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Showbiz Tonight
Is There a Britney and K-Fed Sex Tape? ; Battle of the Celebrity Ex`s
Aired November 21, 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, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Is there a Britney and K-Fed sex tape? We find out once and for all. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And battle of the celebrity ex`s. Who makes out better after the divorce? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Kramer`s racist meltdown at a comedy club. Tonight the Seinfeld star`s tense and surreal apology for his disgusting racial tirade. But, as the outrage grows, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, is Michael Richards` apology enough?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the worst apology I`ve ever seen. That apology is -- it was a piece of trash.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the big question, what in the world was Kramer thinking?
O.J. outrage, tonight an unbelievable new twist, shocking allegations from Nicole Brown`s sister that the families were offered what she calls hush money from the people who put together Simpson`s offensive confession TV special and book. Tonight, the new twists and turns as SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, what took so long for everyone to realize this was a bad idea in the first place?
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everybody. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight two big controversies, two big stories, and nobody is covering it better than SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: There has been a startling new claim in the O.J. Simpson TV show and book debacle. Was hush money actually offered to the family of Nicole Simpson to keep quiet? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest in just a moment, But first the Kramer apology. Is anybody buying Michael Richards` explanation for his explosive racial tirade?
ANDERSON: A.J., the former Seinfeld star says he`s story for what he did. But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been working this story all day long, and we can tell you this, Richards still has a lot of explaining to do.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL RICHARDS, ACTOR: For me to be on a comedy club and flip out and say this crap, you know, I`m deeply, deeply sorry.
ANDERSON: A clearly shaken and rambling Michael Richards, making a public apology on the Late Show With David Letterman for his unbelievable racist rant.
RICHARDS: I got heckled and I -- I took it badly and went into a rage and said some pretty nasty things to some Afro-Americans.
ANDERSON: Nasty hardly describes it. Richards is trying to cool the outrage over his racial tirade at a comedy club in Los Angeles where he repeatedly called some black audience members the N word.
Comedian Sinbad was at the Laugh Factory Friday night when Richards went wild and tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT his apology was a joke.
SINBAD, COMEDIAN: That was the worst apology I`ve ever seen. That apology is -- it was a piece of trash. You can`t go on Letterman -- that`s the punk way out. You can`t go on Letterman. You`ve got to go to the heart of the people. You`ve got to go to the club. You`ve got to go up there on black night, Sunday night. It`s chocolate city night at the comedy club.
ANDERSON: Comedian Paul Mooney, who has known Richards for years, also tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the apology just isn`t good enough.
PAUL MOONEY, COMEDIAN: That wasn`t an apology. That wasn`t an apology, no. The apology has to be as dramatic and emotional as the performance. The performance was a 10. The apology was about a 2.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Richards appeared on Letterman at the request of his friend and former co-star Jerry Seinfeld, who was already booked as a guest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you talk to Michael?
JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: I did. I did.
ANDERSON: Richards apology was meant to be serious, but that didn`t stop the audience from laughing, something which made Richards second-guess his appearance.
RICHARDS: I`m hearing in your audience laughing. I`m not even sure that this is where I should be addressing the situation. I`m really busted up over this, and I`m very, very sorry.
HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: I don`t think going on David Letterman was a mistake at all. I think the mistake was the way that it was handled. Doesn`t he know, based on Mel Gibson`s failed apology, that you need to tell the truth with stuff like this?
RICHARDS: I`m not a racist, that`s what`s so insane about this.
LEVIN: This was so hollow, so phony to me, so ridiculous. I mean, it made Mel Gibson look like one of the great mea culpas of our time. It was just stupid.
ANDERSON: The ladies of The View also compared Richards and Gibson, who had to face the world after spewing anti-Semitic remarks when he was arrested for drunk driving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is more dangerous and who`s career will be affected more by it, him or -- his or Mel Gibson?
ROSIE O`DONNELL, THE VIEW: Well, no, I think it`s his and let me tell you why, because we only heard second-hand that Mel Gibson did this. We have not seen the visual imprint of Mel Gibson uttering those words. We have imagined it, but we haven`t seen it. But you`ve seen this man that you know and love and admire on that show. You`ve seen it come out of his mouth in a way that was startling and shocking.
ANDERSON: Shocking indeed, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you people might never look at Michael Richards the same way again, as Richards or as Kramer on Seinfeld.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Michael Richards has been banned from the Laugh Factory comedy club until the black community accepts his apology.
HAMMER: Well, tonight we have two guys who are not only outraged by what Richards said, but are uniquely qualified to talk to us about it. They have been where Richards was, on stage and facing audiences, crowds that could sometimes have hostile hecklers.
With me tonight from Los Angeles, the man you just saw, legendary comedian Paul Mooney, who has written for the likes of Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle.
