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Showbiz Tonight
Controversy Continues on Set of "Grey`s Anatomy"; News From Sundance; Lindsay Lohan Enters Rehab; Erik Estrada Discusses "Armed and Famous"; Maria Sansone Interview
Aired January 19, 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: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at the Sundance Film festival with the controversy surrounding a big child star, because she`s in a graphic rape scene. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
SIBILA VARGAS, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR:: And an emotional Terry Irwin, what she would like us to remember most about her husband Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the "Grey`s Anatomy" feud! Tonight, the stunning apology by the show`s star, Isaiah Washington, for his disgusting gay slurs. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the coast-to-coast outrage. And we ask the controversial question on everyone`s mind, should Isaiah Washington be fired?
Shocking new Lindsay Lohan rehab developments. Tonight, Lindsay`s mom speaks out. But is this fancy-schmancy rehab center really going to help Lindsay get her life back on track? And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes inside the wild minds of these young starlets. Why do they feel the need to party all the time? Can`t they just chill?
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. And look out, wait until you hear what Danny Bonaduce told us about Lindsay Lohan checking into rehab. It`s Danny Bonaduce unplugged. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: But first tonight, one of TV`s biggest stars making one very big apology. "Grey`s Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington is doing a startling about-face tonight, saying he is sorry for using a gay slur, not once, but twice. But the question is, is anybody buying it?
VARGAS: Washington is in major damage control mode tonight and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will dare to ask, should Isaiah Washington be fired?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISAIAH WASHINGTON, "GREY`S ANATOMY": No, I did not call T.R. a faggot.
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there backstage at the Golden Globes to capture Isaiah Washington`s explosive and offensive outburst after "Grey`s Anatomy" had just been named TV`s best drama.
Washington denying he ever called his fellow cast mate T.R. Knight the F word. And now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s got Isaiah`s startling apology, "I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance."
Washington`s statement came right after ABC told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "we are greatly dismayed. We take this situation very seriously. His actions are unacceptable and are being addressed."
JAMIE BUFALINO, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE": Well, I think Isaiah definitely got the message that people are angry with him. His cast mates are angry. ABC is angry. Everyone thought they had finally gotten over this fight in October.
VARGAS: The fight in October happened on the set of "Grey`s Anatomy" during an off-camera argument between Washington and his co-star Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey. The fight got heated and at some point Washington reportedly referred to T.R. Knight using an anti-gay slur.
T.R. KNIGHT, "GREY`S ANATOMY": He referred to me as a faggot.
VARGAS: Just a couple of days after the Globes, Knight told Ellen DeGeneres that, well, Washington was lying and that the highly publicized incident led him to call "People Magazine" and go public that he`s gay.
KNIGHT: I think publicly -- I mean, it`s not my thing to call up "People Magazine" and be like, hey do you want to know something about me?
You know, but I`ve never been called that to my face. So, I think when that happened it`s like -- I don`t know, something shifted and it just became bigger, you know what I mean, than myself.
VARGAS: Washington himself now admits that he ruined what should have been a great night at the Globes for the cast of "Grey`s Anatomy," saying "I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my soul, and I`ve asked for help."
Katherine Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey`s Anatomy" slammed Washington right after his Golden Globes outburst in an interview with Access Hollywood.
KATHERINE HEIGL, "GREY`S ANATOMY": I`m going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public, period. I`m sorry, that did not need to be said. I`m not OK with it.
VARGAS: And neither are thousands of "Grey`s Anatomy" fans, who are circulating this petition online, demanding he be fired. Like so many others, the ladies of "The View," couldn`t understand why Washington didn`t just fess up in the first place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not just admit that you did it?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Either he`s either delusional or he`s just a big jerk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But isn`t it interesting, Mel Gibson and then Michael Richards, and now Isaiah Washington. All people should know better. And they`re all in trouble for the same sort of thing.
VARGAS: Joy Behar isn`t the only one to notice the similarities between these big Hollywood stars. "People Magazine`s" Jamie Bufalino tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT all of the outbursts and then all of the apologies are almost becoming par for the course these days.
BUFALINO: There`s been this trend lately in Hollywood where, you know, it happened with Mel Gibson, and it happened with Michael Richards, where they say they realize the error of their ways and they`re going to meet with certain groups to try and mend fences.
