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Showbiz Tonight
Reverend Al Sharpton Discusses Conversation With Michael Richards; O.J. Speaks Out About Book and TV Deal; Alicia Silverstone Interview; Maura Tierney Interview
Aired November 22, 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: Two big stories that only SHOWBIZ TONIGHT covers best. Major developments today in the Michael Richards racial controversy. And the shocking O.J. tape you won`t see anywhere else. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: And does a Britney Spears/Kevin Federline sex tape really exist? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the Michael Richards` outrage. Tonight for the very first time the targets of the Seinfeld star`s disgusting racial rant speak out. Plus, the biggest stars in Hollywood tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT what they think of Richards` startling tirade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope he can get it together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know that there are still obviously certain people that have hatred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking, is Richards` apology enough?
O.J. speaks. Tonight, O.J. Simpson talks about the cancellation of his outrageous, If I Did It, TV special and book.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O.J. SIMPSON, FORMER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL STAR: Of course I got paid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Plus, we`ve got O.J. caught on tape like you`ve never seen him before. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes one on one with the guy trying to sell these outrageous O.J. videos. It`s the explosive interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Welcome to the holiday weekend. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. There are huge developments to tell you about tonight in the two biggest controversial stories out there, Seinfeld star Michael Richards` racist rant and the O.J. Simpson debacle.
HAMMER: That`s right, Brooke. O.J. today gave his very first interview since Fox canceled the outrageous TV show and book, in which O.J. was going to tell how he might have killed his ex-wife Nicole, if he did it. We`ll be speaking with the man who is now selling startling tapes of O.J. Simpson, as you`ve never seen him before. There he is.
ANDERSON: A.J., first tonight, the targets of Michael Richards racist tirade are speaking out for the first time, just as the Seinfeld star makes a dramatic phone call to apologize. Reverend Al Sharpton got the call and will join us here in just a moment, as the story of Kramer gone wild shows no sign of letting up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Michael "Kramer" Richards is now taking steps to make up for his ugly racist rant at a Los Angeles comedy club. And his apology on the Late Show with David Letterman was just the beginning.
MICHAEL RICHARDS, ACTOR: I`m concerned about more hate and more rage and more anger coming through.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can now tell you that he has taken a dramatic new step. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Richards has called him to apologize and has agreed to meet with Sharpton in South Central Los Angeles or in Harlem, in New York. Sharpton first broke the news in a call to CNN.
REV. AL SHARPTON, ACTIVIST: I said the here you are, somebody we had in our living room. You were Kramer. We were used to you. And to come and see you say this is frightening to many Americans.
ANDERSON: But not everyone is accepting what Richards has to say.
MATT LAUER, THE TODAY SHOW: Did the apology mean anything to you guys?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not really.
ANDERSON: On NBC`s Today Show the targets of Richards` rant are sending a message to him, apology not accepted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For him to lash out like that was just totally uncalled for.
ANDERSON: Now, for the very first time, we`re hearing the sharp response from the men who bore the brunt of Richards` horrific rant and the unusual resolution they are suggesting. And we`ll show you how the story that has all of America talking, even has Hollywood`s biggest stars talking to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about Kramer`s racist crack up.
JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: Just as a person, if I was in audience, I would have had to have it. I would have went on stage and just took the microphone from him and just said, yo, you need to take a nap.
ANDERSON : America is still reeling from the shock of watching the man who played one of America`s most beloved sitcom characters, unleash a stream of racial slurs at some fans who were making noise during his performance at a Los Angeles comedy club. Two of Richards` targets, Frank McBride and Kyle Doss, went on the Today Show to tell their side of the story. They say trouble began when they and their mixed race group of friends entered the club during Richards` act.
FRANK MCBRIDE, INSULTED BY MICHAEL RICHARDS: There was probably about 15 of us walking in all at once. And we had to order drinks and we had waitresses coming up to us. And I guess we were louder than expected.
KYLE DOSS, INSULTED BY MICHAEL RICHARDS: The first thing he said was, oh, the all the blacks and Mexicans are here.
MCBRIDE: No, he said we have a stupid bunch of Mexicans and blacks that just entered the room.
DOSS: Our first was total shock, I mean, like, there was no punch line, and then not only that, then he kept on going.
MCBRIDE: We kept waiting for a punch line.
DOSS: Yes, then he kept on just going on. He even said -- he even told me -- he was, like, when I wake up I`m still going to be rich. But when you wake up, you`re still going to be a N-word.
ANDERSON: McBride and Doss have retained celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, who appeared with them on the Today Show. She is suggesting an unusual way for Richards to make amends.
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: After he hears the pain that he has inflicted on them, he should listen to the recommendations of a retired judge as to how much compensation he should pay to them.