With me in New York, stand up comedian and actor Godfrey. I appreciate you both being with us tonight. Paul, let me start with you because you and Richard Pryor, quite famously, had the occasion where you took the N word and you co-opted it for use by the black community, essentially, using it to empower the community. That`s not what was going on here. So what did you think when you heard Richards use these words in such a hateful way?
MOONEY: Well, I had gotten phone calls about this and I was laughing because, you know, I know he`s a comic and I`ve known him for a long time and he`s a funny man. So I thought it was all in humor until I saw the actual tape and I have to admit, I was shocked by it, because he was ranting and raving. He had a complete nervous breakdown. This was not a performance. This was a break down.
HAMMER: Yes, this -- go ahead, I`m sorry.
MOONEY: Yes, it was very scary. It was a break down. I mean he raved about 50 years ago and naked and saying the n word and screaming it like some raving maniac. He sort of outed himself because he said that now his feelings were out and they knew how he felt. And I think because he hasn`t been in that -- on stage, he hasn`t been working as a stand up, he has been on a hit show, sort of spoiled, because stand-up is rough. And they weren`t going for it. And they weren`t loving it.
And you can say whatever you want to say. You`re a comedian, it is the Laugh Factory, but he got carried away. I mean, he had everybody on stage but Dr. Phil. It was embarrassing for everybody. And it was sort of sick. And this apology on Letterman, Letterman should have had this video and he should have helped him out psychologically.
HAMMER: Yes, there wasn`t really enough context there for that apology in particular. And Paul, you mentioned that he had a breakdown. Last night, Godfrey, a comedian who was on our show suggested that he had blacked out in the course of whatever this tirade was. You actually were working with him like a week and a half ago. Did you have -- have you seen any sense of this tape of behavior from Michael Richards before?
GODFREY, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: Actually, I mean, we -- the thing is, he approached me after I finished on stage, and he was talking about, hey man -- we were just talking comedy stuff. And he said, I`ve been just trying to do it, trying to change from being a comedic actor to the comedy thing. I was just talking with him. And so yesterday I get these pages -- all these texts from all these comics saying, did you hear what Michael Richards said, and I was -- like I said, I was shocked at what he did. And, you know, for me -- I mean, even if -- there`s a lot of comics that are racist or whatever, but race jokes are what comics feed on. I mean we feed -- it`s pretty much a majority of what we do, which is fine, but you`ve got to stay within the realm of comedy, you understand what I`m saying.
HAMMER: Yes, it`s one thing to include it in you act, this was quite separate from the act.
GODFREY: Right. So, I -- and I`m like, you know, I know people that feel that way. You know, that`s a reflection to me on how pretty much entertainment looks at our people, but -- no, honestly, because he is from a show which had no black people, so probably that was the problem.
HAMMER: Well, clearly, I think it does speak to something much bigger that was going on inside his head.
GODFREY: And I think that it`s good that he should be banned for a while, because it would not do him any good to show up physically, you know what I`m saying?
HAMMER: Yes, I don`t think that would be smart.
GODFREY: That was the first time I ever wished the Krips and Bloods were in the room, at the time. But no, I think that he should be banned for a while, you know, because this is not something light. Because, if it would have been a black comic that said something about, OK -- you know what I mean? You know what I`m saying?
HAMMER: I think so. Hopefully there won`t be a double standard here if this thing continues to play. Paul, you mentioned that apology that he made on Letterman. The upside for me watching that was that at least he seemed contrite and seemed like, wow, I really screwed up and I have to be accountable for what I said. And, of course, it was quite the surreal apology. Were you at all convinced by what you heard?
MOONEY: No, he is an actor, no. I think he was sorry that he got busted. I think he`s sorry he got caught, that he was videoed (sic). That`s what I think he`s sorry about. Listen, when you`re on stage, if he had made an apology that night, when it happened, right on stage, just said, OK, I got a little crazy, I don`t want to offend anybody, I`m sorry. I didn`t want to hurt anybody personally about their race or whatever, or their religion, right on the spot. You don`t do it later, no. Because when you say something and you leave, OK -- it`s like if I`m talking to you and we`re friends and I say, I hate you. I can apologize to you and you listen, OK. If I say to you, I hate you, you jew, then I`ve crossed the line. Do you understand?
HAMMER: I do. I do.
MOONEY: Because I`ve put it into a different thing. For him -- and I`ve known the man for 30 years. For him to get back into my good graces he is going have to take that same act that he did, that he called an act, which was to me a confession, a breakdown, and perform at the Apollo, with the Apollo audience. If he can get through that Apollo audience with that same act, I`ll forgive him.
Or he can go see the Watts Towers tonight, about midnight, and wear red and then come back and talk to me. Or he can go to Africa and adopt a black baby or share an adoption with Madonna`s baby, then we can talk. But I`m an opportunist and I`m very Hollywood. I`ve already written a movie for O.J., Michael, and -- I`ve written a movie for these three people, O.J., Michael and Mel Gibson, and I`m calling it, Three Men, Three Crazy Men and Thank God There Is No Baby.
