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Showbiz Tonight
Has Barbara Walters Credibility Been Hurt By Trump/Rosie Feud?; Miss America on Work to Stop Drunk Driving
Aired January 11, 2007 - 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: Shocking details about the alleged Yoko Ono blackmail plot, including John Lennon`s say supposedly calling his dad a wife beater. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And why "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell doesn`t want Bob Dylan on the show, ever. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, actually, Justin, we`re bringing your ex, Britney, back. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the must hear advice from Hollywood`s biggest stars on how to save Britney Spears from herself. Listen up Brit, because this might be your very last chance to get your life and career back on track.
Yes, why can`t Rosie, the Donald and Barbara just get along? Tonight, Barbara`s jaw-dropping response to Trump`s claim she is a liar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": That poor, pathetic man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, searching for the truth about who`s really lying. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with a five-step plan to end the whole nasty mess. Oh, we can always dream, right?
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And Britney Spears, please, listen up. We spoke with some of Hollywood`s biggest stars, and boy, do they have some advice for you.
HAMMER: But first tonight, let me tell you that if Rosie O`Donnell, Donald Trump, and Barbara Walters were all kids in the school yards, the words coming out of their mouths would probably sound like this -- liar, liar, pants on fire! Yes, the downright juvenile war of words involving all of them exploded once again today when Barbara returned to "The View" with Rosie, the day after Trump called her a liar for denying that she said nasty things to him about Rosie. Get a load of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": Well, he`s at it again. How about that, Barbara? Are you OK, Barbara?
WALTERS: I`m OK darling, are you OK?
O`DONNELL: I`m OK too. We`re both OK.
What can you say about that guy?
WALTERS: That poor, pathetic man!
O`DONNELL: Give me a high five!
WALTERS: He just can`t let go. But we`re moving on.
O`DONNELL: The man is obsessed with me! and I`m happy to say, his show tanked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right, Rosie was, of course, referring to the debut this week of the latest season of Trump`s, "The Apprentice." And the words had barely come out of her mouth before Trump fired of his latest liar, liar, pants on fire response, defending "The Apprentice`s" ratings and taking dead aim at Barbara.
Here`s what he wrote, "Barbara Walters has taken the low road for the sake of her show rather than the sake of her morality. She lied with Star Jones and now she has chosen to lie again. She refused to discuss my recent letter because she knows it is true and so does Rosie. They didn`t even have the courage to mention me by name. It was sad to see Barbara read her statement off a cue card. Rosie just pushed her out like a pathetic puppet.
Barbara has become a sad figure head, dominated by a third-rate comedian. And now I wish she had not chosen me as one of the ten most fascinating people."
Wow, so many insults, so little time. Let`s go to the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT insult score card because we`ve been keeping track here, which includes, on the board, Trump calling Rosie everything from a slob to a degenerate and a loser. Rosie calling the Donald a comb-over bunny. And Barbara calling Trump, as you just heard, a poor pathetic man.
So what do you say? Isn`t it time we just round them all up and send them off to the principal`s office? With me tonight from Hollywood editor for TV Guide, Mary Murphy, also in Hollywood, co-host of TV Guide Channel`s "The Fashion Team," Daphne Brogden. Ladies, I welcome you to the program.
The battle continues now. Could you ever have imagined, Mary, that this feud, this fight, could have gotten this nasty, this ridiculous, this juvenile?
MARY MURPHY, TV GUIDE: Well, I think, speaking of juvenile, that maybe their kids should get together, Rosie`s and Donald`s, and play in the schoolyard and maybe they could work it out.
HAMMER: I`ve got a plan for that. What do you think Daphne? This has gotten completely out of control now.
DAPHNE BROGDON, "THE FASHION TEAM": Yes, I think the problem is that none of them have any sense of humor about themselves, so I think that what they should really do is try to laugh it off, do a buddy action adventure where Donald tries to save the gay family cruise from a terrorist attack.
HAMMER: Oh, I see you guys have come up with your own little list too. All right, we`ll be getting more into the list that I`ve come up with in my head, but I do want to talk here about Barbara`s credibility. Because it is really being called into question, and it`s not the first time this has happened. Now Mary, you remember during the whole Star Jones mess, Walters looked right into the camera, and she basically said that Star`s job was safe. Shortly after that, we all know, Star gone from "The View." So, is this latest mess, Mary, going to hurt Barbara?
MURPHY: Barbara Walters is the dean of women of American journalism. This is not going to hurt her. And so what? She chose "The View" over Star, and "The View" over the Donald? This is exactly what she should have done.