ANDERSON: They are not the only ones talking about Richards` rant. At the American music awards in Los Angeles, the stars couldn`t wait to talk to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about Richards and what he said.
TYRESE GIBSON, ACTOR/RAPPER/MODEL: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) him. He`s stupid. He is nuts. I would bust him in the mouth if I ever seen him. The most disrespectful (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I`ve ever seen in my life.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the stars reaction to Richards veered from anger and outrage to sadness and pity.
BEYONCE, SINGER: I try to focus on the positivity and just pray that the negative people can wake up one day and see that we`re all the same.
JOSH BROBAN, ACTOR: It was horrendous. I hope is able to control his anger and his problem.
MARY J. BLIGE, SINGER: I feel bad for him because he must be damaged in a way we don`t even understand that caused him to react like that.
PETER WENTZ, FALL OUT BOY: You can`t really blame it on anger or drinking, or whatever it is. I think that any time anybody makes remarks like that, they need to seriously question their own ideals.
THE GAME, RAPPER: It`s a shame, but he said he was sorry, and I think that -- you know, I don`t think he should be ridiculed for the rest of his life.
ANDERSON: So, it`s clear that Richards has some work to do to make up to the people he insulted and to the nation he offended.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We apparently haven`t heard the last apology from Michael Richards. He has hired New York public relations expert Howard Rubenstein to help him deal with the fallout from his incident. Rubenstein tells CNN that his new client, quote, will be doing a good deal of apologies over the next few months.
HAMMER: Well, as you just heard, Michael Richards has reached out to black community leaders. One of those leaders with us tonight here in New York, community activist and host of the Al Sharpton Radio Show, the Reverend Al Sharpton. Reverend Al, always good to see you.
REV. AL SHARPTON, ACTIVIST: Good to see you, A.J.
HAMMER: So, listen, obviously Michael Richards is doing what he can to put this behind him. I think that`s going to be a very long road to travel. What exactly did he say to you on the phone today?
SHARPTON: Well, when he called he said to me that he first wanted to apologize. He felt that what he said he couldn`t explain. He saw that I had called on him not to just apologize on the David Letterman show. I respect Mr. Letterman a lot, but that`s not the crowd or the demographics that he offended. I told him his apology is fine. I don`t think any community leader, national leader can accept an apology on behalf of all black people. I said, what I think you can do is begin a process that can deal with the continuing, lingering problems of racism in the country, which clearly you have found in yourself. What you said was a tirade that came from somewhere.
That anger, that racial hate, that you may or may not have known was there, obviously became something that you came out with and you kept going with it. This was not a slip of the tongue. If you can help in a dialogue that can lead us to dealing with that lingering problem, then I think that it becomes something that good comes out of this, not just somebody saying, I`m sorry and some others saying, OK, let`s go on.
HAMMER: So, how did he respond to your suggestions?
SHARPTON: He said that he wanted to talk. He would be open to whatever continued dialogue that some of us decide that we would do. And he wanted me to get back with him. I told him I would. And I told him I was going to share with my national radio audience and others that we had talked, but that I was not in a position to say this is over or that I accepted an apology, but that unfortunately he represents a continuing problem.
I told him last Monday -- I was on the stage in Washington, D.C., where they broke the ground for the Martin Luther King monument. It showed us how far we have come. Then by the end of the week, his tirade shows us how far we still have to go. And I think that if we could recognize that we`ve made a lot of progress, but not be in denial that it`s all over with, then I think we can continue the task. He could, in a weird way, be something that could help us along that way.
HAMMER: That is a great irony of this whole situation and I agree, there is always a benefit to having this much needed dialogue and having it continue in our country. But when you look at this piece of tape of him going off on this venomous rant, it is just difficult. And I`ve had to watch it a lot at this point. Do you think anybody is actually really going to accept his apology or are we just going to have to watch his actions and decide down the road?
SHARPTON: I think that we`ll have to watch his actions. But I think the issue is bigger than him. I think that what we really have got to come to terms with and is healthy for all Americans to do it and it`s painful for some of us that are African American. Here`s a guy that we got comfortable sitting in our living rooms watching every night. This is Kramer. This isn`t some guy in 1930 with a bib on down south and with tobacco juice running down his jaw.
This is Kramer. And if he feels this way about us, it`s a little frightening. So I think that maybe it means that all of us have got to say, wait a minute, let`s look at what`s going on here. On the other hand, we also have got to look at those of us, even in the African American community, that has giving license to the use of the N-word, that we have really got to say wait a minute, we`ve got to draw the line, because we cannot be the only people in America that doesn`t have a word that denigrates and desecrates us.
HAMMER: Reverend Al, you do say that it is bigger than him, and I do agree with you on that. This is a much bigger problem than one person and maybe he has brought to the surface what we should be talking about. I`ve got about 30 second here. A lot of people have been saying though, and they said this about Mel Gibson as well, for him to have actually said what he said, regardless of the motivation, regardless of what pushed him to that point, he`s got to have it inside of him. So do you think Michael Richards is a racist?
