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Showbiz Tonight
Anna Nicole Daddy Wars; Celebs and Crime
Aired October 03, 2006 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: A make believe movie that`s causing a lot of real-life anger. It shows President Bush getting shot, and we`ve got your brand new look at it.
I`m A.J. Hammer.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: And our ongoing coverage of the "Hollywood Weight Watch" -- country star Wynonna Judd on her emotional fight with food addiction.
I`m Brooke Anderson.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Anna Nicole daddy wars. The shocking battle over Anna Nicole Smith`s newborn girl gets nastier. Tonight, a guy who`s sure he`s the father, he`s going to court to prove it. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, should they be keeping this baby daddy drama behind closed doors?
The British are blushing. Tonight, royal embarrassment over a movie that shows the startling way Queen Elizabeth reacted to the death of Princess Diana.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No member of the royal family will speak public about this. This is a private matter.
HAMMER: But was the queen really that cold and uncaring?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one-on-one with the big star who plays the queen mum in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer.
And Brooke, it looks like we`re in for one nasty down and dirty daddy war with Anna Nicole Smith caught right in the middle.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. And if what happened today is any indication, buckle your seat belts, folks.
Just a week after Anna Nicole`s attorney dropped a bombshell claiming he is the father of Anna Nicole`s baby girl, the man who`s been claiming all along he`s the dad said, if you don`t believe him, then let`s have a court settle it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice over): This man, Anna Nicole Smith`s attorney, Howard K. Stern, says he is the father of her new baby girl.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": So, you are the father?
HOWARD K. STERN, ATTORNEY: Yes, sir.
ANDERSON: But not so fast. Now this man, photographer Larry Birkhead, also says he`s the father.
Two men fighting in the media, both claiming they are the father of Anna Nicole Smith`s new baby girl. Quick. Somebody call Maury Povich.
MAURY POVICH, TALK SHOW HOST: You are not the father.
ANDERSON: And Anna Nicole Smith, who has spent the last decade in courts arguing over her late husband`s estate, may now have to spend even more time in court arguing over who fathered her baby. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has for you the latest on Anna Nicole`s baby papa drama.
NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": It`s just so tawdry and horrid and said.
ANDERSON: Representatives for Larry Birkhead, who describes himself as Anna Nicole Smith`s estranged boyfriend, say they served Anna with court papers in the Bahamas. Anna Nicole went there to give birth to her baby daughter. As you may know, her 20-year-old son Daniel died tragically days after his sister was born.
TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin has interviewed Larry Birkhead.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: What we`re being told is that he is pulling out all the stops here and is making some pretty shocking allegations against both Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern.
ANDERSON: In a sealed lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Birkhead`s reps say they are asking for drug testing on both mother and child. Birkhead also wants a paternity test and legal and physical custody pending those drug tests.
In a statement to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Birkhead`s attorneys say, "He is concerned for the health and safety of the child based upon drug issues and manipulation by a third party for purposes contrary to the interests of the child."
LEVIN: Larry Birkhead, from what I know -- and I`ve been talking to him for about three months now -- he wants to have a roll in this child`s life. He was telling me for months now that he -- that Anna Nicole moved down to the Bahamas, A, to get away from him, B, to establish residency, to make it difficult for him to fight for custody.
ANDERSON: Back in the Bahamas, Anna Nicole and the other man claiming to be her child`s father, Howard K. Stern, are telling a different story. For years and through her pregnancy, the two presented a platonic relationship which was on display on her reality show, "The Anna Nicole Show".
ANNA NICOLE SMITH, "THE ANNA NICOLE SHOW": Tell me you`re going to kick my ass.
STERN: I think I`m going to beat you.
ANDERSON: But once the baby was born, Stern suddenly started saying he`s the father and proclaiming his undying love for Anna Nicole, like he did on "LARRY KING LIVE" recently.
STERN: I`ve loved her for quite some time.
ANDERSON: The two recently had a commitment ceremony in the Bahamas.
As for Birkhead`s claims that Stern`s not the dad...
KING: Were DNA tests taken?
STERN: Well, based on -- based on the timing of when the baby was born, there really is no doubt in either of our minds.
ANDERSON: This whole triangle has some wondering, who`s telling the truth? TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it`s Anna and Howard who are acting suspiciously by not rushing to perform a DNA test.
LEVIN: It makes me think, you know, if Anna Nicole could make Larry Birkhead go away with a DNA test, that she would simply do it. And I guess my gut tells me, maybe she doesn`t think he will go away if that test is performed, and the plot thickens.
ANDERSON: But "Newsweek`s" Nicki Gostin tells us she is throwing a skeptical eye on Birkhead.
GOSTIN: You think in the beginning when you read it, oh, he wants physical and legal custody, that`s really great. But then it turns out he`s hired his own publicist to announce this, so he`s also got his own agenda.
ANDERSON: Either way, one thing is clear: it didn`t take long for the Anna Nicole story to go from the tragedy of a mother losing a son days after having a daughter, back to the crazy media circus we have come to associate with Anna Nicole Smith.