HAMMER: What do you think about that, Daphne? Because it just seems so blatant. And, you know, Donald, in all likelihood, would not have put those things in writing if there wasn`t some modicum of truth to Barbara having said those nasty things about Rosie O`Donnell to Barbara Walters, if you follow me.
BROGDON: You can kind of see it. You know, they are on some swanky upper east side party, sipping martinis, and she`s kind like, oh boy does my co-worker bug me. And so he goes and runs with it. The truth is, what little social chatter, it`s off the record. He probably should have kept his mouth shut. So there probably is a modicum of truth. And also there is a modicum of truth in that he says Rosie is overly dominating that show. I mean, I`m a part time stay at home mom and for me "The View" has kind of lost a little of its luster, because she is dominating.
HAMMER: Well, it`s lost a little bit of its luster, in your opinion, but the ratings will disprove what you`re saying, and not just because of this feud. Mary, what do you think? Because obviously somebody is lying here. It`s Donald or it`s Barbara. Is it kind of obvious at this point?
MURPHY: I think it`s obvious that they are both trying to cover their tracks. But the truth is, I also think that Rosie O`Donnell has reinvigorated "The View." and this fight, which could have brought those women apart, has brought them together. So Donald has done a great thing for "The View" and the ratings.
HAMMER: So you got to imagine that after reading that letter Rosie and Barbara obviously had to have a sit-down and really talk things out, and hopefully with great truth, and maybe Barbara said, here`s what I said, here`s why I said it, here`s what was running through my head. But it did sound to me, and Daphne, tell me if you agree, that the tone they took today, they really do want to move on from this.
BROGDON: Yes, I`m sure. Because it does look so ridiculous. Obviously Barbara is not in the Jeep with Castro. This isn`t her finest moment. And there was a problem with Star Jones. And, you know, when Debby Mattanopolis (ph) left the show, they trashed her. I mean, they can be a little catty, I hate to say it, so they need to move on.
HAMMER: Let`s talk winners and losers here. Mary, is everybody a loser? Because it`s certainly looking that way to me.
MURPHY: Everybody is a loser except the ratings for "The View." That`s the winner.
HAMMER: And what do you think about that Daphne, winners and losers?
BROGDON: Oh, definitely. The advertisers, and I also think the Miss USA pageant will probably have a little more buzz on it now.
HAMMER: And do you think -- you know, the one point that Rosie had made was that Donald Trump`s "The Apprentice" tanked. It didn`t make as good a premiere this year as it did last year, but it certainly didn`t have a bad night Sunday night, and I have a feeling people are going to start watching it some more.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: All right, well we`ll wait and see. That again will happen on Sunday night. There Donald, I just gave you a little plug. TV Guide`s Mary Murphy, there is your plug. TV Guide Channel`s Daphne Brogdon, there`s yours. I appreciate you joining us, thanks.
ANDERSON: Now we want to hear what you think about it. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, The Donald versus Rosie feud -- do you think Barbara Walters lied? Go to CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us an e- mail, SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
And don`t forget SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show that lets you express your opinion on video. Just send us a video e-mail by going to our website, CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
HAMMER: All right, I got to admit, while this whole Rosie O`Donnell- Donald Trump-Barbara Walters mess really makes for great controversial TV, we really do want everybody just to get along. So I got a solution right here. I heard a couple ideas from my guests a few moments ago. But this may be the perfect five-step plan to end this feud.
Now first, I know Donald loves his favorite comb-over, but please, trim it Trump. Remember, if you cut your hair, Rosie can cut it out of her act. Then with his new do to die for, I think the Donald should hit the high seas. What do you think? I`m guess if he takes one of Rosie`s feel good same sex family cruises, it is definitely going to ship shape up his opinion of her when he sees all the smiling faces.
All right, now let me suggest that Rosie should move into Donald`s landmark New York City building, Trump Tower, because there she is going to see him in action, as an ordinary billion dollar real estate mogul, just like the rest of us. Since this became a family feud, I really think Donald`s new born baron and Rosie`s kid should all get together in the playground, play nice in the sandbox. And I guess if they really can`t has things out that way, all that doesn`t work, here`s the ultimate way to end this once and for all, Rosie versus Donald in a no holds barred WWE wrestling smack down, maybe not. I don`t know. All right, Brooke, let`s move on. Bob Dylan, I love the guy, what do you think?
ANDERSON: Very talented A.J. You know, he has made a tremendous impact on music over the years.
HAMMER: Easily one of the greatest singer/song writers ever. But get this, does "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell really believe that an idol winner is actually better than Dylan? We`ve got that coming up, plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Hanging out with Paris is a difficult thing. It`s like being a (INAUDIBLE). Be careful honey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the must hear comeback advice from Hollywood`s biggest stars on how to save Britney Spears from herself.