SHARPTON: I think that he absolutely has had racist feelings, racist tendencies. Whether he was a practicing, go to the clan meeting at midnight, racist or not, he certainly had those feelings. They came out. The frightening part, why we need the dialogue, is who else in Hollywood, who may not be in front of the camera, but may be in the corporate boardroom, may have those feelings, and I hope SHOWBIZ TONIGHT helps keep the cameras on until we can get all of the racism out of Hollywood and every other place in America.
HAMMER: Wouldn`t that be a fine day Reverend Al? Wouldn`t that be a fine day?
SHARPTON: That`s the day we`ve got to try to work towards.
HAMMER: Well, Reverend Al Sharpton, we always appreciate having you on the show.
SHARPTON: Thank you.
HAMMER: And We, of course, will have much more on the Michael Richards fallout when the biggest stars in Hollywood tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT what they think of Richards` startling tirade. We`ll get into that at 30 past the hour.
Coming up, O.J. caught on tape like you`ve never seen him before. The guy that`s actually trying to sell the tapes is on the way.
ANDERSON: Also, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT finds out once and for all, is there a XXX Britney Spears/Kevin Federline sex tape?
HAMMER: And tonight the SHOWBIZ Weight Watch continues. We cover this stuff like nobody else, the continuing battle with body image in Hollywood. We`re going to catch up with Nicole Richie. This is her actual very first major appearances since she sought help for being too skinny. We`re going to have that coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT as we get into the holiday weekend. We`ll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Tonight, for the very first time since his TV show and book mess, O.J. Simpson is speaking out. And if you were outraged before, wait until you take a listen to this. In a very shocking Miami radio interview this morning -- O.J. lives in Florida -- he says that his canceled If I Did It book and Fox TV special were not confessions where he was going to talk about how he would have killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, if he had done it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMPSON: Don`t ever be led to believe that this opened up old wounds. Every month the Goldmans are on TV opening up those old wounds. You know, my pity -- I used to feel sorry for them, but guess what, I feel sorry for the football player`s family that got shot. I feel sorry for the body bags that I see coming to this local area from Iraq. You know, you can only feel sorry for one family so long.
There`s been a lot of death, a lot of unsolved murders, a lot of tragedy in America in the last 12 years, and Goldmans, them, they have got to stop being professional victims. You know, there are other people in this world that are suffering from other things. My family suffered. Nicole was the love of my life. I suffered. I didn`t kill them, no matter what everybody wants to say, I didn`t do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Now, you remember, O.J., of course, was acquitted of killing them, but he was found civilly liable for their death and he owes the families more than 30 million dollars. I want you to take a listen to O.J., and this is definitely going to get your blood boiling. He`s responding here to the anger about him reportedly getting paid millions for this book and Fox TV show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMPSON: Come on, guys. Let`s grow up. Would everybody stop being so naive? Let`s grow up. Of course I got paid. Of course I spent the money on my bills. It`s gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So in terms of the Goldmans --
SIMPSON: It`s gone. I deserve the right to earn money, if I can earn money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But O.J., wait, wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does that affect the judgment? I think that`s what people are saying. Any time you earn money, --
SIMPSON: It doesn`t.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, because people think that any time you get a check, the Goldmans get a check.
SIMPSON: No, that`s not correct. And guess what? There are people who I owe before the Goldmans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Narcissism with a capital N. Well from that shocking radio interview to more outrageous video footage of O.J. Simpson, caught on tape saying and doing some absolutely unbelievable things. Producer Norm Pardo followed O.J. for four years and logged 70 hours of video, things like O.J. getting lap dances. Joining me tonight from Detroit, Norm Pardo. I appreciate you being with us, Norm.
NORM PARDO, DIRECTOR: Thanks for having me.
HAMMER: You know, there has been plenty of controversy surrounding the amount of money that O.J. could have made from this Fox fiasco. On the tapes that he shot with you over the course of those four years, at one point he says, I`ll do anything to make a dollar. Did you kind of walk away from your experience with him believing he would do anything for a buck?
PARDO: Well, it`s all about the money. It`s all about the money with a lot of people. I never at one time felt Fox was going to air this. I knew that this was basically the same thing Barbara Walters did. She did the same thing.
HAMMER: You knew from the start that this Fox project was dead on arrival.
PARDO: That`s correct. I knew that was going nowhere. I knew that he managed to dupe Fox into doing it. He`s a very smart man. They under estimated him.
HAMMER: So you think that he took advantage of their naivete in this situation. This is a big corporation we`re talking about.