GODFREY: And I also think he should produce all of those. He should put money into every black sitcom.
(CROSS TALK)
MOONEY: And he has to host the BET hip-hop awards.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: All great ideas. You can catch Godfrey regularly in New York`s hottest comedy clubs. Paul Mooney`s new DVD, "Jesus Was Black, And So Was Cleopatra," that will be out in February.
ANDERSON: Tom and Katie`s extravagant I do`s in Italy, we have the brand new wedding photos you haven`t seen yet, coming up.
HAMMER: Plus, is there really a Britney Spears-Kevin Federline sex tape? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT getting the story, coming up. Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- who raised their voice and stood up for the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The first reaction from the Goldman family, now that the O.J. book and TV show have been canceled. Plus shocking allegations from Nicole Brown`s sister that the families were offered what she called hush money. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York and let me tell you, this O.J. Simpson story is far from over. Today another startling new development, a claim that hush money was actually being paid to silence Nicole Simpson`s family, so they wouldn`t raise a ruckus over the TV show and book, in which O.J. Simpson was going to tell how he might have killed Nicole, if he did it.
Of course, by now we all know that Fox caved in following the outrage. They canceled the show. They canceled the book, but what SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and so many others want to know is this, what the heck took them so long?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED GOLDMAN, FATHER OF RON GOLDMAN: I thank all of the folks in this country for standing up for the right thing.
HAMMER: Fred and Kim Goldman, the father and sister of murder victim Ron Goldman, went on CNN`s Larry King Live to celebrate the cancellation of O.J. Simpson`s planned interview and book. O.J. planned to talk about how he would have killed Goldman and Simpson`s ex-wife Nicole Simpson, if he did it.
O.J. SIMPSON, FORMER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL STAR: I don`t think any two people could you be murdered without everybody being covered in blood.
HAMMER: But even though Fox has thrown out the juice, it may be facing another rotten scandal. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has for you the O.J. controversy that just won`t end.
DENISE BROWN, NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON`S SISTER: It doesn`t matter how many millions of dollars somebody offers us, we are not going to take it.
HAMMER: A shocking allegation from Nicole Brown Simpson`s sister Denise on NBC`s Today Show. She says that over the past few days Fox parent company News Corp offered her family millions of dollars in what she calls, I`m sorry money. She says the family turned it down.
BROWN: What they are trying to do is trying to keep us quiet, trying to make this like hush money.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT getting to the bottom of this. A spokesperson for News Corporation tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "We had discussions with representatives of the families about contributing to them all of our profits from the Simpson book and TV special. There were absolutely no strings attached to our offer and certainly no suggestion by us that either of the families would be barred from talking about the issue."
And in a statement, the Goldman family tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "we have never been offered hush money, nor have we ever been asked by News Corp, or anyone else for that matter, to remain silent in our condemnation of News Corp and its affiliates."
MATTHEW FELLING, CENTER FOR MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS: If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, feels like hush money, and it spends like hush money, Denise Brown thought it was hush money.
HAMMER: Matthew Felling, with the Center for Media and Public Affairs, says that if Fox was offering money to the families, that indicates that the network knew from the start that something was wrong with its O.J. collaboration.
FELLING: This was their attempt at doing P.R. before the event.
HAMMER: But as Fox and News Corp try to make nice after the O.J. debacle, the question remains, what in the world took them so long to pull the plug? Or, better yet, why did they try to do business with O.J. in the first place?
The If I Did It project exposed the entire company to almost universal criticism.
LEVIN: It is a piece of crap and he deserves to rot.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: This is one of the most repulsive, disgusting, hideous spectacles I have ever seen.
HAMMER: One by one, Fox affiliates refused to air the interview. Even Jack Bauer and Bart Simpson couldn`t escape the ground swell.
A New Mexico video store owner got so angry, he took every Fox-related DVD from his store, including 24 and the Simpsons, and bulldozed them. Nothing says outrage like heavy equipment.
FELLING: They actually, believe it or not, found an exception to the rule of, you will never go broke aiming for the lowest common denominator, but Fox actually found a way to do that.
HAMMER: And amid reports that News Corp offered money to the Brown and Goldman families, and that it paid Simpson 3.5 million dollars, a disgraced media corporation is now left asking, was it all worth it?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Once again the fronts page of that "New York Daily News" cover that you just saw a moment ago, right in Fox`s face, asking what took you so long? Well, roaming around the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT news room, everybody has been asking the same question today, what did take them so long? So joining me tonight in Chicago, Roland Martin, talk show host for WVON AM, and from Philadelphia, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, professor at Temple University. Gentlemen good to see you both.
Roland, tell me why you think it took Fox so long to pull the plug on this thing? And shouldn`t they absolutely be ashamed of themselves for taking so long?