GOSTIN: There`s this dead kid involved. If he wasn`t involved, you`d all just have a laugh. But it`s really sad because there is now a newborn child`s life involved. And it just seems really just terribly sad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You`re not going believe this. RADAR Online reported today that "People" magazine has bought pictures of Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern`s "commitment ceremony" for $1 million. "People" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they never comment on future stories they may be running, but did say there is "no truth to the report" they paid $1 million for pictures of the ceremony.
HAMMER: Well, Larry Birkhead has been claiming all along that he is the father of Anna Nicole Smith`s baby. What happened today has taken this thing to a whole new level.
Joining us now, Court TV news anchor Ashleigh Banfield.
Good to see you, Ashleigh.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, COURT TV ANCHOR: Hi.
HAMMER: All right.
BANFIELD: Here we go again!
HAMMER: Again. Crazier and crazier.
So today a statement was issued by Larry Birkhead, the guy who says, I`m the dad. His attorney says in a statement, "Larry wants to put to rest the issue of who`s the father and what steps must be taken to protect this child."
You`ve got to think, Ashleigh, there is something going on here that is possibly true about this. Why would anybody go the court looking to have DNA tests if it wasn`t?
BANFIELD: A couple hundred million dollars? I mean...
HAMMER: How so?
BANFIELD: ... but, however...
HAMMER: How so?
BANFIELD: Well, you know, the idea here is that this probate issue is resolved in the Supreme Court to Anna`s favor and she inherits all those millions from the Marshalls, then she`s worth a lot of money. And whoever is the daddy of that baby is going to be worth a lot of money. So there is definitely impetus here for anybody who has ever had relations with Anna Nicole to come forward and claim that they are the daddy.
HAMMER: You mean just in the -- in the off chance...
BANFIELD: In the off chance.
HAMMER: ... that maybe it is true. And, of course, Larry has said that Anna has told him that he is the father.
BANFIELD: Sure. And, I mean, there`s some timing here.
I mean, 40 weeks ago, if you were with Anna, you`re probably to go to file the same suit. But, in the same respect, it`s odd that we`re having this conversation because typically it`s the opposite. People are filing for paternity to say, I`m not the daddy, I want no part of this.
HAMMER: Exactly.
BANFIELD: So this is a very unusual situation.
HAMMER: So here he is going and saying, OK, I want to have these DNA tests done. You`ve got to think that perhaps Howard K. Stern, who is Anna`s attorney and now partner, and alleged father of the child -- at least he claims to be -- maybe he is shaking in his boots a little bit here.
BANFIELD: Yes, probably. And I think there are so many legal issues that are going to come into play here, because we`re talking about Bahamas as a jurisdiction and California as a jurisdiction. And a whole lot of formulae are going to have to be worked out in between.
HAMMER: Well, another thing that Birkhead`s attorney said in this particular statement issued today, Larry "is responding to the circus-like atmosphere with Howard K. Stern as ringleader this past week wherein serious and false allegations that Stern is the father were made."
You know how we learned about this? Usually we learn about things like this when the court documents are filed and they become matters of public record.
See this? This here is a press release. It`s a Hollywood press release. If George Clooney was going to be appearing at Planet Hollywood, I would have gotten a press release just like this.
Doesn`t it make it a bit more of a circus? Come on.
BANFIELD: It`s a press release from a P.R. agency, too. Not just from a law attorney`s firm, which makes it a circus.
But I think, quite frankly, anything involving Anna Nicole Smith, you`re probably going to have to hire a P.R. agency just to manage the onslaught of phone calls that you`re going to get, not only from the Bahamas, but also from the United States. And again, we are going to have to find out at this point whether this U.S. issue is going to become a Bahamas issue and whether Larry Birkhead is going to have to get his butt on a plane to actually make this appearance in a Bahamas court.
It all has to do with residency, taxes and where the child was conceived.
HAMMER: It seems in poor taste and not a good way to establish your own credibility. But that aside, less than 30 seconds, I want to ask you, because Larry Birkhead is also asking in these demands, in the paternity suit, that Anna Nicole be submitted for drug testing.
What`s that about?
BANFIELD: Well, a judge can do it. A judge can say, "In this matter, I order you to submit to drug testing," and he or she as the judge can also turn around and say, "And Larry, let`s have your hair and urine samples, too."
HAMMER: We`ll be following this for some time, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: I think so.
HAMMER: Ashleigh Banfield, from Court TV, we appreciate you joining us tonight.
BANFIELD: Thanks.
HAMMER: And now for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S "Question of the Day," here`s what we`re asking. Anna Nicole paternity drama: Should all of this be dealt with behind closed doors?
Let us know what you think at cnn.com/showbiztonight, or e-mail us as showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: Some sleazy, lowbrow advice for high society women, like how to smoke and how to have sex. That`s ridiculous and that`s next.
HAMMER: Also, the make believe movie that has gotten real-life people very angry. It shows President Bush getting assassinated. Your first look at "Death of a President".
Plus, we`ve got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No member of the royal family will speak about this. This is a private matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The royal embarrassment over a movie that shows the startling way Queen Elizabeth reacted to the death of Princess Diana. But was the queen really that cold and uncaring? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one-on- one with the big star who plays the queen mum. It`s in the interview you will see right here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
First, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz". In which John Cusack film is he dogged by a newspaper boy reclaiming two dollars: "Say Anything...," "Better of Dead," "One Crazy Summer," or "The Sure Thing"?