PARDO: For anybody to believe that O.J. Simpson, to start with, would go on Fox, on my tapes, that`s the network that he despised the most. I mean, he -- he hated Fox. Fox hired Mark Furman as a commentator --
HAMMER: He would do anything for money, as you have said. I want to talk a little more about the tapes that you shot because, again, you spent over four years with the guy. You were a promoter for O.J. You were on the road with him, shooting tape of him as he went on his various appearances. I want to take a look at a particular interview he had with Wendy Williams on her radio show, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMPSON: If I listened to the stuff, I would be in the nut house right now. If I read the tabloids and listened to the talk radio people, I would be in a complete nut house. I would be ready to jump on somebody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do what to somebody?
SIMPSON: Hurt somebody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I would be ready to hurt somebody. Now, if you ask me, not something you would say after, you know, much of the country thinks that you murdered two people. Did he say other things in the course of the time you spent with him that were probably inappropriate at that level?
PARDO: Well, most all of it was. I mean, that`s why I was catching behind the scenes.
HAMMER: Can you give me -- can you give me an example of the outrageous things he said in your presence?
PARDO: There`s just too many of them that`s running through my head right now to really pick one out of the nest. I don`t think I can.
HAMMER: Then let`s take a look at a particularly interesting piece of video that you shot, O.J. getting a little lap dance. And what comes to mind when you look at the video and when you see much of what you were able to capture in this time with him, you know, O.J. doesn`t really care what others think of him, does he.
PARDO: No, not at all.
HAMMER: And did Narcissism, that`s the term that keeps coming back in my head, is that something that struck you as one of the bigger qualities that this man has?
PARDO: O.J. Simpson is O.J. Simpson. He never knew anything bad happened. And that`s why I knew he would never confess to anybody and that was just a farce from Fox. Because in his own mind nothing ever happened, nothing has ever changed. He does not read the tabloids. What he said was correct. He will never read the tabloids or anything written about him.
HAMMER: In terms of the tapes that you have, Norm, there have been some conflicting reports flying around as far as those are concerned. Are you in fact selling them, or are you still pitching them around, or have you sold the tapes already?
PARDO: We`re working with a couple different networks to try to put together a program.
HAMMER: What are you --
PARDO: I want them edited as a documentary to show O.J. Simpson, both sides of him, the way it was meant to be, not, you know, where he`s going to confess on TV, blah blah blah -- the real tapes, just him out in the streets. You can see him for what he is. And then you, like me, would have known he would have never confessed on Fox.
HAMMER: Well, Norm, you did spend that amount of time with him. It`s a long time, four years, to be hanging out with this guy. I got to ask you. Do you think he did it?
PARDO: I think he doesn`t think he did it. In his mind he does not think he did anything wrong. And every time you ask him he tends to blow up. He blows up on the tapes.
HAMMER: What about you, Norm?
PARDO: I`m trying to keep an open mind to this and I`m not going to sway people with what I`m really thinking right now. I think that O.J. Simpson is a very smart man and never underestimate him.
HAMMER: Norm Pardo, thanks for joining us tonight. I appreciate it.
PARDO: Thank you for having me on your show.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT finds out once and for all, is there a XXX Britney Spears-Kevin Federline sex tape?
HAMMER: Another startling twist in the Clay Aiken-Kelly Ripa-Rosie O`Donnell battle. We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think women in general are always -- whether you`re an actor or not, there is always going to be pressure, and part of it is the images that we`re seeing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A Clueless star who is certainly not clueless about body image and marriage in Hollywood. Alicia Silverstone in a revealing interview you`ll see only right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It`s time now for the SHOWBIZ Weight Watch. Nobody covers body image and Hollywood like SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and the American Music Awards gave us lots to talk about.
First, we were all surprised when we saw American Idol`s Taylor Hicks. Look at him. He definitely looks like he has dropped some weight since American Idol. And speaking of Idol, we caught up with season four winner Carrie Underwood, who talked about her weight loss. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE UNDERWOOD, AMERICAN IDOL WINNER: It is kind of a hard thing, because when you lose weight initially, everybody says, oh, you look so awesome Carrie. Oh my gosh, you look great, you look great, you look great, which makes you think, wow, I looked horrible before. And then when you lose the weight and you see pictures of yourself before, you think, what was I doing? And, I don`t know, it`s all about when people start telling you -- when your stylist starts saying it is going to be hard to dress you pretty soon, you know, you probably need to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The AMAs also marked Nicole Richie`s first major public appearance since seeking treatment for her weight issues. She introduced her father, Lionel Richie, and we have got to say she looked healthier than she has in a while. Nicole, we`re rooting for you.
HAMMER: Coming up, a Clueless star who is definitely not clueless about body image in Hollywood. Alicia Silverstone on how she deals with the pressure to be thin.
ANDERSON: Also, the Michael Richards` outrage. The biggest stars in Hollywood tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT what they think of the Seinfeld star`s startling racist rant.