HAMMER: And we`ve got the shocking details about the alleged Yoko Ono blackmail plot, including John Lennon`s son supposedly calling his dad a wife beater.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, for Wednesday night. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Hey, it`s time now for a story that made us say, that`s ridiculous!
I want you to take a look at this. It`s called the fish and flush. Yes, it`s a toilet tank that`s also an aquarium. Just drop in some of your fine finned friends and you`ve got a party in the potty. We`re not exactly sure how this thing works, don`t really want to know. But at least when it`s time for your goldfish to go to that special sea in the sky, they are going to be right there, all ready to flush away.
Something is definitely really fishy here. So the fish and flush, that`s ridiculous!
Well, tonight we are hearing some of the first shocking details behind the alleged plot to blackmail John Lennon`s widow Yoko Ono. A letter allegedly sent to Yoko by her long-time driver is now being made public, and you are not going to believe some of the things in that letter. It`s an absolutely startling story.
With us tonight from the Court TV news room, Court TV anchor Lisa Bloom. Nice to see you Lisa.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV ANCHOR: Nice to see you too.
HAMMER: All right, so let`s talk about this guy Coral Karson (ph), known as Coco by the way. He was arrested a month ago for trying to extort 2 million bucks from Lennon`s widow. These are unbelievable threats. Run down some of the threats that were made allegedly in this letter.
BLOOM: Right, because we have the letter right now. What he says is, Yoko Ono, pay me 2 million dollars or I`m going to tell the world that you were critical of the U.S. and British governments, that you made embarrassing statements about your own family, including your son, your daughter, people who are close to you, and I`m going to reveal that you, Yoko Ono, claim you were raped during World War II, back in Japan.
So what he is really doing is saying pay me money or I`m going to embarrass you publicly.
HAMMER: And also bringing her son into it. From what I understand, one of the things that`s been made public by this letter, a charge that Sean Lennon has said some truly nasty things. Can you give us a sense of what was said there?
BLOOM: That`s right. He claims that he has a recording of Sean Lennon saying that his father, John Lennon, was a wife beater. In other words, Sean is accusing the deceased John Lennon of beating Yoko Ono. Pretty explosive stuff.
HAMMER: And whether or not it`s true, the stuff is out there now. So even though he has been arrested and facing charges, the fact is, the cat`s out of the bag, it seems.
BLOOM: Right, and now we all have the letter. We can decide for ourselves. And I`ve got to tell you, this letter, to me, does sound extortionate on its face. I used to do sexual harassment cases. I used to write letters asking for money. You have to be very careful. It`s one thing to say, I`m going to file a lawsuit unless you pay me settlement money, perfectly legal. But you may not say, I`m going to reveal embarrassing information about you. I`m going to put things on the Internet. I`m going to write letters to the press unless you give me money. That`s blackmail, or legally, that`s extortion.
HAMMER: Yes, because I don`t really understand why he would have gone the direction that he went. He`s been claiming that he`s a victim of sexual harassment, I guess, by Yoko Ono.
BLOOM: Right.
HAMMER: So it would seem that if he went through the proper channels, he would have grounds for a lawsuit there.
BLOOM: Right.
HAMMER: And instead we`re seeing this letter.
BLOOM: Well, at a minimum he should have had an attorney write the letter and the attorney would have known how to do it properly. This letter says blatantly at the end, pay me two million dollars and none of this stuff will be made public. That certainly sounds like extortion. Yes, he throws in language about a sexual harassment case, that she treated him badly during the course of his employment, but I don`t think that`s going to be enough to get around what really looks like blackmail.
HAMMER: Yes, and let`s put all this in context. The course of his employment, about a decade, this guy was her trusted driver. This is a guy who spent countless hours in very personal, intimate close quarters with her, really the ultimate betrayal, isn`t it.
BLOOM: He says 15-hour days. He had to put off his own son`s engagement party. He couldn`t take his wife to the doctor. He worked long, hard hours for her. She was abusive. She was demanding as an employer, which case he could have filed a claim for that or he could have quit. Instead writing a letter saying I`m going to embarrass you publicly for two million dollars, that`s not the way to go about redressing your employment grievances.
HAMMER: No, it`s not. I guess we`ll find out tomorrow. It will continue to unfold. Coral Karson is going to court tomorrow. Court TV`s Lisa Bloom, I thank you.
BLOOM: Thank you.
ANDERSON: In tonight`s SHOWBIZ Showcase, Shooter Marky Mark Wahlberg plays a to Army sniper living in exile. He`s talked into coming back into service to stop the assassination of the president, but he winds up being framed for the attempt. So yes, Wahlberg gets kind of angry. Here`s your first look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK WAHLBERG, ACTOR: Come on boy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re a hard man to find.