Think about it. We`re coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So, again, tonight`s "Entertainment Weekly" "Great American Pop Culture Quiz". In which John Cusack film is he dogged by a newspaper boy reclaiming two dollars: "Say Anything...," "Better of Dead," "One Crazy Summer," or "The Sure Thing"?
The answer is B, "Better off Dead".
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Tuesday night. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
It`s time now for a little story that made us say, "That`s ridiculous!"
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: "That`s ridiculous!"
The past couple of hundred years or so there has been a book that`s been the British blueblood bible -- you say that three times fast. Well, now the publisher, Debrett`s, is putting out a new version. It`s called "Etiquette for Girls". But instead of the proper way to sip soup or take a peek at polo matches, this one is talking about stuff like smoking and one- night stands.
ANDERSON: What?
HAMMER: Listen to this little bit of advice here.
"Avoid dark-alley gropery and unladylike fumbling in the back of a cab." And, "Always use proper ashtrays and avoid allowing smoke to billow out of your nostrils." And, if you are going to throw up after a long night of drinking, do so in the privacy of your own bedroom.
It doesn`t actually say that one.
ANDERSON: They`re trying to make all of these actions ladylike. It`s odd. And the way it`s worded is hilarious. They even say that leaving a cigarette unsupported in the mouth is -- you know...
HAMMER: But they are quite serious about it.
ANDERSON: Yes, they are.
HAMMER: And that`s why we have to say, sleazy tips for society girls, now, "That`s ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: "That`s ridiculous!"
HAMMER: Well, now, how about a little etiquette for keeping pop stars from getting arrested? It can`t be easy being Bobby Brown or George Michael these days.
Just weeks after Whitney Houston filed for divorce from Bobby Brown, a judge in Massachusetts issued a warrant for his arrest. And just when we thought George Michael was making his big comeback, he, too, was arrested, this time on suspicion of drug possession.
With us tonight from Glendale, California, our pal, our buddy, Harvey Levin, the managing editor of the entertainment news Web site TMZ.com.
All right, Harvey, Bobby Brown arrested -- shocking! What happened this time?
LEVIN: Well, basically, he is a wanted man in Massachusetts. If he dares step foot inside the state, he is going to be -- he`s going to be cuffed and sent to the pokey. And that`s because he is behind on child support. And the judge is upset that he didn`t show up when he was supposed to, and there is a warrant, and the judge doesn`t care that he is going through a bad divorce and he is down on his luck.
The bottom line is, he owes money, and he`s got to pay or he ain`t going to be a free man.
HAMMER: You`ve got to pay your child support, and I don`t think using the fact that you`re getting a divorce, no matter how high profile a case it is, is going to get you off the hook from it.
Now, of course we know that they filed for that divorce weeks ago. Whitney Houston is the one who got that thing rolling.
The singing career for Bobby Brown pretty much nonexistent. Things not really looking up for him, are they?
LEVIN: Well, you know, it`s kind of weird, A.J., but my theory on all of this is, the further down somebody is, the more people will listen to the first song that they can come out with just as a matter of curiosity. And if he can pull a rabbit out of a hat, I really think he -- you know, he could have a resurgence.
HAMMER: Do you really think so, if it doesn`t involve a reality show? Because he has basically been riding Whitney`s coattails for the last 14 years here, Harvey.
LEVIN: He has. And listen, if he pulls a "Papa Zow" (ph), he`s dead. But if he comes up with something that`s credible -- and I don`t know if he can -- but, if he can, it`s amazing. People will listen just because he is such a train wreck.
HAMMER: If he pulls a "Papa Zow" (ph). OK. Got that one marked down.
Now, speaking of someone with a long track record with the law, let`s talk about George Michael. This is unbelievable, and it`s a little upsetting to me, and I think to anybody who is a fan of this guy, because it really looked like he was back with a vengeance.
He just launched his new tour after 15 years. It`s selling out everywhere. Then London cops arrest him on drug charges. This time they find him slumped in his car and arrest him on the suspicion of possessing marijuana.
So what do you think? Is he pretty hopeless? Because he is a repeat offender here.
LEVIN: Yes. I mean, no doubt about it, this guy has got a huge, huge substance abuse problem. I mean, that`s pretty clear. And he has kind of, you know, talked about it before.
But again, he is selling out, as you said, and there is a train wreck factor with celebrities. And I think a lot of people would go to a concert to see him just to see if he is going to get through it.
And, you know, if he does get through it, it just makes it edgier. So, you know, listen, I`m not saying that he is living the Donna Reed life, but, at the same time, that kind of curiosity, living on the edge, attracts fans. It really does.
HAMMER: Hey, he`s got that rock `n` roll lifestyle. And he`s getting a little street credit (ph) along the way. I guess you could say -- he`s not going to be doing any jail time over something like this, is he?