VARGAS: Washington will be mending fences with the gay rights group GLAD early next week. GLAD President Neil Giuliano tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that they have scheduled a closed door meeting.
NEIL GIULIANO, GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Don`t use defamatory language to try to justify defamatory language usage. Overall it`s a very poor use of words and we`re very disappointed.
VARGAS: As of now, it`s unclear when that disappointment will go away. Washington himself says, it`s going to be his actions, not his apology that will prove his sincerity.
GIULIANO: The meeting itself is not going to be enough. It`s really going to be his actions after this time, you know, whether he really gets the message and acts appropriately.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Well, also unclear is how latest the controversy will affect the show`s rating. Thursday night`s "Grey`s Anatomy" was the number one rated show on television, with nearly 22 million viewers.
HAMMER: So what is it going to take to start the healing? Isaiah Washington getting fired or is it simply going to be a matter of taking some time?
Well, joining me now from Atlanta Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of the "Amazing Race." Reichen is openly gay and he is also the author of "Here`s What We`ll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy." And in Hollywood, "TV Guide" consulting editor Mary Murphy. I appreciate you joining me tonight guys.
Now Mary, earlier in the week you told me you had never seen a feud like this on a show this big. So, what do you think it`s going to take? Does Isaiah Washington have to be fired to get this behind them?
MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": Well, it certainly seems like he might be fired unless there`s some kind of divine intervention. ABC is a tough network, as you know, that after Mel Gibson had his outburst, they let him go from a big project that he had at ABC, and also there`s public opinion and the power of the gay rights activists. So he has a very mounting problem that may end with the departure of Dr. Burke.
HAMMER: And I mention the healing. There`s a lot of healing to be done here Reichen. What do you think? You know, we`re talking about not just the cast of the show and what goes on behind the scenes, but we`re talking about audience perception. A lot of people told me they had a hard time watching the show this week because of what they now know about what Isaiah said. What do you think about him being fired for his actions?
REICHEN LEHMKUHL, AUTHOR, "HERE`S WHAT WE`LL SAY": Yes, I can agree. I mean, as a gay person myself, it`s really difficult to hear the word Faggot at any time. I mean, this is a word that I have been called in my life to my face, because of my sexual orientation, and it`s no different from a lot of other words that we hear referring to other minority groups, that really have been used in history to degrade and make people feel lesser and to condescend.
And so we know not to say those words, even if you`re going it make an apology or defend yourself, it would be a better idea to, instead of using the word again, to probably just say, hey, you know, this is a really unfortunate incident, and I just want everyone to know that I didn`t mean anything by it. But it was just said in such a quick and kind of irresponsible way. And I think people got upset.
We can`t get into Isaiah Washington`s head. We don`t know exactly how he feels about homosexuality and, frankly, it`s really none of our Business, because people can have their own opinions about whatever they want, but when you get into the public realm, you have to watch yourself.
HAMMER: Yes, no kidding. But what do you think as far as him being fired for what he said and allowing us to move on from this?
LEHMKUHL: Well, I mean, I think that if this happened in corporate America, and I can speak for the Air Force, if it happened there, you`d be in a lot of trouble. You know, but it just depends on how they feel and how he goes about apologizing and carrying himself. Like I said, there`s no one saying that he`s this horrible, horrible person because he used this word. It`s just we have to be responsible and make sure it doesn`t happen again.
HAMMER: Mary, let`s get back to what`s going on behind the scenes there, which you and I were talking about, has to be very tumultuous. We heard that co-stars Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight basically are saying Isaiah did lie, he did use the word. So even if ABC decides to keep him on the show, how do they all work together and get along with this situation?
MURPHY: Well, this is a situation that, in the beginning, when it happened, they just wanted the bad publicity to go away, but I think they didn`t ever deal with the real problem, which is that Isaiah Washington does have a problem. He needs to deal with it. And I think that there -- there certainly can`t be any healing between Monday and today. This is a long-term thing.
I mean everybody gets a second chance. But one thing is for sure, he`s not getting a third chance.
HAMMER: Now Reichen, you had a similar situation, in that you were forced very much out into the public realm for being a gay man when your relationship with Lance Bass was exposed. T.R. Knight was forced to come out, he said, because of what Isaiah Washington said. Is it just simply unforgivable that what Isaiah said forced him to do this?