ROLAND MARTIN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, first and foremost, from their standpoint, they were hoping that there was not going to be this much outcry over this particular issue. And so, as it began to escalate, as Bill O`Reilly began to criticize it, and calling for a boycott of advertisers, as the affiliates begin to exert their influence, as the crescendo began to increased, then all of a sudden they say, hey, this doesn`t make any sense. Let`s go ahead and just cut this. And the fact that Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of the company, the fact that he was the one who issued the statement, that made it perfectly clear that this went all the way up to the top and wasn`t left to some P.R. flack to do the job.
HAMMER: Yes, and I want to read that statement from Rupert Murdoch, because it is interesting to look at the spin that they are putting on this thing. He is the CEO and chairman of News Corp, of course. And in the announcement of the cancellation he said, "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project. We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."
Mark, do you think they realize there was just way too much damage done to their reputation at this point, and they needed to cut their losses, or are they possibly really sorry about this?
DR. MARC LAMONT HILL, PROFESSOR, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY: Oh absolutely it`s the first thing. Once again, this shows that News Corp, and a lot of these big television stations, don`t have feelings. They have interests. And once it became clear that it was no longer financially prudent for them to air the special, they decided not to do it. Rupert Murdoch is a smart guy. There is no way that he just woke up this morning and said, A-ha, you know, showing O.J. Simpson on national television, after killing two people, is a bad idea. He new that from the beginning.
HAMMER: Now Roland, you said, you know, perhaps they didn`t imagine the kind of outcry that they were going to get. To the contrary, I actually think that they knew, of course, it would get a lot of outcry and they were hoping that that would help the publicity machine. I think it just took a wrong turn for them.
MARTIN: Well, first of all, there is a difference between provoking reaction and them getting wide condemnation for a particular act. I really think all of this is another issue that we really have to examine, and that is, why is America, out of all the trials that we`ve seen, why is America so torn apart by O.J. Simpson and this particular case?
And so it is very interesting, because calls to my radio show, sure, they reacted and said, hey, I wouldn`t buy the book, but you didn`t have this kind of condemnation, and primarily because it is a black talk station, WVON. So it`s different -- I think when it comes to white America, there`s this whole view on O.J. Keep in mind, O.J. was acquitted in the criminal case, found guilty in a civil.
HAMMER: Mark, go ahead, jump in.
HILL: No, no, I think he is right to an extent. I mean, this has been a divisive issue for the last eleven years and I think Fox thought that because it is so divisive and so controversial, that they would be able to garner ratings over the debate. I think what he underestimated was America`s threshold. Even Americans have a threshold for what they`re willing to watch.
HAMMER: Exactly.
HILL: Even Americans have boundaries and this went clearly beyond them.
HAMMER: And we hit the height of disgusting with this one. Roland Martin, Mark Lamont, we got to wrap it up there. I appreciate you both joining us tonight.
ANDERSON: Tom and Katie`s extravagant I do`s in Italy, the new wedding pictures you haven`t yet seen, coming up.
HAMMER: Plus is there really a Britney Spears sex tape? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT gets the story. That`s on the way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Some sad news tonight, Hollywood is mourning the death of acclaimed movie director Robert Altman. Altman directed dozens of movies, including M.A.S.H., The Player, short Cuts, Gosford Park, most recently A Prairie Home Companion. He died in a Los Angeles hospital last night from complications with cancer. Altman was an Oscar nominee for best directory five times, finally won a lifetime achievement Academy Award just this last year. Robert Altman, 81-years-old.
ANDERSON: Tom and Katie`s wedding photos you haven`t seen, coming. Plus, is there really a Britney spears sex tape? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT gets that story straight ahead. Stay with us.
(NEWS BREAK)
(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 in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, do you remember when Katie Holmes gave birth to little Baby Suri?
ANDERSON: I do.
HAMMER: We had to wait five months to see the pictures. They got married - what? - four days ago? And the pictures have been flooding in.
And tonight here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, some TomKat wedding pictures that you have not yet seen.
ANDERSON: Yes, and they are gorgeous. Straight ahead.
Also, A.J., Rosie O`Donnell accused Kelly Ripa of homophobia, and Kelly got angry - got really upset about this and fought back on live television. Coming up, their explosive argument, their really powerful words.
HAMMER: But first tonight: so is there, in fact, a sex tape of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, or not? The rumors have been flying around ever since Britney filed for divorce. And today, a startling announcement from Federline. Federline`s attorney tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that no, there is no sex tape of Britney and K-Fed.
But at the same time, there is no information tonight confirming that their divorce is indeed shaping up to be one ugly battle.
Joining us tonight from Glendale, California, our good friend Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com.
Hello, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Hey, A.J.
HAMMER: As I said, there have been these reports flying around that Britney and Kevin had this sex tape. They`ve been going on ever since the divorce was announced - something that K-Fed, perhaps, could have used as a weapon in the divorce.