HAMMER: Oh, and while we`re talking about Michael Richards, we`ll pose the question, why ain`t Michael Richards a real turkey for what he said? We`re going to have the bizarre connection to the White House turkey pardon and Michael Richards. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(NEWSBREAK)
(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.
A.J., Kelly Ripa and Rosie O`Donnell had it out -- a heated argument on live television -- because Rosie called Kelly "homophobic," and then of course Kelly defended herself. It was all over something that Kelly said to Clay Aiken.
Well, now, Barbara Walters is jumping into the middle of the whole thing, and we`re going to show you how, coming up.
HAMMER: And I think we`re going to finally get to put an end to that particular debacle that`s going on.
Also, Brooke, I don`t know about you, but for many millions of Americans, "E.R." one of the favorite and most beloved shows on television. I`ve loved it for the 13 years it`s been on. Over the past eight years particularly because of Maura Tierney, who plays Abby Lockhart.
ANDERSON: She`s great. Yes.
HAMMER: Now -- now Dr. Abby Lockhart. What a character, what an actress, and she is here. I`m very excited to have her on the program, coming up. It`ll be the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
ANDERSON: That`s right.
But first, it appeared last night that Britney Spears and her soon-to- be ex-husband Kevin Federline bumped into each other, and Britney was not thrilled about it at all.
You got to check out this Jimmy Kimmel skit from the American Music Awards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS HOST: There he was, Kevin Federline, everyone. He is now being sealed tightly in this crate. Don`t worry; the crate -- the crate is soundproof. We will not be able to hear him sing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Harsh, but kind of funny, right?
Well, the K-Fed look-alike got packed up, shipped out and then dumped into the ocean. And he was a "no-hit wonder."
Well, just after that, Britney popped onto the stage -- a surprise visit to present the award for Best Soul R&B Artist. Boy, a little bit awkward there.
Kimmel says he went through with it because Brit and K-Fed have a great sense of humor. Well, we can tell you that apparently -- that apparently is not the case. Because we`re hearing that Britney is peeved - - big time, furious at the K-Fed skit.
So, how furious?
Well, with us tonight from Glendale, California, our good friend Harvey Levin, the managing editor of TMZ.com, which broke the news about Britney.
Now, Harvey, I used the word "peeved." But apparently that doesn`t begin to describe how upset Britney was, right?
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Yes, they were furious, and she particularly. I am told that the word that was used at one point was "inconsolable," just in terms of her anger at this. She kind of felt set up.
And they wanted this West Coast feed stopped, and the network would not do it.
ANDERSON: OK, she felt set up.
You know, her divorce from Kevin Federline seems to have gotten angry. It`s a bit bitter.
So why do you think she would be so upset by this?
LEVIN: I think it has to do with the kids. I mean, we broke a story yesterday that basically, they came together; he really wanted to see the kids while she was out there. So they were trying to make some kind of private arrangements. And it was the first kind of glimmer of a truce in this. And -- you know, it made it look like she was kind of putting her stamp on this kind of Kevin-bashing skit on national TV. And she just did not want that.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Well, let`s move on now to those rumors that there is a sex tape of Britney and Kevin that Kevin has -- the rumors Kevin has it. And it was reported that Kevin was planning to use it as a negotiating chip in their divorce settlement.
I want to take a listen now to what Kevin Federline`s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told -- told us at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK VINCENT KAPLAN, FEDERLINE`S ATTORNEY: I want to put this issue to rest once and for all. There is not a sex video 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 reports that they have information of such activities by Kevin is either lying or repeating and reporting the lie of someone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You know, the attorney pretty adamant there. And Harvey, we know that if -- if a tape did exist, you guys would probably get your hands on it.
Do you buy this?
(LAUGHTER)
LEVIN: Now that isn`t necessarily true. Well, maybe it`s true.
ANDERSON: You know it is.
LEVIN: Look, I`ll tell you this: Britney also is saying there is no sex tape, and they have been saying this for awhile. I mean, there has been a press report out there for some time now that it exists. They`ve always said it didn`t.
And I think what Mark Vincent Kaplan is basically saying is, we`ll sue you if you perpetuate this lie.
ANDERSON: Well, if there is in fact no tape, what kind of negotiating power do you think K-Fed has in the divorce? Because Britney had what everybody`s calling an iron-clad prenup.
LEVIN: Well, look, she`s a party girl. And she partied with him. And there are probably things she did that she doesn`t necessarily want out in public. And I think, you know, he`ll argue, Look, you know, there are - - this is about custody and about your fitness, and there are going to be things I`m going to bring out. However if we settle this thing, maybe, you know, we can resolve it.
So my guess is it`s going to cost her some money. He`ll end up with visitation, she`ll get custody, and that will be the end of it.
ANDERSON: We will wait to see how it all shakes out.