LEHMKUHL: No, nothing is unforgivable, as we know, and I think that, you know, people do things and they don`t understand what they`re saying and they learn lesson. The most important thing is to understand that when people in this country and around the world use the word faggot, that for a lot of us it connotes a really terrible image and makes -- it drops your heart and makes that sink into your stomach for a lot of people.
And so we just have to be a little bit more sensitive about that. And that will help the situation. But frankly, I`m so glad this is being brought up, because this is just like one more step in the evolution of us as a country being able to get along better and understand what makes us tick and what make us upset. So it`s good.
HAMMER: And seeing this as a very bad example. I wish we had more time. I`ve got wrap it up there. Mary Murphy, Reichen Lehmkuhl, I appreciate you joining us tonight.
LEHMKUHL: No problem.
VARGAS: Well now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, "Grey`s Anatomy" feud, should Isaiah Washington be fired? Go to CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us e-mail at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com. And remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show that lets you express your opinion on video. To send us a video e-mail, go to our Web site CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
HAMMER: Coming up, an emotional Terry Irwin, what she would like us to know most about her husband Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.
We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY BONADUCE, ACTOR: As a fellow human being -- I mean Lindsay Lohan the movie star -- she`s a teen movie star and she`s not particularly good at it. As a fellow human being and a fellow addict I`m compelled to care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Danny Bonaduce not holding back with some very candid advice for Lindsay Lohan as she goes through rehab. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes inside the wild minds of these young starlets. Why do they feel the need to party all the time?
HAMMER: Speaking of parties, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is right there at the Sundance Film Festival and we`ve go the fired up controversy surrounding a child star, because she`s in a graphic rape scene.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. It`s time now for a story that made us say, that`s ridiculous! A little Friday night energy here.
All right, we`ve all heard of pillow fighting, maybe at a teenage sleep-over party, but a pillow fight league for adults. You heard me right. The sport, and I do use that term loosely, has taken Canada by storm. And now it`s coming to the U.S. Oh good. The fighters go by names like Boozy Suzy and Lynn Somnia. They take on personas (sic) like waitress from hell and cushion swinging house wife.
This idea needs to be put to bed and that`s why we say, that`s ridiculous.
VARGAS: I absolutely agree with that. It`s that time of the year when Hollywood`s biggest stars and players put on their designer ski gear, whether they ski or not, and head over to Park City, Utah for some schmoozing, maybe some boozing and definitely going cruising for the next big film. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson is at Robert Redford`s annual Sundance Film Festival in Utah, at Treasure Mountain Inn.
And Brooke, I`m hearing that there`s already some controversy.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Indeed there are some films surrounded by controversy already Sibila. And the one perhaps getting the most buzz is a film called "Hound Dog." Now 12-year-old actress Dakota Fanning stars in "Hound Dog" and it is a scene, in which she stars -- now this scene is being described as a brutal, very disturbing rape scene, that many -- it`s causing a lot of consternation. Dakota stars alongside Robin Wright Penn in this film.
She plays, Dakota plays a precocious troubled young girl who finds solace in the music and moves of Elvis Presley. Let`s take brief look now at "Hound Dog"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAKOTA FANNING, ACTRESS: (SINGING)
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, I will be seeing "Hound Dog" here at Sundance and I will give you my reaction after I see it of this film, which is being described as a very disturbing, emotional movie.
Now earlier today I spoke with Steve Buscemi, who stars in the film "Delirious," in which he plays a paparazzo -- that`s the singular form of paparazzi, which he and I spoke about. But not only does he play a paparazzo, he became one to research the role.
Listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Before you made the film, what did you think of the paparazzi, love them, hate them, indifferent?
STEVE BUSCEMI, ACTOR: I ran. It gets to be -- look, I`m not the kind of guy that they, you know, wait outside my house and follow me around. So I don`t have that, you know, level of it. But it is overwhelming when you go to a premiere and there`s a lot of flash bulbs going off and yes, in the past, you know, I think I would tend to shy away and I`m still shy about it. But I do understand, you know, what it is that they go through a little bit, just having played one.