His lawyer is saying, No sex tape. I want to read the statement that we got from his lawyer.
"There is not a sex tape of Kevin and Britney in existence. It goes without saying that the stories of Kevin attempting to sell such a video are patently false, and anyone who reports that they have information of such attempts is either lying or reporting the lie of someone else."
Harvey, we usually say, when there`s smoke, there`s fire. What - what`s going on here?
LEVIN: Well, I can tell you that from her side as well, her reps were telling us - I mean, we published this earlier today when we got wind of it. They`re saying the same thing, that there is no such sex tape.
I think the funniest part of this, A.J., is that when - when you just said a minute ago that they made this shocking announcement that there is no sex tape. I mean, it`s shocking that there isn`t.
Yes - I mean, look, they`ve been saying this for awhile now. There was actually a lawsuit over this. They`re saying that, you know, say what you will about them, but they didn`t do that. And they seem to be sticking to their guns. It would be awfully embarrassing at this point if something came out.
So I`m buying it.
HAMMER: Yes, I don`t want to go on YouTube one day - day and see this actual sex tape.
All right. Well, we know that there is a prenup in existence that would actually limit the amount of money K-Fed could get from Britney.
If there`s no sex tape for him to kind of hold over her head and says, You better pay up or else I`m putting this out there, what do you think K- Fed could do to get more money out of Britney at this point?
LEVIN: It`s all about - I think it`s all about partying.
I mean, look, she`s a party girl. And she was partying a lot with him, especially before they had kids. And I`m sure she did things that she wouldn`t want made public. And - you know, look, this is court-approved blackmail. I mean, he is going to say, You know, Britney, some of the stuff you did may go to your fitness as a parent. But maybe we can settle this thing.
And I think, ultimately, he`s going to basically go away for a cash sum. And that`s what`s going to happen here.
HAMMER: But is it, in fact, his lawyer threatening now that there`s something he could bring up in court that could really make this thing, you know, much worse than it is already?
LEVIN: Well, he`s never going to get custody. I mean, clearly, the judge will not go for that.
I think this is about how much will Britney Spears pay to avoid embarrassment? And I mean, I think that`s what this custody fight is all about.
Now that said, I will tell you that today, they are trying to make some kind of arrangements so that he can see the kids. Apparently, he wants to see the children now. He`s been on tour for awhile. She`s coming back to L.A. for the music awards, and they`re going to make some kind of arrangements so he`s going to get some kind of visitation.
HAMMER: Harvey Levin, managing editor for TMZ.com, thanks, as always, Harvey.
LEVIN: Bye, A.J.
ANDERSON: Boy, the daytime dustup between Kelly Ripa and Clay Aiken is getting uglier. And now Rosie O`Donnell is involved, calling Kelly Ripa "homophobic."
OK, in case you missed it, take a look at what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
CLAY AIKEN, SINGER: Oh, that`s a no-no. (INAUDIBLE)
KELLY RIPA, "LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY": Why? Do you (INAUDIBLE), honey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now that was "American Idol" star Clay Aiken co-hosting with Kelly this past Friday on "Live With Regis and Kelly." Regis was off, of course. During the interview with the "Dancing With the Stars" winners, Aiken put his hand over Kelly`s mouth.
Now it looked like he was just playing around, but Kelly was livid. She said it was disrespectful. And that`s not all, folks, because today on "The View," Rosie O`Donnell lashed out at Kelly, saying Kelly`s comments about not knowing where Clay`s hand has been was anti-gay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": Now, listen, to me, that`s a homophobic remark. If that was a straight man, if that was a cute man, if that was a guy that she, you know, didn`t question his sexuality, she would have said a different thing.
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right.
Now, for the record, Clay Aiken has never admitted he`s gay. But there have been plenty of rumors.
Now things got even nastier when Kelly Ripa then called into "The View."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIPA: Rosie, I love you dearly. I have to strongly, strongly disagree. I think what you said is downright outrageous. To me, it never even occurred to me that that would be - and I apologize to you if you felt that way.
What I`m saying is, regardless of whatever the sexual orientation is, it was outrageous. It was out of line. It was unprofessional. And he wouldn`t have done it to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Oh, gee. It looks like when Barbara Walters is away, people will play, but not nicely.
Clay Aiken hasn`t commented yet.
HAMMER: I agree; she was out of line. I`m glad that Kelly was sticking up for what she said.
Well, now we`ve got some more pictures from the TomKat wedding that you haven`t seen. And this is courtesy of our friends at "People" magazine.
Now as you may have heard, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married over the weekend in Bracciano, Italy. Here they are cutting the cake. Look at that; it`s a five-tier monster. "People" says that Katie really did most of the wedding planning.
Let`s show the picture of them smooching. This is after saying their "I do`s." And - and reportedly that kiss lasted several minutes.
You can read more exclusive details about the TomKat wedding in "People" magazine. It`ll be on newsstands tomorrow.