LEVIN: No, I don`t think so. But, you know, I just thought about it. It`s like I thought you were going to say before that, you know, he is all of a sudden making a resurgence and then "wham!" But you didn`t say that.
HAMMER: Yes, I didn`t say that. Or "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," or anything like that, Harvey.
I`m going to leave it there.
Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com.
Thanks.
LEVIN: See you, A.J.
ANDERSON: Things got really heated on "The View" today. The ladies were chatting about yesterday`s awful shooting and killing of five Amish girls. Five others were wounded at a schoolhouse in Pennsylvania.
Police say the gunman barricaded himself inside the school with a bunch of guns, let some boys and pregnant women go, and then tied remaining females` feet together. He then allegedly shot them execution style.
On "The View," Rosie O`Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck went at each other over gun control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": That maybe we need some stricter gun control laws.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, "THE VIEW": Well, I think that there also is some debate there, too. Rosie and I -- I want to be fair in saying that obviously there are restrictions that can be placed upon who has a gun, but you also have to remember that it`s our constitutionals right that we have toio defend ourselves.
A hundred and ninety-two thousand women each year use a gun to defend themselves against sexual offenders. And people will say...
(CROSSTALK)
O`DONNELL: Well, let me just tell you this.
HASSELBECK: You can`t just take away your right to bear arms.
O`DONNELL: In our country -- Elisabeth -- well, it`s not really a right. There`s this debate as to what...
HASSELBECK: It is a right. It`s in our Constitution. It`s an amendment.
O`DONNELL: Well, let`s talk instead of yell.
HASSELBECK: I`m not yelling.
O`DONNELL: That sounded a little yelly (ph).
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": No, she wasn`t yelling.
(CROSSTALK)
HASSELBECK: I have a question. Why does everyone always think I`m yelling? Is it because I have a high voice? Do I need to have, like, throat surgery?
JOY BEHAR, "THE VIEW": It`s the speed. It`s the speed that you speak at.
HASSELBECK: I can`t help that. My whole family talks fast. It`s just how we do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, this went on for a few more minutes. You know, Rosie has always been outspoken about gun control. You might remember that famous fight she had with Tom Selleck a few years back on her talk show.
Now more on the "Hollywood Weight Watch," SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S ongoing coverage of stars struggling to stay thin.
Tonight, Wynonna Judd, she`s been in and out of rehab for her food addiction and she lost a reported 30 pounds. But it`s an ongoing battle.
Judd told the November issue of "Ladies` Home Journal" she doesn`t use the word "weight". She describes her addiction and recovery as a spiritual emotional process.
Judd says, "I don`t have normal behavior with food. I would rather eat than do a lot of other things, and that`s just normal for me. The food addiction is a spiritual issue."
Judd then talked about other stars` weight problems, possibly making reference to Janet Jackson, who recently dropped a whopping 60 pounds. Judd says, "When I see artists who get out there and say they have lost 50 or 60 pounds in four months, I see that as dangerous. It`s bad for your body and I don`t want to live like that."
Judd sat down with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT last year before her time in rehab to talk about just how difficult the weight struggle is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WYNONNA JUDD, BATTLING FOOD ADDICTION: In any addiction, whether it`s getting on the Internet for eight hours, addiction is like -- OK, it separates you from people you love. And what I was doing was going out on stage in front of 5,000 people, then ending up back at the hotel room by myself, you know, with my dog, and it was really lonely. And when I eat, I do it for emotional reasons, not for fuel. Otherwise I wouldn`t be doing what -- you know, having the problem I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: For more on Wynonna Judd, pick up the November issue of "Ladies` Home Journal".
The royal embarrassment over a movie that shows the startling way Queen Elizabeth reacted to the death of Princess Diana. But was the queen really that cold and uncaring?
Plus, we`ve got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "DEATH OF A PRESIDENT": We`re just getting reports of a shooting incident. It`s not clear if the president himself has been hit, but apparently there are casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The make believe movie that`s gotten real-life people very angry. It shows President Bush getting assassinated. We`ve got your first look at "Death of a President".
ANDERSON: Now wait, am I reading this right? OK. It says George Clooney saying he is going to take Leo DiCaprio out on a date and even hold hands with him?
HAMMER: Yes, that`s what it says.
ANDERSON: Are you kidding? OK.
That`s coming up next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tomorrow, as Washington is in turmoil over the sexually suggestive instant messages a Florida congressman allegedly sent his young pages, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals how TV shows have become the latest secret weapon in the war against online sex predators.
We`ve got a special report tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: Listen to this. George Clooney thinks he has come up with a way to put the paparazzi out of business. Check this out.
He tells the November issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine he would be a real player, date a ton of people so his picture would be taken with them, and then people wouldn`t know if he is really going out with them or not. Clooney says, "I want to spend every single night for three months going out with a different famous actress... Halle Berry one night, Salma Hayek the next, and then walk on the beach holding hands with Leonardo DiCaprio."
How cute. I`m sure that would get a lot of attention.
Clooney adds, "People would still buy the pictures but they would always go, `I don`t know if these guys` -- meaning the paparazzi -- `were putting us on or not.`"
HAMMER: That`s exactly why George is one of our favorite, favorite Hollywood stars.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
HAMMER: The make believe movie that has gotten real-life people very angry. It shows President Bush getting assassinated.