WAHLBERG: not hard enough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is going to be an attempt on the life of the president. The shot will be taken from beyond a mile. We need you to stop it.
Out of all the men on the planet, he`s one of the few people alive who knows what to look for.
WAHLBERG: This guy knows what he`s doing. We`ve got to take him. Take him now!
I didn`t do whatever they said I did. I`m in some bad trouble and I need some help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Swaggert is still alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s the hassle with Democracy, there is always a confused soul that thinks that one man can make a difference. You`ve got kill him to convince him otherwise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to back off this.
WAHLBERG: I got a plan, but I think I`m going to need your help. I`m going to find them and I`m going to burn their play house down.
There`s going to be more shooting and more people are going to die. I didn`t start it, but I mean to see it through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s about to get worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: "Shooter" shoots into theaters March 16th.
HAMMER: Now Brooke, everybody knows "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, not really known for saying the nicest things about people, right?
ANDERSON: No, usually pretty aservic and severe in his criticism.
HAMMER: Which is why he is called Mr. Nasty. Wait until you hear what he has to say about rMDNM_Bob Dylan of all people. That`s next.
ANDERSON: All right A.J. Well wait until you hear what some of Hollywood`s biggest stars are saying about Britney Spears. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the must-hear comeback advice on how to save Britney Spears from herself. We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little flabby, I`m sorry to say.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks gorgeous!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: The possible presidential candidate who got caught up in all this Hollywood paparazzi stuff with his shirt off! He`s not happy about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell has ripped into a lot of people, but what he said this time, well, he better watch out, because an angry mob of torch-carrying baby boomers may be banging down his door, with our executive producer, a huge Bob Dylan fan, Dave Levine leading the pack. Listen to this, in an interview with "Playboy Magazine," Cowell compares first-season winner and huge smash success Kelly Clarkson to the legendary musician.
Do I prefer Kelly Clarkson`s music to Bob Dylan`s? Yes, I`ve never bought a Dylan record, a singing poet? It just bores me to tears. And I`ve got to tell you, if I had ten Dylans in the final of "American Idol," we would not be getting 30 million viewers all week. Guess the times are-a changing. Read more of Simon Cowell`s controversial interview in the February issue of Playboy. It`s on news stands this Friday. I don`t get Playboy, but --
HAMMER: Yesterday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here was the question, the Donald versus Rosie feud - - is Barbara Walters the biggest loser? Here`s how the voting went, almost split down the middle. Leaning one way, 53 percent of you saying yes, 47 percent of you saying no.
Among the e-mails we got, we heard from Ty in Pennsylvania, writing "Barbara Walters showed the world how much of a liar she is with the whole Star Jones Reynolds incident."
Anne from Texas write, "Barbara and Rosie are both being manipulated by Trump for his own amusement and sick need for power and attention."
ANDERSON: A.J. do you remember Rob and Amber? They met on "Survivor," then they got married.
HAMMER: Who can forget Rob and Amber, Brooke? Come on.
ANDERSON: They are trying to survive as newly weds in the reality TV world and even though there seems to be a reality show relationship curse, they have actually made their marriage work. The secrets of how they do it next. We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Hanging out with Paris is a difficult thing. It`s like being a (INAUDIBLE) Be careful, honey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Britney`s marriage flopped. She`s dangerously close to throwing away the career. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with must hear advice from Hollywood stars on how to save Britney from herself.
ANDERSON: And the possible presidential candidate who got caught up in all of this Hollywood paparazi stuff, with his shirt off.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: The Crocodile Hunter`s young daughter in the spotlight. Is it too much too soon? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And Madonna speaks out on the feud between her friend Rosie O`Donnell and Donald Trump. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Barbara Walters, caught in the cross-fire of the Donald/Rosie feud. One of the most respected journalist ever dragged into the messy mud pit. The back and forth, the bickering, the liar, liar, pants on fire. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, is Barbara Walters losing her credibility?
Tonight, Madonna`s surprise revelation about her and Britney Spears. Have madonna and Britney kept in touch since that big kiss.
Plus, is Britney starting the new year with a new mystery man? The big, breaking Britney news on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And now even Madonna is speaking out about Britney Spears. Plus, does Britney have a new K-Fed in her life? That`s coming up in just a few minutes.
HAMMER: But first tonight, bashing Barbara Walters. It really has become one of Donald Trump`s favorite pass times, of course, when he`s not busy bombarding Rosie O`Donnell with insults. The Donald has outright called Barbara a liar. And, you know, it`s not the first time Barbara has been accused of playing with the truth after controversy has erupted on "The View." So tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to ask the question, is Barbara Walters` credibility on the line?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": That poor, pathetic man.