By the way, Tom and Katie are celebrating their honeymoon tonight in the Maldive Islands. That`s a chain in the Indian Ocean. It`s about 400 miles southwest of Sri Lanka.
ANDERSON: All right. I`m probably going to blush a little bit saying this - but there`s a couple that wants everybody around the world to have an orgasm at the same time. Find out why it`s so ridiculous, next.
HAMMER: Hey, you did blush, Brooke - Brooke. I was watching.
Denise and Charlie; Nick and Jessica; Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. Big stars, big breakups. Who made out better? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the "Battle of the Celebrity Exes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASI OKA, ACTOR: To have both, do you have bend time and space?
HAMMER: I mean, come on.
OKA: That`s a twofer.
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ANDERSON: Coming up, a guy who plays a time-traveling superhero on TV talks about what we would go back in time and fix in real life. "Heroes" star Masi Oka, next.
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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.
And it`s time now for a story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
Now, you remember John Lennon and Yoko Ono`s "bed-in." They were asking people to "give peace a chance."
Well, listen to this: there`s a couple in San Francisco that`s taking the concept, I guess you could say, one step further, or a few steps further, calling for the "global orgasm for peace." Apparently they want everyone in the world to have an orgasm December 22 while focusing on world peace.
They say it`s like a mass meditation of sorts, which they think could actually change the world. And if it means laying down your gun for a few minutes - hey, all the better.
A global orgasm for peace? Well, maybe it`s not such a good idea.
ANDERSON: Ah.
HAMMER: "That`s Ridiculous!"
ANDERSON: I think you blushed a little bit, too, A.J.
OK, tonight, "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin is opening up like never before about this ugly divorce and custody battle with Kim Basinger. They`ve been in a really nasty fight since splitting up in 2000. Alec`s writing a book about his devastating divorce experience that nearly killed him.
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LARRY KING, CNN HOST: How do you explain to people who don`t know it how tough a time divorce can be? How devastating.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I wanted to die.
KING: You wanted to die?
BALDWIN: I wanted to die, yes. I went to bed for - I mean, I`m writing this book because I went to bed for about a year - maybe less, maybe more - about a year. When I was about a year and a half into the proceedings and I saw the turn they were taking, and I saw that - that no matter what I did, and when I saw that no matter what goodwill I showed, when I - when I saw that no matter how much conciliation I brought to the table and how much I had hoped for on the other side - when I saw that on the other side, the attorneys were calling all the shots and they were just going to run this thing right into the ground, they - they - they - they didn`t care - mediating and - and coming to any kinds of agreements, they - that was just not on their radar at all.
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ANDERSON: Baldwin is also very candid in his book about an often sticky subject: prenuptial agreements.
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BALDWIN: And we advise people to get prenuptial agreements, not in terms of segregating assets and about financial issues, but prenuptial agreements whereby you have a pre-executed document that will discuss how your marriage will dissolve, if it does dissolve, while you still have a shred of respect for each other.
KING: (LAUGHTER)
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ANDERSON: By the way, that book that Baldwin is working on, "A Promise to Ourselves," comes out in spring of 2007.
And, of course, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger are not the first high-powered star couple to split up. From Britney and Kevin to Reese and Ryan, the big-time breakups just keep on coming.
And that got SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wondering: who has come out on top in some of the most talked-about Hollywood breakups? Whose personal life rebounded, and whose careers tanked?
Tonight, it`s the "Battle of the Celebrity Exes."
Joining us in Hollywood is Daphne Brogdon, host of TV Guide`s "The Fashion Team."
Daphne, I want to kick it off with Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen. Now they got married in 2002; filed for divorce this spring, and boy was it ugly. Their dirty laundry aired all over the press. Denise alleged Charlie did some horrible things. He denied those allegations.
In the end, who came out on top?
DAPHNE BROGDON, TV GUIDE`S "THE FASHION TEAM": OK, I would definitely say, advantage Charlie, because Denise Richards` likeability factor when right down the Calabasas drain.
I mean, who didn`t know - I mean, Charlie Sheen - you know, Heidi Fleiss had him on speed dial. Who didn`t get that memo?
So when she started trashing him, I think people were a little like, So? And then when she goes off with Richie Sambora, while, you know, he`s pulling away, practically, from Heather Locklear`s house in a U-Haul, then everybody was like, No way.
The only thing she`s got going for her now is that she`s nearly iconic with new mothers, because we always think, How did she get her body back so fast?
ANDERSON: And - and Charlie`s career is really on fire right now, to add to that.
BROGDON: Exactly. I mean, he makes like 350 an episode.
ANDERSON: Which is really unbelievable.
And I also want to talk about Nick and Jessica. They`re the next "Battle of Celebrity Exes" on the list.