And I went to -- a friend of mine took me out with him to a Victoria Secret show. He`s a photographer and he had an all-access pass to go back stage, which I did, but I wasn`t comfortable. Plus, I had on this really weird disguise, this like -- because I didn`t want to, you know, look like me.
ANDERSON: So you were disguised as a photographer, armed with a camera?
BUSCEMI: Yes and then I felt just too weird about being back stage. So I said I want to go out and be with the others who are just on the line, waiting for the celebrities to come in. So I did that and, you know, I waited there a long time, and I say that they have to get there really early. They have to jockey for position. So I can see by the time, you know, a celebrity comes in and doesn`t stop and tries to waltz through, they can get a little bit...
ANDERSON: So what you`re saying is you have a little bit of sympathy for the paparazzi now?
BUSCEMI: Absolutely, yes.
ANDERSON: Well a lot of celebrities have told that is, you know, when they`re in public places they feel they deserve -- they have a right to privacy. But what do you think? Do you believe that, or do you think that it just comes with the territory when you`re a high-profile star and when you put yourself in that position?
BUSCEMI: I guess it does come with the territory, but -- and I guess, you know, there wouldn`t be this problem if there wasn`t an interest. You know, people buy the magazines. They watch the TV shows and so, you know, if there wasn`t a market for it, then it wouldn`t happen.
ANDERSON: Do you think you`ll make another films a paparazzo or are you done with that?
BUSCEMI: No, I think I`ve had my fill of that. But it`s fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And Sibila, a little later on in the show I`ll be back with Robert Redford, the founder of Sundance. I`ll be back with his take on the recent commercialization of the festival. Back to you.
VARGAS: Thanks SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson. And remember, be sure to watch SHOWBIZ at Sundance with Brooke Anderson from Park City, Utah, all next week.
HAMMER: Now Terry Irwin`s emotional speech today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there as Terry and her young daughter Bindi shared some very personal stories of living with the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin and the importance of keeping his legacy of both being a nature lover and an amazing father alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY IRWIN, WIFE OF STEVE IRWIN: As a dad, he was the best. I just need to whack myself with this really quick. This is why you keep this up here, don`t you, for the emotional parts. OK, I`m fine now. If he was to be remembered for one thing and one thing only -- sorry -- it should then be that he was best dad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It really was so sad. The family`s very strong. Irwin also leaves behind a son Bob. Steve Irwin was killed, of course, when he was stabbed by a Stingray while filming a documentary off the coast of Australia in September.
Well, do you remember the whole Miss USA scandal? Tara Conner abusing alcohol, allegedly sleeping around. There`s some big news tonight for Tara. That`s coming up. We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONADUCE: As a fellow human being -- I mean, Lindsay Lohan the movie star, she`s a teen movie star and she`s not particularly good at it. As a fellow human being and a fellow addict I`m compelled to care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: "Partridge Family" star Danny Bonaduce with some very candid advice for Lindsey Lohan as she goes through rehab. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes inside the wild minds of these young starlets. Why do they feel the need to party all the time?
HAMMER: And he wasn`t a real cop on one of my favorite TV shows, but now "Chips" star Eric Estrada is one in real life. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT punches up Ponch with the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Well, there`s a whole lot of loving going on here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. So let us now share with you the things that the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff is absolutely loving. And right now, here are this week`s SHOWBIZ Staff Picks.
At the movies we are totally loving the "Pan`s Labyrinth," the story of a young girl who lives in both a real and fantasy fueled world in Civil War torn Spain in 1944. You will be both horrified and enchanted at this girl`s "Alice in Wonderland" like journey, played by Ivana Baquero.
We`re also loving MTV`s "Real World Denver." Talk about train wreck TV. Now, for the first four weeks the cast had nothing to but drink and have sex. Well a little change of pace, now they`re working with Hurricane Katrina kids as Outward Bound counselors.
We`re also loving the new guy on NBC`s "The Office," played by Ed Helms, like the show really needed any more hilarious people. But his character, Andy Bernard, a fan of bands like the Cardigans and the Indigo Girls, is just spot-on, totally makes us laugh.
And on NBC`s "Scrubs" we just love "Guy Love," the song performed by Zach Braff and Donald Faison in character, of course. Now even though this is song is coming from the fantastic musical episode of "Scrubs" that debuted this week, it has long been available on iTunes and YouTube.