We`ve got your first look at "Death of a President" in "Showbiz Showcase".
ANDERSON: And the star of one of the hottest shows out there and one of the most popular movie trilogies of all time, "Lost`s" Dominic Monaghan still to come.
Plus, we`ve got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No member of the royal family will speak publicly about this. This is a private matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The royal embarrassment over a movie that shows the startling way Queen Elizabeth may have reacted to the death of Princess Diana.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one-on-one with the big star who plays the queen mum. And that`s coming up in the interview you will see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Tuesday night is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I am Brooke Anderson. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
A.J., he went from one of the most popular film trilogies of all time, "The Lord of the Rings," to now one of the biggest, most successful television shows, "Lost." Actor Dominic Monaghan will be right here - not right here, but on the couch - in just a few minutes.
HAMMER: I think he should sit up right here on the table. "Lost" one of my favorite shows - finally the season premiere is happening.
ANDERSON: Right. Season three.
HAMMER: .this week.
Also tonight, Brooke, there`s a movie that`s been getting a lot of buzz - not for really good reasons. It has a fictionalized assassination of President Bush. A lot of people in an uproar about "Death of a President." It`s coming to the United States; people will get to judge for themselves. We`ll have your first look coming up in just a few minutes.
ANDERSON: That`s caused a lot of consternation, A.J.
But first, she was dubbed "the people`s princess," one of the most photographed and most glamorous women in the world. And even in her death, Prince Diana created quite a stir. So it`s no wonder that an explosive new movie, called "The Queen," is bound to create even more controversy.
Dame Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth in this recreation of all the missteps taken by the royal family after Princess Diana`s horrendous death.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diana, princess of Wales, has died after a crash in Paris.
ANDERSON (voice-over): It was a moment in history none will soon forget: the most famous woman in the world, the most photographed, the most glamorous, Princess Diana, killed in a car crash. Nine years later, people are still fascinated with her. The death of the people`s princess was marked by an outpouring of public grief never before seen, but marked inside the British royal family with private grief never seen.
HELEN MIRREN, ACTRESS: About the flag above Buckingham Palace, do you think it should be flying at half mast?
ANDERSON: It is the story behind the provocative new film "The Queen," reconstructing the days after Diana`s death. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Dame Helen Mirren, who plays Queen Elizabeth, says playing a woman who was publicly scrutinized for all the things she didn`t say was not an easy thing to do.
MIRREN: It was such a dangerous thing to go into. If we made a misstep, it would have been - not only would it have been humiliating and upsetting to know that people don`t like your work - that`s bad enough - but I think also one would have felt that we`d betrayed the real people.
ANDERSON: And just as Princess Diana created public interest while she was alive, her death created even more public interest for what was happening behind the palace gates.
MIRREN: It is my express wish that this shall be a private funeral.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. The public (INAUDIBLE), the British people - you don`t think a private funeral might be denying them a chance.
MIRREN: A chance to what? This is a family funeral, Mr. Blair, not a fairground attraction.
ANDERSON: And leading the call for public mourning, Prime Minister Tony Blair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be a great comfort to your people, and would help them with their grief.
MIRREN: Their grief? If you imagine I`m going to drop everything and head (ph) down to London before I attend to my grandchildren, who just lost their mother, then you`re mistaken.
ANDERSON: Dame Helen tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she understood Queen Elizabeth`s position, where family came first.
MIRREN: Diana was on her side. I felt she was behaving the right way. That`s what I thought. And I thought the public were behaving in the wrong way.
ANDERSON: Dame Helen says it was Princess Diana`s public life that came at odds with the private family. And what wasn`t seen was the private grief of any family.
MIRREN: Diana was a member of their family. And the public didn`t know her in that way. The traditional sense of the family with - and I think (ph), they`re not celebrities. They don`t see themselves as celebrities. That`s not their job to do a tell all. You know, to be interviewed by - to have Larry King. I mean, Diana did great with that. She did do a tell all. But the royal family have never seen themselves in that role of celebrity.
ANDERSON: And in life, Diana did anything but act like a royal, much to the admiration of millions.
MIRREN: She did do that lovely thing of going up to people, and looking at them in the eye and shaking their hand. And she did that lovely thing also which came from her nursery school education sort of, you know, background, of if she saw a child, instead of bending down like the queen would, you know, thank you very much, she`d go down and be on the same level as the child.
ANDERSON: And so it was in her death that the film "The Queen" implies that maybe - just maybe - the royal family finally understood why Princess Diana was dubbed "the people`s princess."
MIRREN: (INAUDIBLE). Would you like to kiss those for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
MIRREN: No?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These aren`t for you.
MIRREN: For who? (ph) Thank you. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: "The Queen" is in theaters in New York already, and will hit Los Angeles theaters this Friday.
HAMMER: Well, controversy over the Sacha Baron Cohen new movie "Borat." The flick already has Kazakhstan crying foul. And now, the Anti- Defamation League is on his cause, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SACHA BARON COHEN, ENTERTAINER: (INAUDIBLE). How can I be like you?