They had a really fairytale, storybook wedding back in 2002. Just divorced; the divorce was finalized this past June. Jessica seemed to be the more successful one at the time of the divorce, but who has the advantage now? Nick seems to be really happy.
BROGDON: Well, I would - I would agree.
I would say, slight advantage Nick. Because obviously, she`s what divorce lawyers call the "in spouse" - the one with more money. But, you know, keeping with the holiday theme, she`s sort of like the Thanksgiving - Macy`s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you know, balloon. Because she`s really big and everybody knows.
But, you know, then, she needs the guy holding the string at the bottom. Without the likeable husband, do we like her as much?
He`s not scorching up the scene, but he does have a CD. He makes TV appearances. He`s doing a steady - you know, dating a steady gal. He hasn`t done anything wrong. Whereas "Employee of the Month," he movies, naahed (Ph) a little bit. And my gosh, she`s got so much cash, what doesn`t she - what product doesn`t she endorse? In fact, I hear she might be thinking of having a billboard on her long neck, you know, just to bring in some more cash.
ANDERSON: Would we be surprised? OK, so far, the guys have the lead, 2 to zip.
Next in the battle of celebrity exes, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez. They were the famous Bennifer - remember when that term was coined? Photographed all the time; they got engaged in the fall of 2002, then split in early 2004.
Who`s got the advantage now?
BROGDON: Well, now that I`m not a feminist, but I`m going to still give it, advantage Ben, and I`ll tell you why.
I think that when Ben was with JLo, it actually was not that good for his image. Because, you know, we sort of see him as kind of his low- key, affable guy, you know? And he always kind of dressed up with her. It didn`t seem quite right. And he had a lot of movies during that period that, shall we say, Didn`t exactly challenge his acting ability?
ANDERSON: No.
BVRODGON: Now he`s getting critical praise for "Hollywoodland." He`s with Jennifer Garner; he`s got a baby.
JLo hasn`t made any missteps. She always looks beautiful on the red carpet. She seems to be happily married to Marc Anthony. But he`s kind of neutral; he`s no Bobby Brown, but he hasn`t really upped it.
And what has she done? I don`t know - "Monster-In-Law"? Which was funny, but it was funny because of Wanda Sykes, not because of JLo.
ANDERSON: Oh goodness. Daphne Brogdon, always fun. Thanks for being here for the "Battle of the Celebrity Exes".
BROGDON: No problem.
ANDERSON: Daphne Brogdon of TV Guide`s "The Fashion Team."
HAMMER: Well, I`m sure of those couple - those couples wish that they could travel through time just like the character Hiro on the NBC smash hit "Heroes," so they can make some life changes of their own.
Masi Oka plays the guy who can bend time, even time travel, on the series that has been one of the few bright spots in the new TV season.
When I sat down with Oka, I got his take on "Heroes" success, and what he would want to change if he really could go back in time.
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HAMMER: Hiro is such an enormous hit, and this wasn`t necessarily the show - people were saying, Oh, this is a good show, but at the beginning of the season, they weren`t saying, Oh, this isn`t going to be the breakout smash that it`s become.
Why do you think it`s really connecting with so many people?
OKA: Oh, you know, it`s - your - your guess is probably as good as mine.
If I were to pinpoint something, I - I think it`s became Tim Crane (ph) - you know, he`s the - he`s our creator and our show writer. He created an amazing world, and he - he focused on the characters.
At the core it, the show is about an ensemble character drama that has, you know, supernatural elements to it. So because he wrote this amazingly deep characters, I think people respond to the characters, not just the drama. And I think that kind of helped move us along, you know?
HAMMER: But I - I think even more superficially than that, it taps into something that is so basic - we all fantasize, from the time we`re a kid, about having superpowers and seeing it actually play out, is - is a great fantasy that`s achieving reality.
Your character of course, Hiro, can bend time. He can travel through time; he can stop time.
Is - is that the superpower that you basically would like to have, if you were able to have? Because that`s a - that`s pretty cool.
OKA: Oh, yes.
HAMMER: I mean, you can pretty much do anything with that.
OKA: Except I think, just to even have one of them - being able to, like, even teleport - you know, I think that`s just cool. You know, like, especially, coming from L.A. with all the traffic, I want to be able to just go like this, and just be at somewhere.
You know, but to have both - being able to bend time and space.
HAMMER: I mean, come on.
OKA: That`s a twofer.
HAMMER: Yes.
OKA: I mean, come on. If just one of them is cool, having two - how can anybody not be excited about not having both of them, you know?
HAMMER: But - but you can`t turn water into beer like that, which personally would be.
OKA: However, I can stop time and then go - go to .
HAMMER: Help yourself.
OKA: Help myself, and then switch it with a beer.
HAMMER: Yes, I think that`s.
OKA: You could always do that.
HAMMER: That - that is one way around it. You`ve thought this through.
OKA: Exactly.