HAMMER (voice-over): With those four well articulated words, Barbara Walters threw herself even deeper into the ridiculous and juvenile war of words between Donald Trump and Rosie O`Donnell.
DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Well, Rosie is a loser. She`s always been a loser.
HAMMER: What a long, strange trip it`s been for Barbara, who is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious and powerful women in journalism, whether it be sitting down with Cuban President Fidel Castro --
WALTERS: A man who has the most, and almost total, power.
HAMMER: -- or scoring big interviews, like the one with a woman that almost brought down a president, Monica Lewinsky.
WALTERS: Did you or the president worry about somebody coming and finding you?
MONICA LEWINSKY, HAD AFFAIR WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON: Yes.
HAMMER: Or in 1976, becoming the first woman ever to co-anchor a network evening news cast. The name Barbara Walters was bullet proof, impeccable. But that was then, this is now.
ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": He annoys me on a multitude of levels.
TRUMP: From a physical standpoint, she looks like hell.
WALTERS: Pathetic man.
HAMMER: The Donald has been telling just about anyone who will listen, including SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, that Barbara has been lying about how she really feels about her co-host.
TRUMP: Well Barbara Walters called me yesterday. She is a friend of mine, and she is not a big fan of Rosie.
HAMMER: On camera and then in print, Donald didn`t hold back. In a letter he wrote to Rosie, saying, "to be exact, she said that working with her is like living in hell, and, more pointedly, Donald, never get into the mud with pigs, and don`t worry, she won`t be here for long. Barbara knows exactly what she told me over the phone and she has to live with it."
WALTERS: Let me say definitively that everything that he said I said about her is totally untrue.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, who are we supposed to believe? In a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT poll, 70 percent said they Believe Barbara is lying. So is Barbara`s credibility on the line here?
JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Viewers are starting to question her credibility. We are not sure who to believe, because Donald`s claiming that Barbara went off about Rosie. Barbara is really not addressing those rumors.
J. MAX ROBINS, BROADCASTING & CABLE: I don`t really think this hurts Barbara Walters` credibility at all. She`s somebody who the audience knows and trusts, and Rosie is part of her team. She had to defend a teammate.
HAMMER: J. Max Robins is the editor in chief of Broadcasting & Cable. He tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, if anyone`s reputation is at stake, it`s the Donald`s.
ROBINS: Donald Trump, I believe, starts with a lot less credibility than the people he`s taking these round house punches at.
HAMMER: This isn`t the first time Barbara`s credibility has come into question. Walters came under a cloud of controversy when Star Jones Reynolds left "The View" last year.
STAR JONES REYNOLDS, FORMER "VIEW" HOST: I will not be returning as co-host next year.
WALTERS: We didn`t expect her to make the statement yesterday. She gave us no warning.
PIAZZA: When Star was supposedly leaving "The View," Barbara went on air and said Star Jones will always have a place here at "The View." Later on it came out that Barbara knew all along that ABC was discontinuing Star`s contract, so that put the first hint in viewers` minds that they really couldn`t trust Barbara anymore.
HAMMER: Still, many people, like gossip columnist Lloyd Grove, say the Star drama and now the Trump mess is just show business.
LLOYD GROVE, GOSSIP COLUMNIST: Barbara`s reputation is not as being purely a journalist. Barbara is a television personality, make no mistake. I think she`s an entertainer.
HAMMER: An entertainer, but also a successful business woman. Barbara is not only co-host of "The View," she is it`s executive producer. And even though she is now 77 years old, Walters is still no shrinking violet behind the scenes.
MARY MURPHY, TV GUIDE: Barbara Walters is the dean of women of American journalism. This is not going to hurt her. And so what, she chose "The View" over Star, and "The View" over the Donald. This is exactly what she should have done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neither Rosie O`Donnell nor Donald Trump are going to do anything to tarnish the image of Barbara Walters.
(END VIDEOTAPE) .
HAMMER: And we want to keep hearing from you on the subject for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Here`s what we`re asking, the Donald versus Rosie feud, do you think Barbara Walters lied? Here`s how the votes been going so far. As we said, 70 percent of you say yes; 30 percent of you say no.
A Lot Of e-mails coming in on the subject, including one from Janice in Georgia. Janice writes, "I think Barbara lied. We saw the same thing with Star Jones."
We also heard from E.S. in Oregon, who writes, "Why is everyone questioning the integrity of this pioneer in real journalism, who paved the way for all women on every news network?"