All right. Harvey Levin, managing editor of the entertainment news Web site TMZ.com, thanks so much.
LEVIN: Have a good Thanksgiving.
ANDERSON: You too.
Stand-up comic and actor Michael Richards` rant has sent shockwaves through Hollywood. Many people are shaking their heads in obvious disbelief.
Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went straight to the stars to find out how this rant changed their view of the once-beloved sitcom star.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL RICHARDS, ACTOR: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
RICHARDS: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oooh. Oooh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The tirade was all the buzz at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Many stars told us the fact that Richards was caught on tape makes this controversy very tough to overcome.
Their reactions varied. But they were all shocked that Richards used the n-word at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISAIAH WASHINGTON, ACTOR: A man who used it is -- has to deal with his own karma. That man has to deal with his own emotions. That man has to be able to come to some kind of concession in his own soul for whatever happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE, SINGER/ACTRESS: I know that there`s still obviously certain people that have hatred. But I don`t really try to focus on that. I try to focus on the positivity and just pray that the negative people can wake up one day and see that we`re all the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE FOXX, COMEDIAN/ACTOR/SINGER: And I made some comments about it just as a comic. Like, yo, I would have -- I would have whooped him on site. But at the same time, it`s sad to see a person build such a career like that, and then have it torn down because of some things that he was going -- going through. Because everybody loves his character. And eventually, I`m sure some type of way he`ll come back in. But it`s sad to see it come out so ugly -- so ugly like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN MCKNIGHT, SINGER: What I`d like to believe -- that this was an isolated incident. But, you know, being African-American or black, whatever we call ourselves these days, you kind of tend to think that if people can go that far, that it`s -- that there may be something.
So hopefully I hope he can get together, and, you know, maybe make some amends on that front. But, you know, maybe some of us will look at him a little differently now. I don`t know. I don`t know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Other stars had much harsher words for Richards. Still, many of them said only time will tell as to whether Richards can heal the scars this incident has created.
HAMMER: Well, it`s time now for Claygate, Day 5. As the story just keeps getting wilder, I would still like to call this, hopefully, "The Final Chapter."
This, of course, all started Friday, when Clay Aiken, filling in for Regis Philbin on "Live With Regis and Kelly," put his hand over Kelly Ripa`s mouth to stop her from speaking. Well, Ripa was not pleased. She said she didn`t know where his hand had been, and so on.
And -- well, take a look at what happened when Clay and Tori Spelling, that is, introduced a performance at the American Music Awards last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLAY AIKEN, SINGER: Our next performer has played with such greats as B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy. He`s a pop artist with the soul of a.
TORI SPELLING, ACTRESS: And I`ll tell you where that hand`s been later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK.
The other big part of this story is happening over at "The View," when yesterday Rosie O`Donnell accused Kelly Ripa of homophobia. Kelly called in to defend herself, rightly so. Got pretty heated along the way. Barbara Walters was off yesterday.
But take a look at how Barbara opened the show today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": Rosie O`Donnell is one of the kindest, most sensitive people I know. And so is our friend Kelly Ripa. And Rosie and Kelly talked yesterday after the show. Rosie and Clay Aiken have talked, and all is well with the world. And all is well with them.
So let`s move on. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Nice going, Barbara.
Ripa has said that Clay`s hand-over-mouth routine was disrespectful -- a major no-no, especially during cold-and-flu season. I couldn`t agree with you more, Kelly.
Now we just want to take a moment to show you something we found today. This is a screen capture on a Kelly Ripa fan site from a show last February. It seems that Kelly may have a bit of trouble keeping her hand to herself as well. But, you know, it probably wasn`t after she shook everybody`s hand in the audience. So let`s just declare that over.
Moving on now, what`s in a name? Well, plenty, if you`re one of the unfortunate kids whose parents decided to name you after a sneaker. That`s next.
ANDERSON: Plus, pardon my turkey. The annual turkey pardon at the White House is serving up plenty of comedy on the side. We`re going to have that, and also this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALICIA SILVERSTONE, ACTRESS: I think women in general are always going -- whether you`re an actor or not, there`s always going to be pressure. And part of it is the images that we`re seeing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A very non-clueless Alicia Silverstone on body image in Hollywood. How she has made peace with the pressure to be thin. That`s coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand by to your break. Roll your break, and effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
It`s time now for yet another story that made us say, "That`s Ridiculous!"
All right. Baby names like Matthew, Robert, Amanda, Jennifer -- those are pretty common, right? Well, there`s actually a new survey from findmypast.com that says that names like Tiger and Madonna are pretty popular these days. Other ones like Snoop -- of course, after rapper Snoop Dogg. But even Reebok and Adidas -- yes, just like the sneakers. Those are popping up on birth certificates everywhere.