And to watch all this TV we are high on Hi-Def. You haven`t watched TV until you`ve seen HDTV. I want you to watch "Grey`s Anatomy`s" McDreamy heat up the screen in scary clarity or just sit and stare in amazement at the crisp pictures of nature on PBS` NOVA.
But when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT goes to HD, please do not stare too closely at my pores, please. Remember you can find all the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff picks at our Web site, which is CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
Now coming up, more SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at the Sundance Film Festival. We`re going one-on-one with Robert Redford, the festival`s founder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONADUCE: As a fellow human being -- I mean, Lindsey Lohan the movie star, she`s a teen movie star and she`s not particularly good at. As a fellow human being and a fellow addict I`m compelled to care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Danny Bonaduce not holding back with some very candid advice for Lindsey Lohan as she goes through rehab.
And what the heck is Arnold Schwarzenegger doing as Conan the Barbarian? What`s he doing with those glow sticks? We`re going to try to explain that for you. You`re not going to want to miss it. It`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night coming right back.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Friday night. Here we are, it`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: I`m not ashamed to admit it, Sibila, I`m one of those guys who grew up on the show "CHiPs." Erik Estrada, of course, one of the big- time stars, playing a cop, playing a cop. Now he`s actually a cop. Huh? Erik Estrada is going to join us to explain, coming up in just a few minutes.
VARGAS: I love him. And I also liked him on "The Surreal Rife" and also tonight Miss USA Tara Conner. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the update on her battle with booze and stint in rehab. You won`t want to miss that.
HAMMER: But first tonight, Lindsey Lohan is spending her first weekend in rehab right now. No 3:00 a.m. partying for her.
The 20-year-old star checked into rehab on Wednesday. Now her mom spoke out to the media today saying that the media has put her daughter under such a microscope. But before you can say rehab will do her some good, hold on a second. If there`s anybody on earth who knows exactly what she`s going through right now it`s Danny Bonaduce. The former child star has been in and out of rehab so many times even we had a hard time keeping up with that.
The VH1 reality show "Breaking Bonaduce" was about his battle against the bottle and it wasn`t pretty. You`re not going to believe what he told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT when we broke the news to him that Lindsay had checked into rehab.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY BONADUCE, ACTOR: I`m so bummed for her. I take that back. I actually don`t care about her. But as a fellow human being, and Lindsay Lohan, the movie star, she is a teen movie star and she`s not particularly good at it.
As a fellow human being and a fellow addict I`m compelled to care. And here`s the sad news. I`ve been to the best rehabs in the whole wide world. They average an eight percent success recovered. That`s 92 percent failure record if you do the math. Usually you`re too drunk to do the math. That`s why they get away with that. That`s why when you pay 40 grand for a cot because you`re wasted and they know it.
But to be honest with you, my guess is it`s not going to go well for her. I don`t think -- she can certainly turn to her mother, not a chance in the world that`s a woman I`d go to for structure in my life.
I think -- I think she`s -- I think she`s on her own. And I think she needs new faces and new places. She shouldn`t be hanging out with Paris Hilton. Shouldn`t be hanging out with those girls in those clubs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And she probably shouldn`t be answering her cell phone. "OK Magazine" called her cell. Wouldn`t you know it, she answered it, saying that she is, and I am quoting here, "Laughing so hard watching `American Idol.`"
But of course rehab is certainty nothing to laugh about. Lindsay`s shocking admission that she needs help has raised all kinds of questions. Will rehab work for her? What is her stint in rehab going to be like? And what goes on in the minds of Lindsay and other young party girls out there in Hollywood?
Well, joining me to talk about in San Francisco, Dr. Tara Fields, she does interventions with celebrities all the time. With me in New York, development psychologist, syndicated radio host Cooper Lawrence. I appreciate you both being with us tonight.
COOPER LAWRENCE, TALK SHOW HOST: Thank you.
DR. TARA FIELDS, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Hi.
HAMMER: Dr. Fields, Lindsay checked into a posh Wonderland Center. She`s got her cell phone, she`s watching "American Idol." There`s been a lot of criticism floating around this center`s really some kind of glorified country club. But my question to you is what is so wrong with it being a posh place if she is there to get help?