I agree, E.S. And you should keep voting at CNN.COM/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. You can e-mail us at SHOWBIZTONIGHT/CNN.com. And you can also send us a text message to vote on the question of the day. Send your text to 45688. You want to vote yes, you write SHOWBIZ yes; you want to vote no, you write SHOWBIZ no. Once again, send your text to 45688.
ANDERSON: All right, it looks like Britney Spears isn`t getting any advice from one woman who knows a lot about reinventing herself, Madonna. Who can forget that infamous kiss that Madonna and Britney shared on MTV`s Video Music Awards in 2003. Remember this? Well, on "The Today Show," Madonna joked about how they have lost touch since then. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADONNA, SINGER: We shared a kiss, and, you know, I never saw her again. You see, that`s how it goes in my life. You kiss them and then they leave you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just not right.
MADONNA: It`s totally unfair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So no more conversation with her at all, huh?
MADONNA: Well, I wouldn`t say that we were the best of friends. It was just a kind of -- a period of time where we were working together, and I kind of, you know, I struck up a bit of a friendship with her, but I live in England. She lives in Los Angeles, and she ran off and got married and had kids, and we kind of just drifted apart. It wasn`t anything intentional.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now Madonna has kept in touch with Rosie O`Donnell. They are good friends. So, coming up at 31 after the hour, what she had to say about Rosie`s feud with Donald Trump.
HAMMER: And that yowzer from Madonna comes just as Britney claims she is setting a new path for herself in the new year. Tonight, there appears to be a new man in Britney`s life. The question is who is this guy? Where the heck did he come from? And most importantly, do we have another K-Fed on our hands. "People Magazine" all over the story. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, "People Magazine`s" Alexis Chu. Hey Alexis.
ALEXIS CHU, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE": Hi, how are you doing?
HAMMER: I am well. I want to get straight to it. I want to take a look at the picture of this guy. All I know about him is he`s 25 years old and his name is Isaac Cohen. There we are looking at him right now. The question is Alexis, fill us in. Who is this guy, where did he come from, and is it me, or does he strike a striking resemblance to Kevin Federline.
CHU: It is not you. Look at him. It`s obvious. He`s got the abs. He`s got the scruff. He`s got the K-Fed look going on, right down to the bandana. But this is not K-Fed. This is Isaac Cohen. He`s a model actor, which is a little bit of a departure for Britney. She usually like the musical guys and the dances.
So, he`s a model. He`s from L.A. area and sources close to him tell us that he really, really is a nice guy, a gentleman, from a great family, and just, you know, not a player, is something that his agent told me. So, apparently he`s not K-Fed.
HAMMER: So the words not a player were used, because I think a lot of the fans are certainly concerned. We don`t want Britney winding up with some thug.
CHU: Yes, her friends have been concerned about her for a while and aren`t always too happy with her choices, but this woman, who is his modeling agent, who has known him for quite some time. That is a quote. She said he`s not a player. He doesn`t tote girls around. He doesn`t mistreat women. He`s respectful and kind. So, we`ll have to see. On his own website, which has since been taken down, his MySpace site, he listed some things about himself. He seems like a normal guy. He likes dirt biking and four wheeling and taffy. For some reason he, yes.
HAMMER: And he has no idea what kind of scrutiny he`s in for. Here`s the thing that kind of surprises me and tell me if you are on board with me on this on this, you know, we now have Britney failing twice at marriage. Things, generally speaking, have not been going great for her. So I`ve been wondering, you know, doesn`t she kind of need to take a time out from the dating scene?
CHU: Whether Britney needs to take a time out or not, you know, Britney does what Britney wants to do. I think she`s proven that, if nothing else, and Britney doesn`t want to take time out. She`s been on that dating carousel ever since she broke up with Kevin, while still juggling, you know, mommy-hood and cutting an album, which is due out later this year.
So, she`s been spotted around town with a bunch of different guys, Matt Leinart, the quarterback and a music producer here in L.A. and now Isaac. So, she does what she wants to do, obviously. She doesn`t think she needs a break, so it`s just going to be on us to stay tuned and see what she does next.
HAMMER: Well, sometimes when she has been spotted about town, as you say, she hasn`t always appeared her best. Chris, can we take a look at this one particular photo that, when we saw it, quite frankly, it made our jaw drop. It doesn`t look like the Britney we came to know. After this picture appeared everywhere, Britney posted a message on her website. This is what she said. She said, if I were you, I`d be unhappy too - and this is to her fans -- if I had read what I`d been reading every day. But trust me, I get it. I know I`ve been far from perfect and the media has had a lot of fun exaggerating my every move.
