We are going to spank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A movie that could only be called.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beerfest!

(YELLING AND SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you guys don`t want to be my teammates, do you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You boys are a team. You must train for Beerfest.

Here, eat, eat, eat. It would test better if I brew a sausage with it (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got to get you out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get away from me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you like (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like that. I like that very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweet creamery butter!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Beerfest!"

(MOANING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that`s good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any resemblance to any persons, places or events in this movie are purely coincidental, and frankly quite said. If you attempt anything you see in this film at home, you will die. No Germans were harmed during the making of this film. Please drink responsibly and treat all women with respect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Oktoberfest never looked so good.

"Beerfest" hits theaters August 25.

ANDERSON: I love how they ended it with "treat all women with respect." Just a reminder.

OK, now another reminder. We want to help make some plans for you this weekend. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now on seven nights a week. That`s right. We are bringing TV`s most provocative entertainment news show to your weekends. Be sure to tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Saturday and Sunday, 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.

Hang tight. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CARROLL: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Last night, we asked you to vote on our "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" "Question of the Day": "Brinkley Marriage Mess: Is her husband`s alleged teen mistress a victim?" Twenty-three percent of you say yes; 77 percent of you say no.

Here are some of the e-mails that we got from you:

Edwina from Michigan writes: "This little homewrecker is now a little gold-digger. Victim? Give me a break."

Linda from North Carolina writers: "Peter Cook`s mistress might have been a na

ANDERSON: It`s time to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. So let`s take a look at that "SHOWBIZ Marquee."

Tomorrow, embracing women with curves. Famous women who are bucking the trend of the stick-thin star, from Jennifer Lopez to Kelly Clarkson to Beyonce. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at women who aren`t starving for attention.

Also tomorrow, Kevin Smith is back. You never can tell what`s going to happen when Kevin Smith stops by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. He`ll talk about "Clerks II" and whatever else is on his mind. Kevin Smith tomorrow in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. He never holds back. That`s for sure.

That is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m Brooke Anderson.

CARROLL: And I`m Jason Carroll, in for A.J. Hammer. Stay tuned for the very latest from CNN Headline News.

ANDERSON: Good night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by your flap (ph). Roll your break. Effect black.

END