FIELDS: Well you know, if she`s there to really get help, it`s not about it being posh. It`s not about her having special privileges because she`s a celebrity. Because certain treatment centers can end up being an enabler like the people in your life. Why does she have a cell phone? Why is she doing interviews? And why do we even know the name of the treatment center? That really concerns me.
And I do have to disagree with Danny. I think a really good treatment center is probably one of the greatest gifts that an addict can be given if they really, truly want to recover but not if it`s a country club.
HAMMER: So to be clear, a really good treatment center won`t have all of those amenities.
FIELDS: Absolutely. Betty Ford modeled her center on her treatment, this is the First Lady, she was in a room with a roommate and she said, so now at the Betty Ford Center, does that mean Elizabeth Taylor other celebrities are living in these pretty basic rooms where they have to have a roommate and a twin bed and she said, absolutely.
HAMMER: Cooper, it`s easy to guess one of the reasons Lindsay got into this mess in the first place is she`s out partying all of the time. It`s well documented.
So I`m wondering about the Lindsays and the Britneys and the Parises and what it is go on in their head they can`t stay home they feel this compulsion to being out all of the time.
COOPER LAWRENCE, TALK SHOW HOST: It is not a compulsion, it`s a personality which is innate. It`s something they were born with. It is a certain type of personality like an adventure gene, you might want to say. The kind of person that would enter into the industry to begin with. Why would they even want -- Somebody who doesn`t have that would be an accountant
So if you`re the kind of person who is into adventure and living on the edge you`re going to go into this industry to begin with and you`re going to live your life according.
HAMMER: I remember when I used to go out to the clubs all the time I felt like I would be missing out on something if I didn`t go out. So that I can kind of understand. But it just seems like they`re addicted to that.
Dr. Fields, Lindsay`s mother says that Lindsay landed in rehab after she went through several interventions. She praised her daughter for going into rehab and taking this on. It has to be people around her, the people surrounding her, friends, family, absolutely essential to her beating this.
FIELDS: Absolutely. That is the key. Often when I do interventions, doing the intervention with the addict and getting them to say yes is actually easy. The real key is that the people that say they love the alcoholic or the addict, the friends, the employees, the P.R. people, the agents, the family members, until they really make a shift in their thinking, where they really get that what they think is being loving and being supportive only allows them to continue drinking.
You know I really question parents that are going out and using this you know as more publicity. This is supposed to be private. This is supposed to be about getting better.
And the real key for Lindsay just like any other celebrity is going to be while she`s in rehab, are the people closest to her going to get their own kind of treatment where they really have that light bulb moment where they can say, I`m going to start saying no. If that means I don`t bail you out of jail, if that means I don`t spin things to the press when your found drunk, because I know, that`s being loving.
HAMMER: That`s what it`s going to take, yeah. And obviously, on the other end of that, once they get out it`s going to be really important who they surround themselves with. She cannot go to hide, for instance, Cooper, and even stand there with a bottle of water surround by Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.
LAWRENCE: That may be the only advantage of the fact that we all know about it. Because like Dr. Fields was saying, the anonymous part is really important. Especially in a good rehab clinic. But the only advantage may be because we do know this about her so maybe we`re hoping that people surrounding her will see her, it`s going to be all over the press. So maybe she wants to validate herself elsewhere instead of in the press partying.
HAMMER: And as said before, we do wish her the best, whatever she`s going through. Cooper Lawrence, Tara Fields, I appreciate you both joining us tonight.
LAWRENCE: My pleasure.
FIELDS: Thank you very much.
VARGAS: Well, it seems like a lot of you think rehab isn`t such a good thing. We asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Lindsay Lohan in rehab. Do you think it will work? Only 12 percent of you say yes it will, 88 percent of you say no, it won`t. Here`s some of the e-mails we got.
Debbie all the way from France writes, "If she is already an alcoholic under age, what will happen when she actually reaches legal age? She is an alcoholic for life."
And Marcus from Texas writes, "I hope things go well for Lindsay. She`s beautiful, talented and young so she does have time at this point to bounce back."
HAMMER: Bouncing back from her battle with booze, Miss USA Tara Conner, who could forget this scene? Let`s roll this. Took place about a month ago when absolutely in tears Conner confessed that she had a problem with alcohol.