HAMMER: So have you - have you given it some thought? Because I imagine, you know, getting your head in this character, you`re thinking, well, what would time travel really be like? And what would you actually go back to in time, you know, and perhaps shift around? A date perhaps? Maybe a - you know, a deal - buying a new car, didn`t work out so well?
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OKA: There`s always that.
I would definitely go back - there was, like, probably a pivotal moment in my sophomore year that I would probably go back to and I would see myself and say, Oh my God, do not ask that girl out. Do not ask that - that`s 10 years of therapy right there! Masi, do not ask that girl out!
I would have a much saner view of relationships right now if it wasn`t for that moment. So, I probably would.
HAMMER: Well, what did she do to you, man? I`m - I`m - I`m hurting for you right now. I`m feeling your pain.
OKA: Do you have one hour? I`d be happy to.
HAMMER: No, we really only have about a minute and a half left.
What - what about historically? Is - is there something that you would want to go back in time and visit historically? I - I - I know - hey, you`re - you`re a Brown grad man. You studied the history in - in - in great depths.
OKA: Well, I mean, I always loved, you know, the Mayans and the Incas, like going back to that time and seeing how - see how technology was created - you know, some - when some of the first discoveries were made. I would love to, like, see Edison when he came out with that light bulb moment. I think those would be cool.
There are always, like, historical moments that I would love to go back and, you know, like if I was there, knowing what I have now - you know, to change for - you know, be better for the world, you know?
HAMMER: Sure.
OKA: There`s a lot of things I would - you know, I don`t know how much I could do. But just going back, knowing the knowledge of the future, that could I have changed things for world peace? And things like - there` s definitely things I would think about. But.
HAMMER: Well having a knowledge of the future - you know, I`m taking you back a little bit to when you - you worked for George Lucas Films for a little while, and then you did some other actor work.
But back then, could you ever have imagined that things would turn out the way they have for you, and being on this smash show with a character that is so beloved?
OKA: You know, it`s absolutely a dream come true. It is so surreal.
It`s - it`s funny because, you know, the character Hiro, he gets to live out his dream about being a superhero. And he`s - he`s been dreaming it all his life. And I kind of lived - you know, I kind of lived the same life that Hiro does, because it`s been my dream to do something..
HAMMER: Hey, it`s not vicarious; it is you.
(CROSSTALK)
OKA: It was absolutely fantastic, and.
HAMMER: Well, people love the show. We`re real happy for you.
OKA: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: And continued success with it, Masi. A pleasure to meet you.
OKA: Thank you very much.
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HAMMER: You can catch Masi Oka traveling through time on "Heroes," Monday nights on NBC.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there as family, friends and stars came out in New York City to say goodbye to "60 Minutes" correspondent and longtime CBS newsman Ed Bradley.
Music was a big part of Bradley`s life, and a big part of the ceremony. Jimmy Buffett, Aaron Neville and Wynton Marsalis performed. Also there, Bill Cosby, Paul Simon, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Walter Cronkite and former President Bill Clinton.
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WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: .Forbes. He was like the great jazz musicians he so admired. He always played in the key of reason. His songs were full of the notes of facts. But he knew that to make the most of the music, you`d have to improvise.
I knew I had arrived in national politics when Ed Bradley wanted to interview me. I always preferred watching him interview others.
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ANDERSON: Ed Bradley died two weeks ago from complications of leukemia. He was just 65.
Last night, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Fox Cancels O.J. Simpson Special: Did they do the right thing?"
Very one-sided here. Take a look this: 94 percent of you say yes; only 6 percent of you say no. Not surprising.
Here are some of the e-mails we got:
Tannie writes, "I`m so glad they canceled the book deal for O.J. That whole situation was too bizarre."
But from Daryl from - where`s Daryl from? He`s from Canada. He thinks, they shouldn`t have canceled. "Although I am not a fan of O.J. Simpson . I do however disagree with the obvious censorship of these items."
Thank you for your e-mails.
Stay tuned; SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be right back.
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ANDERSON: Vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Kramer`s Racist Rant: Do you buy Michael Richards` apology?" Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. E-mail us - even video e-mail us - at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Just take a look into your video camera or your webcam, send us a piece of your mind via video e-mail. Find out how to do it, cnn.com/showbiztonight. Then watch for your video e-mails right here, only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Here`s what`s coming up on SHOWIBZ TONIGHT.
Tomorrow, Alicia Silverstone. You knew her from the Aerosmith videos, the movie "Clueless." But this young star certainly has not been clueless when it comes to Hollywood relationships. Her secrets to a successful to a successful Hollywood marriage. Alicia Silverstone, tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, "ER" star Maura Tierney. Abby from the long-running NBC medical drama spills on why she thinks the show is still pulling big numbers after 13 seasons, while some of the others are suffering from ratings emergencies. Plus, she`ll give us the scoop on the shocking Thanksgiving episode. Maura Tierney tomorrow.
And that`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night, everyone; I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
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