So, she is vowing to get her act together. Does it look like maybe, particularly if she`s getting involved with a stand up, nice guy, that maybe she`s on the way?
CHU: Maybe it`s a step in the right direction. We will have to stay tuned. I mean, like I said, she`s working on an album. I think she is trying to get things together. She dumped her best friend for a few days, Paris Hilton, which I think a lot of her fans might be cheering about. Maybe that also represents a step in the right direction. I think she`s trying.
HAMMER: All right, well we wish her the best of course. And "People Magazine`s" Alexis Chu, I appreciate you joining us tonight.
CHU: Thanks.
HAMMER: You can read more about the new man in Britney`s life in this week`s "People Magazine." It`s on news stand Friday.
ANDERSON: Get your tiaras ready everyone, because Miss America is here. You`re excited about that A.J. Coming up, we are going to get Miss America, Jennifer Berry, take on the Miss USA scandal that led to the whole Rosie and Donald feud. We`re also going to have this.
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O`DONNELL: Donald, sit and spin, my friend.
TRUMP: Taking money out of her big fat ass would be probably something that is very easy.
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HAMMER: In a feud that comes down to ego versus ego, can anyone really come out a winner? We are asking the ego expert. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: And when the fur is flying, it`s good to have friends in high places. Straight ahead, Rosie`s friend Madonna weighs in on the whole big mess.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. It is time now for a story that made us say, that`s ridiculous.
Two guys in Alabama got into an argument over how tall this guy, the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, was. It seems the disagreement got pretty heated. So, well, they did what anybody in their position would do, they got their guns out.
Yes, one guy shot his friend twice in the abdomen, so that guy, of course, went to his car, got a gun and fired back. He missed and they both apparently went to the police station to report the incident. But we say, shooting your friend over James Brown`s height, now that`s ridiculous.
ANDERSON: Tonight, we`ve got brand new information about Miss USA Tara Conner in rehab, whose near fall from grace led to the now infamous Donald Trump/Rosie O`Donnell feud. Trump, who owns the Miss USA pageant, gave Conner a second chance at a dramatic press conference, where she announced she was going into rehab.
Trump let her keep her crown, even though she was out partying under age in clubs. Conner is in rehab in Pennsylvania, and today SHOWBIZ TONIGHT learned that she is going to be finished in about two weeks. And Tara, please be good. We would hate for anything to happen that would start another war of words between Trump and Rosie.
All right, well, we can tell that you Miss America has had a year nothing like Miss USA Tara Connors, in terms of controversy. And you can bet that she is very happy about that. Jennifer Berry was crowned Miss America almost a year ago and is now finishing up her reign. It`s been an amazing year that has really changed her life.
So with us tonight in Hollywood, Miss America Jennifer Berry. There she is, Miss America, great to see you. Thanks for being here.
JENNIFER BERRY, MISS AMERICA: Thanks for having me.
ANDERSON: Now you have had a tremendous year.
BERRY: Yes.
ANDERSON: No tabloid reports for you, fortunately, right?
BERRY: No.
ANDERSON: But when you heard -- I have to ask you -- when you heard about the Miss USA controversy, all the partying, the carrying on, were you surprised, or is it something that goes on and she just got caught?
BERRY: I actually was surprised. However, Miss America and Miss USA are two very different organizations. So we really have no association with them. So I didn`t really keep up with what she was doing and that sort of thing. I was surprised. Of course I was disappointed for her that she would have to go through all of that. But, of course, it all comes down to decision making, and I`ve had to realize that as Miss America as well.
ANDERSON: Yes, you know, she thought she was going to get fired by Donald Trump. Then he gave her a second chance. She is now in rehab. Did you also feel sorry for her, because I know there are a lot of pressures that go along with any pageant?
BERRY: Well, and I have met Tara. She is a wonderful young lady. I have had the opportunity to spend time with her in May. So really, you know, the sense of being in the public eye, it can be very difficult. So, of course, I empathize for her. However, it is her decisions that kind of got her into that place in the first place. So, of course, I know that Donald made the best choice for his organization that he could, and now is really a good time for us to help America differentiate the two organizations, and that`s really, kind of, how we have tried to handle the situation.
ANDERSON: Well tell us a little about the difference, because I know that people always, constantly are getting them confused. They are drastically different.
BERRY: Yes, Very different. When it comes down to the actual pageant itself, there are differences in the scoring system. Of course, for Miss America, 25 percent of our score is interviews; 35 percent of our score is talent. Miss USA does not have a talent portion. There`s just different scoring that goes on.
The platform issue is also a big difference. Eighty percent of my year and what I do revolves around my platform, which was building intolerance to drunk driving and underaged drinking.