What`s up, vanilla (ph) family?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: ADL officials are worried about "Borat"`s depiction of anti- Semitism. The League acknowledges Cohen`s humor is exaggerated - he is, in fact, Jewish himself - but the ADL thinks not everyone`s going to understand that he`s poking fun at stereotypes. The ADL says - quote - "We are concerned, however, that one serious pitfall is that the audience may not always be sophisticated enough to get the jokes, and that some may even find it reinforcing their bigotry.
The ADL did have some constructive criticism for Cohen as well. They said that he should have made his character from a fictional country rather than a real one.
"Borat" his theaters next month.
Well, in tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," the controversial "Death of a President." The drama depicts a realistic assassination of President Bush, and what would happen to the world after his murder.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your first look at the trailer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember the president said something to me, like, Is there a problem? I remember saying now, No sir, there`s no - there`s no problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re just rounding up people. We had probable cause.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a major, major security breach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this time it - it seemed to me there was real hate. He looked at me and stepped out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re just getting reports of a shooting incident. It`s not clear if the president himself has been hit, but apparently there are casualties.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: "Death of a President" opens up on October 27.
ANDERSON: Time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines."
The daddy wars over Anna Nicole Smith`s baby just got nastier. Photographer Larry Birkhead, who first claimed he was the child`s father, is now suing Anna Nicole. He wants a California court to force Smith and her baby back to the U.S. to undergo paternity testing. Just last week, Smith`s attorney slash commitment partner, Howard K. Stern, declared he was the baby`s daddy.
Speaking of court, tonight Beyonce has the law on her side. A federal judge dismissed a copyright-infringement lawsuit filed against her. Another singer - singer-songwriter claimed Beyonce`s 2003 hit song "Baby Boy" was taken from a song of her own. The judge ruled the two songs were "substantially dissimilar."
It`s the pitter-patter of more little feet for former "90210" star Jennie Garth and her husband, Peter Facinelli. Garth`s publicist confirms the actress gave birth to a baby girl. Fiona Eve Facinelli came into the world Saturday morning. She joins two older sister, Luca Bella and Lola Drake. Congrats to them.
And those are tonight`s hot headlines.
HAMMER: A reminder now that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can be seen seven nights a week. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show airs on your weekends as well. So join us for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Monday through Friday and Saturday and Sunday at 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific.
ANDERSON: All right. Imagine coming face to face with an intruder who`s made himself right at home in your house. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And first he was lost - Dominic Monaghan is found, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`re going to sit down with the star of the hit drama "Lost," just in time for the season premiere.
Plus we`ve got this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it OK to eavesdrop and to go through your husband`s things?
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It`s even worse in the public eye. But should you stand by your man, or kick him to the curb? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the fight or flight, coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We are TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer.
And it`s time now for another story that just made us say, "That`s Ridiculous."
Now it`s one thing to invade a home. But one alleged California burglar broke in - and he stayed in. He was a 23-year-old man, and he already had a load of laundry in the machine and had ordered a pizza when the homeowner arrived - got to give the guy credit for having the gumption to do that. This - about the same time that the pizza guy showed up to deliver the pie, is about when the police got to Scott (ph). He had written one of the homeowner`s checks to pay for the pizza.
ANDERSON: No way. One of the checks?
HAMMER: Yes. Yes.
ANDERSON: Made himself right at home.
HAMMER: Well, apparently he used to live next door.
ANDERSON: Right, he knew.
HAMMER: So he knew the area well. So - I got to give him a little.
ANDERSON: He had always longed maybe to go into this house.
HAMMER: Like I said, you got to give him credit because he has gumption I don`t. I`ve never used that word before, but.
ANDERSON: Luckily, the homeowner wasn`t harmed. I like "gumption"..
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: They - they did - they were attacked, but not harmed.
ANDERSON: Yes. Right.
HAMMER: So we still have to say, breaking in, doing laundry, ordering a pizza, writing one of the homeowner`s checks.
ANDERSON: "That`s Ridiculous!"
OK, would you ever snoop on your significant other? Maybe if you suspected a little hanky panky, or perhaps if you`re in the public eye? To stand by your man or kick him to the curb - that`s the question.
Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS (voice-over): Outside of New York, Jeanine Pirro wasn`t exactly a household name. But now, she`s lampooned as a household item - a doormat for her reportedly philandering husband.
JEANINE PIRRO (R), NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE: Many of you have asked why I stay in my marriage. These are personal choices that I have made, and I shouldn`t have to keep explaining them.
MOOS: News that the Republican candidate for state attorney general considered bugging the boat where she suspected her husband was having an affair raised the question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it OK to eavesdrop, and to go through your husband`s things?
MOOS (on camera): Well, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s a little far-fetched. I can`t imagine that`s good for the marriage.
MOOS: Well, would you ever bug someone that you suspected.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course. You hear that?
MOOS (voice-over): And though Pirro continues to campaign.
PIRRO: I`m not going to roll over. I`m not going away.
MOOS: .divorce attorney Raoul Felder calls her candidacy "dead."
RAOUL FELDER, DIVORCE ATTORNEY: Waiting for rigamortis at this point.