You know, I can deal with Madonna, maybe even Tiger. But naming your kids after shoes? Now "That`s Ridiculous!"
We even have other crazy-names news tonight. Hard to believe, but this is a time-honored Thanksgiving tradition we all know about: the pardoning of a turkey at the White House. There`s also an online vote where you get to name the lucky turkey.
Watch closely. Here`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It`s time to play "name that turkey." Every year, it`s the same routine, except for the year the turkey pecked at the president.
But even if the bird attacks, it gets pardoned. Unlike millions of others, it will survive.
And while we`re pardoning the turkey, pardon the jokes.
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: President Bush will pardon the turkey, and today Dick Cheney spent all day torturing it.
MOOS: The vice president is the butt of many a tortured turkey joke on the Web.
And speaking of turkeys, after the comedian who played Kramer yelled at an African-American heckler saying, "we would have had you upside down with a fork up your expletive," this showed up on "The Huffington Post."
There`s a new flock of turkey commercials this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honey! The turkey`s thawed.
MOOS: This one is for a frozen turkey you can just pop in the oven.
The Web ads are exaggerations of things real customers have done. For instance, this one is based on the story of a lady who dropped her turkey on the floor, but ate it anyway.
As for the national turkey and the alternate that serves as a backup, every year there`s a naming contest on the White House Web site. Click on your favorite.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flyer and Fryer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I like Plymouth and Rock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Corn and Copio.
MOOS (on camera): Copia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh.
MOOS: Cornucopia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I don`t really care.
MOOS (voice-over): No leftovers for him.
The leading choice in our survey...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ben and Franklin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ben and Franklin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like Ben and Franklin. Reminds me of money.
MOOS: But if they allowed write-ins...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would name the turkey Bush and Cheney. And I -- then I wouldn`t give them a pardon.
MOOS: Whatever their names are, United is flying them first class from Washington to L.A. to be the honorary grand marshals in Disneyland`s Thanksgiving parade. The two cages will take up four seats in first class. Sure beats the way most turkeys are treated. The White House turkeys get to thrive, not just survive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Happy birthday to you. That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
A quick update from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Thanksgiving Desk -- apparently we have a Thanksgiving Desk. The winning names for the pardoned turkey and alternate are, in fact, in. And they are, in act, Flyer and Fryer. How good.
ANDERSON: And now more of the "SHOWBIZ Weight Watch." Nobody covers body image in Hollywood like SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And tonight, we have some surprisingly candid and insightful comments on the topic from one of Hollywood`s hottest stars. We`ll never forget her as Cher from "Clueless," Alicia Silverstone.
I caught up with Alicia as she was promoting her new Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "Candles on Bay Street." In it, she plays a single mom in Maine.
I asked her how she handles Hollywood`s obsession with weight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Today, we`re seeing more and more actresses wasting away before our very eyes.
Do you feel a pressure? Obviously, you`re very beautiful and slender. But you`re not emaciated like we see so many people.
But do you feel a certain pressure?
SILVERSTONE: Well, there`s always what I called my "work weight."
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: I have that, too.
SILVERSTONE: Yes, you have your work weight, and then your normal -- because, you know, you can`t be an -- it would be very unhealthy to think that if you`re, you know, a pound over your work weight, that that`s not healthy.
ANDERSON: Right. That`s ridiculous.
SILVERSTONE: But, you know, if you got to fit in a costume, then you got to fit in a costume.
So there`s a whole sort of -- I think I have a healthy idea of what`s going on. I think women in general are always going -- whether you`re an actor or not, there`s always going to be pressure. And part of it is the images that we`re seeing, the people on TV, the -- the -- the magazines, whatever. It`s all encouraging you to be a certain way.
But I`ve come -- you know, I`ve come to peace with, as long as I`m eating really healthy -- you know, I`m a -- I`m a vegan most of the time, on -- on my good time. And I -- you know, that`s really, for me, a spiritual decision, a physical decision. It does -- it`s good for all my being.
And so if that keeps me looking great, well then, I don`t think there`s anything wrong with looking great.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And you can see Alicia Silverstone in "Candles on Bay Street" Sunday on CBS.
HAMMER: Well, "E.R." fans know Maura Tierney as Dr. Abby Lockhart on the show. Maura`s character struggles with the demands of motherhood and career.
But "E.R.," which is now in its 13th amazing season, is certainly not struggling. In fact, it`s one of the few consistent hits on TV.
Maura Tierney joining me here in New York.
It`s so nice to meet you.
MAURA TIERNEY, ACTRESS: So nice to meet you.
HAMMER: I`m a huge fan of the show. I`ve been watching it all the while, and I think this season in particular has really taken off.
I have to ask you -- because you`ve been there for eight years now, eight seasons, right?
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: Playing a nurse, and now a doctor. And we know that fans are always confusing the actors and the characters. So I have to believe people come up to you all the time, saying (ph), Well, can you help me out? I got a little pain in my shoulder. And what can I do about that?