ANDERSON: Something that Tara Conner`s behavior brought a lot of attention to, as well, awareness of underage drinking.
BERRY: Quite ironic.
ANDERSON: And you work with Mothers and Drunk Driving.
BERRY: I do.
ANDERSON: You are very passionate about this. It`s very personal and close to your heart, isn`t it?
BERRY: It is. Unfortunately in high school, you know, I was unaware that underaged drinking was a national epidemic, until a lost a close friend to an alcohol related car crash. We were just 16 at the time of her death and it was the first time that I really realized the impact that underaged drinking had on my life. So I worked in five years in Oklahoma with MAD, and then, once I was crowned Miss America, was asked to become a national spokesperson for MAD.
So, really, a very timely issue. Underaged drinking and drunk driving has been a national epidemic for a long time. And I`m the first and only Miss America to have that platform, so I have really had great opportunities this year.
ANDERSON: And I know you have worked tirelessly. I have seen your schedule. You`ve been all over the place and it`s really admirable that you have worked so hard at that. How has it changed your life, being Miss America? You know, little girls dream of that. How has it changed your life?
BERRY: It`s amazing to me, because I think when you are actually crowned, it doesn`t stop. I mean, from that moment on it`s a whirl wind. And here I am at the end of the year and I still don`t think I quite comprehend it. You know, I still meet former Miss Americas and I`m in awe and I`m inspired by them and I think, for me, of course, forever my life will be changed and I hope to give back to the organization half of what they`ve given to me. They always say, once a Miss America, always a Miss America. And I think that`s one of the most wonderful things about the organization.
It`s opened doors for me that I probably never would have had before. It`s given me so many opportunities that most 23 years old don`t have. And that`s something I will forever be grateful for.
ANDERSON: Well best of luck in all that you do. I know that you`re going to be a huge success, no matter what you do.
BERRY: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Jennifer Berry, thank you so much. And Jennifer will be handing over her crown to a new Miss America on January 29th. The pageant is going to be broadcast live on Country Music Television.
HAMMER: Boy she is lovely. You know, Brooke, the lovely Cybil Shepherd was some pageant experience in her past. She actually was a runner-up in the Miss Teenage America pageant. After that, she worked as a model. Now even Cybil Shepherd is sounding off on the skinny model debate. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: She sure is A.J. And she feels really strongly about that. We are going to have that ahead on the SHOWBIZ Weight Watch. We are also going to have this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a lot of pressure, I think, especially coming off the death of her father, very sudden and tragic. It`s a lot of expectations for someone very young.
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ANDERSON: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin`s 8-year-old daughter is doing a bunch of interviews here in the United States, but is it all too much too soon? We are going to look into that.
HAMMER: And the Rosie/Donald feud. When it`s ego versus ego, can anybody win? One guy says yes. We`re checking in with the ego expert. That`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Well, it`s time now for the SHOWBIZ Weight Watch. This is where we cover issues of body image in Hollywood like nobody else.
Tonight, Cybil Shepherd, who was a model before she became an actress, says she doesn`t like what she`s seeing in modeling today. On "The View," Barbara Walters asked her about it. Take a look.
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WALTERS: You started off as a model and then became an actress. So what do you think of this whole business now of the skinny, skinny, skinny?
CYBILL SHEPHERD, ACTRESS: I`ve always been very disturbed by it. I was a model when I was 18. I went to New York and they told me you have to lose 30 pounds. You can`t even come to New York unless you lose 30 pounds. I lied. I said I lost 18 and said I lost 30. A then -- but I tell you something, I`ve always been very disturbed, but at the time I modeled, for some reason there was this window of opportunity. Sheryl Teegz (ph) and I could look normal, and then it was kind of gone again and everybody got so gaunt.
When I see those young women with the dead eyes, they look like they are starving to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Cybill also said it`s really unfortunate for women and girls to see clothes hanging on women, who look like they are going to die. She says she never had a problem with being too skinny. Cybill Shepherd has a guest starring role on the Showtime series "The L Word."
HAMMER: I`ve got to figure, if somebody like Donald Trump is going after you, it`s a good thing to have good friends in high places. Don`t you think?
ANDERSON: IT doesn`t hurt, A.J. Coming up, what Rosie`s friend Madonna has to say about this whole mess. And there`s more Donald and Rosie coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Donald, sit and spin, my friend.
TRUMP: Taking out of money out of her big fat ass would be probably something that`s very easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: When it`s ego versus ego, can anyone win? One guy says yes. We are checking in with the ego expert ahead.
HAMMER: And when all else fails, there`s always professional wrestling. We are going to show what you the feud would look like smack down style. That is still ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Thursday night. WE are coming straight back.
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