MOOS: Felder is an attorney who hands out pens that say "Sue Someone You Love." He describes Pirro as attempting "damager control."
FELDER: When there`s a atom bomb gone off, you can`t have any damage control.
MOOS: But some have survived a-bomb - a for adultery.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I was, as I say in the book, ready to wring his neck.
MOOS: But they`re still together, his neck unwrung.
And how about Lee Hart, Gary Hart`s wife, who stood by her man when he was being accused of marital hanky panky while running for president in 1988?
LEE HART, GARY HART`S WIFE: If Gary says nothing happened, nothing happened.
MOOS: Well actually, something had happened. Remember Donna Rice sitting on Hart`s lap aboard the Monkey Business? Nevertheless, Gary and Lee Hart are still together, married for 48 years.
And then there`s Dina McGreevey, left out when her husband, the governor, came out.
GOV. JAMES MCGREEVEY (D), NEW JERSEY: I engaged in an adult consensual affair with another man.
MOOS: But can you imagine reading all the explicit details, hearing them come out of your husband`s mouth on "Oprah"?
MCGREEVEY: We undressed, and he kissed me. Sent me through the roof.
MOOS: Bet that sent his wife through the roof as well.
Maybe Jeanine Pirro is better off not knowing any details.
PIRRO: And had him followed to see if what I suspected was true.
MOOS: After all, he`d already had a child with yet another other woman.
FELDER: She loved well, but not wisely.
MOOS: Maybe she should have left well enough alone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Maybe so. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Well, you heard Wynona Judd talk about her weight battle earlier in the show. But pressure to be fit in Hollywood really applies to both genders. If the camera adds 10 pounds, it does so indiscriminately.
I sat down with John Stamos. He`s now a regular on the hit drama "ER." John`s been on TV a long time now, and I asked him if the pressure to stay slim has affected him in his career. And here`s what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN STAMOS, ACTOR, "ER": I`m pretty lucky. My - my - well, I - I could get - I watch it. I - I like - unfortunately, I like good food. I like fish and chicken, and I take care of himself. But I get it - I get the psychology behind it. I mean, I`m not, you know, a doctor - well, I guess I am a doctor. Wait a minute.
HAMMER: Really, you`re on your way. Just an intern right now. Don`t get ahead of yourself.
STAMOS: That`s true.
But I get it because, you know, you - you probably go through this, when you feel a little heavier, and you - I mean, people think they look better thinner. I think, you know, they get to a point and then they just go too far and too -- it`s - it`s really sad.
And sociologically, I think it`s awful. I mean, I think other girls and boys, young kids are watching us and, you know - I mean, I think the most important thing for - that I can do is just try to be healthy and show that I`m - you know, eat healthy and work out and take care of myself, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: As everybody should. You can catch the rest of my interview with John Stamos on Friday, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: It`s not often you can talk about someone he`s a heroin addict with a heart of gold. But you can say that about the character Dominic Monaghan plays on one of the most popular series on television, "Lost." Millions of people around the world also know him as one of the little hobbits in one of the most popular movie trilogies of all time, "Lord of the Rings."
And Dominic is with us tonight here in New York.
Good to see you, Dominic.
DOMINIC MONAGHAN, ACTOR: Nice to see you, too. It`s good to be here.
ANDERSON: Oh, congratulations on "Lost," on everything that you`ve done.
But "Lost," more than TV show, Dominic. It`s got a cult following; Web sites devoted to him; people watch it fanatically. Same with "Lord of the Rings." People were obsessed with it.
MONAGHAN: Right.
ANDERSON: Do you get the extreme-fan admiration and obsession?
MONAGHAN: Yes, you do. You get the kind of convention fans, the people who do it, you know, for a career, a 24/7-type thing.
But I like that; I like the fact that people can become obsessed by things, because when I was a kid, I felt the same way about "Star Wars." I felt the same way about snakes and lizards and things like that. So.
ANDERSON: Something to latch on to.
MONAGHAN: Yes, it`s fun.
ANDERSON: Your character in "Lost" is complex, to say the least. You`re a rock star; Charlie is a rock star with a heroin problem.
MONAGHAN: Right.
ANDERSON: .trying to get off it.
Now we know about these characters in real life. Clearly, you`re not a heroin addict.
But how do you prepare for something like this, and just nail it every single episode?
MONAGHAN: You know, I`m a big - I`m a big fan of music. You know, John Lennon was a big hero of mine. Obviously, he struggled with drug addictions his entire life. Jim Morrison as well. And, you know, I`ve read a lot about those guys. And I think, you know, they - they become two separate people. You know, to try and deal with the lifestyle of late nights and plane travel and - and, you know, free alcohol and free food and free everything, they - they can`t give themselves - a little bit of self abuse.
And I think that`s where it`s come from. There`s a lot of self- loathing in there. And that gives you a little bit more complexity, you know? And I think Charlie has the ability to be a lot of things. You know, he can be a truly caring, nice person, and then sneak off into the jungle and - and, you know, wrestle with his demons.
But there are - for me at least, I enjoy it when he becomes a kind of Anakin Skywalker character. You know, he puts on the black hood - we spoke about that, the.