Does that go on? Maybe not in that accent.
(LAUGHTER)
TIERNEY: They do it in a Russian accent.
No, I -- they don`t do it that much. I`m a little more guilty of doing that than other people. Like, if someone says, I have a headache or I have a pain in my shoulder, I`ll be like, Well, where does it hurt? And how does it feel? And can you move it? Like, I think I can somehow diagnose what`s wrong with them.
So I`m more guilty of that than.
HAMMER: Well, they send you home with the medical journals. You know the lingo.
TIERNEY: I know I can say the lingo.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: Will you give me a little lingo? Come on, rattle something off. We`re in the E.R. right now.
TIERNEY: I can say the lab tests we have to order -- CBC, Chem 7 -- wait, CBC, Chem 7, Lipase (ph), FFTs, Tibancross 4 (ph) -- Calcium.
HAMMER: You`re off for the holidays, Maura. You don`t need worry about that right now.
As I mentioned, the show`s been on for 13 seasons right now.
TIERNEY: Middle medium steinam (ph).
HAMMER: OK.
TIERNEY: Perichidosis (ph).
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: If any of them come up in the course of the interview, you just.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: This season, as I mentioned though is -- I think the show got a real shot in the arm, no pun intended. John Stamos, a great addition to the program.
He was actually here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT not that long ago, and we were talking about him being a single guy and working on the show. And the fact that the women all over the set are doing their best to set him up on dates.
Are you -- do you have a hand in that all? Are you guilty of trying to hook up John?
TIERNEY: No.
HAMMER: Not doing that?
TIERNEY: No, I`m not trying to hook up John.
HAMMER: OK.
TIERNEY: Or anybody. It`s John in -- I`d love him to be happy. But with a nice girl.
But I don`t really -- no.
HAMMER: Not your thing to be fixing people.
TIERNEY: Not my thing. I don`t have enough confidence. I would be - - because don`t you think that would be scary?
HAMMER: Oh, yes.
TIERNEY: Hooking up two people you know.
(CROSSTALK)
TIERNEY: Yes, and I`m very irresponsible. So.
HAMMER: Well, tomorrow night, you -- on the program we`ll see that you have a great deal of responsibility in terms of the fact that you are at the center of the episode. It`s Thanksgiving night; you`re on your way from dinner, and you come up across this accident, a very tragic accident.
You know, we`re always hearing how doctors in real life suffer because they have to deal with tragedies with constantly. I have to believe -- especially because of how realistic the character is and the show is -- that it does -- it does affect you in some way, dealing with these -- these storylines, and how realistic they are, despite the fact that it`s on a set.
Am I wrong?
TIERNEY: Yes. Well, you know, it`s right and wrong.
I mean, I -- sometimes, what can affect you sometimes is sort of like at the beginning of the year, and the end of last season, Goran and I, you know, is having a baby, and the baby was sick. And, you know, there was several episodes where the baby was dying. And that stuff is a little hard to do everyday, because you just have to be sad all the time, all day, in every scene.
But you would be surprised as to how much humor there is in the rumor, even when one of the patients is dying.
HAMMER: You got to keep it light.
TIERNEY: We got to keep it light. So -- and we manage to do that. Sometimes we really have to tense up, because it`s, like, you know.
(CROSSTALK)
TIERNEY: Do your crying monologue. But we have good times.
HAMMER: We`ll look forward to seeing that episode tomorrow night. But we`ll look forward to seeing a lighter side of you tomorrow, hanging out with Al Roker at the Thanksgiving parade.
I appreciate you stopping by.
TIERNEY: Sure. Thank you.
HAMMER: Once again, you can catch Maura in "E.R." tomorrow night on NBC.
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." And it is this: "Kramer`s Racist Rant: Do you buy Michael Richards` apology?"
The vote so far: 34 percent of you say yes; 66 percent of you say no.
Here`s some of the e-mails we received:
Rose from Florida writes, "If you are trouble not a racist, those words wouldn`t even be in your vocabulary."
Dolly from Ontario, Canada, says, "Watching that apology made me feel sick to my stomach. I hope that his career suffers for this."
Keep voting, and sit tight. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We`ve been asking you to 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. And write to us; here`s the address: ShowbizTonight@CNN.com.
Also, head to our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight, rather, to learn how to send us a video e-mail. Remember, the videos have to be 30 seconds or less. Keep them short and sweet. Then watch for them, right here, only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, tomorrow.
Love is in the air. It`s a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: "Romance in Hollywood." Stars in love, stars breaking up, stars marrying too young, stars fighting love on the set. It`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special, "Romance in Hollywood."
Happy Thanksgiving. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Happy Turkey Day, everybody. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Glenn Beck is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
END