ANDERSON: Little bit darker side to him.
MONAGHAN: Yes. When he - when he puts his hood up, he always kind of goes a little bit dark. And at the end of the last season, he had the hood down. But halfway through, the hood came up again.
So it`s always a link to which way his (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Has both sides to him.
Well, earlier, you know, I did mention the Web sites devoted to - to this. A lot of blogging about "Lost." And recently, a lot of the buzz on the Internet has been that you, Josh Holloway and Matthew Fox have been told not to skinny dip in your free time by the producers.
First of all, you guys skinny dipping out there? You must be having a great time doing this series.
MONAGHAN: Well, that`s kind of blown out of proportion. You know, I think.
ANDERSON: Oh, is it?
MONAGHAN: I think in the early days we had some pretty high-profile parties where - where, you know, skinny dipping took place and all that kind of stuff.
We don`t do that. We - I go surfing. I`ve been told not to surf as much as I do because I - I recently kind of went over on my ankle and things like that. They want to keep us safe. But I don`t think they could ban us from living our lives. And if people want to skinny dip, then they can skinny dip, right?
ANDERSON: Well, obviously, I`m sure the producers don`t want the paparazzi, who follow you guys to Hawaii, to take an invasive picture of you in the buff, so to speak.
MONAGHAN: I think I - I think it would be very beneficial towards my career if they had a photo of my skinny dip. Because, you know, it`s impressive.
ANDERSON: Oh - oh, is it? OK.
MONAGHAN: It`s kind of impressive.
(LAUGHTER)
MONAGHAN: I mean this. You know, I`m like.
ANDERSON: Everyone in the studio`s laughing.
MONAGHAN: It`s so happy (ph).
ANDERSON: OK. Well, we`ll move on from that. But.
MONAGHAN: Right.
ANDERSON: We were talking in the show earlier - George Clooney talking about the paparazzi being invasive, being a nuisance.
You`re in the public eye. How do you feel when your private life is thrust into the spotlight? Does it annoy you? Does it anger you? Or do you just accept it as part of the territory now?
MONAGHAN: You know, I think you have to try and not give the benefit of having them annoy you so much and - and get into your life. You know, so much of what I do is on show as an actor, you know, my - my job is on show. So many other things - the music I like, the food I eat, where I go, the clothes I wear, the designers I enjoy - the thing that I try and keep private is, strangely enough, my private life. You know, I don`t think that`s a huge stretch..
(CROSSTALK)
MONAGHAN: Exactly. You know, people find out things. You know, you unfortunately are out in the public. You - you go and, you know, get your laundry done. I`ll go surf or, you know, drive to work and - and people will follow you. But I just refuse to allow those people to do anything more than take my picture. They`re not in my head enough for that.
ANDERSON: Right. You still have to live your life.
MONAGHAN: Exactly.
ANDERSON: Well Dominic, congratulations on all the success of "Lost."
MONAGHAN: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We are looking forward to the big premiere.
Good to see you again, Dominic Monaghan.
MONAGHAN: Good to see you, too.
ANDERSON: And you can catch the season premiere of "Lost" tomorrow on ABC.
HAMMER: You want impressive, I`ll give you impressive: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is now on seven nights a week. OK, maybe not as impressive. But TV`s most provocative entertainment news show can be seen on your weekend. So tune in to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Saturday and Sunday and each and every night, 11 Eastern, 8 Pacific.
ANDERSON: OK, last night we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Holy Hollywood: Should there be more religious-themed entertainment?" Only 30 percent of you said "yes"; 70 percent of you said "no."
Here are some of the e-mails we got:
Kindra from Iowa says, "With all the garbage that`s in movies, why not have more faith-based films?"
Natalie from Georgia writes, "I am so tired of religion being crammed down my throat by the media. Enough already."
We appreciate your e-mails.
Stay tuned. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote on tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Anna Nicole Paternity Drama: Should all of this be dealt with behind closed doors?" Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write to us: showbiztonight@cnn.com. There`s the address. We`re going to read some of your e-mails tomorrow.
HAMMER: Well, let`s find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
And tomorrow, we`ve got actor Scott Wolf. From "Party of Five," to "The Nine," he`s got the right number. The high stakes of Wolf`s new hostage drama, and how he`s kept his personal life away from the paparazzi. He`ll tell us about that in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, as Washington reels over the sexually suggestive instant messages a congressman allegedly sent to young pages, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals how TV shows have become the latest weapon in the war against online sex predators. We`ve got a special SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
It`s good to see you here in New York, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Well, thanks. It`s good to be here. Good thing I`ll be here tomorrow as well.
HAMMER: Appreciate you joining us for a little time away from Hollywood.
ANDERSON: Spending a little time on the East Coast.
HAMMER: It`s always good to have you onboard.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
HAMMER: We`ll see you tomorrow.
ANDERSON: That`s right.
HAMMER: And that is it for.
ANDERSON: And we`ll see you tomorrow.
HAMMER: .SHOWBIZ TONIGHT from New York. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And thanks for watching, everybody. Have a great night. I am Brooke Anderson.
Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
END