Well her wild partying and carrying on almost cost her her crown until pageant owner Donald Trump famously said that she could keep the crown if she went into rehab.
Well good news, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Miss USA is done with rehab and looking get her life back together. We are told that she leaves the rehab facility in Pennsylvania this coming Sunday.
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at the Sundance Film Festival, we go one-on- one with Robert Redford. What she says about the festival`s commercialism and the onslaught of celebrities attending.
HAMMER: Plus, what is going on here? Check out what happens to Erik Estrada, yes, Conch from "CHiPs" when he tries to become a real cop. We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re going to have a good, good drive today. There ain`t no problems on the major roadways. Looking at Country Club. Things look pretty good like Robin Hood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Oh no, she didn`t.
What the heck is this woman doing? I know I wish had I someone rap to me if I was on the Hollywood Freeway and it was all backed up. Coming up, this traffic reporter went to the beat box instead of beating the traffic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): And ray breaks effect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I am A.J. Hammer in New York. Guess what? Time now for another story that made us say ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "That`s Ridiculous!"
HAMMER: I don`t need to work around here anymore. Boy does the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom jump for glee when we get alerted to video like this. Take a look at this. Dozens of lawmakers are kicking and shoving and shouting insults even the shoes are being thrown around. These guys are crazy. It`s a brawl that broke out in Taiwan`s parliament.
We don`t really care but in case you do, parliament members were fighting over a vote. Someone even threw a shoe at the speaker and that`s a no-no. Throwing shoes to make a point that takes a lot of sole and "That`s Ridiculous!"
All right. Believe it or not, one of our favorite TV cops is back in uniform. This time it`s for real. Erik Estrada of played officer Frank "Ponch" Poncherello on the hit `70s series "CHiPs" and now he`s armed and famous. Think of it as cops for celebrities. Erik Estrada along with stars like Ozzy Osbourne`s Jack Osbourne, singer LaToya Jackson, leaving the high life of Hollywood behind to become crime fighters in, of all places, Muncie, Indiana.
They`ve got the guns, badges, even real life criminals on "Armed and Famous." It airs on Wednesday nights on CBS. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, there he is, Erik Estrada.
Erik, I have to say, it is a pleasure to have you here. And if you don`t mind my saying so I`m one of those people who is going to say it, I grew up watching you, I grew up playing "CHiPs" with my best friend Dave Goldman on our bikes in the streets getting a little too close to each other because we tried to stay synchronized. So really, nice to meet you.
ERIK ESTRADA, ACTOR: Thank you. Thank you for the compliment. Let me tell you, I love Ponch.
HAMMER: And to that end, I can only imagine being a criminal, getting arrested, you turn around, you see the guy wearing the badge is Erik Estrada. I have to imagine that some of the bad guys you ran into in the course of doing the show recognized you.
ESTRADA: Yeah. Mostly all of them. And in that situation celebrityism really helped because some people would come along easy and then there were those that don`t care what you`re wearing who you are, what you represent. They come along hard you know?
HAMMER: So you might have a guy who was perhaps swinging a ball bat at you and he sees you and says can I have your autograph? It must have been pretty surreal.
ESTRADA: Can you sign my bat? We got away with a lot of things. And it was great. The celebrity helped. But still we were out there. We were subject to anything that a real police officer is subject to.
HAMMER: And if you look at some of the stars you were you joined with in "Armed and Famous," talking about LaToya Jackson, Trish Status from the WWE, Jack Osbourne, as I mentioned. But you all take it very seriously. It`s no joke here.
ESTRADA: Well, look, I`ll tell you this. When we got to the academy before we took on this endeavor we had to decide about our liability. So we had to sign away liability. So that`s how dedicated all of us were to this. And that`s why we did not miss one thing and we volunteered for everything and we all had personal reasons for wanting to be police officers.
HAMMER: And what`s yours?
ESTRADA: Mine was that was my original passion from the age of seven to 17 I was going to be a New York City cop. I grew up in Spanish Harlem and that`s what I wanted. I wanted to be a cop. But I got into drama club chasing a pretty girl and got bit by the acting bug. So I told my mother, mom we`re not doing that dream now. I`m going to try this dream. Let me chase a career, see if I can make us some money.
HAMMER: Eric, a path taken by so many.
ESTRADA: So I got lucky, I hit 27 and 40 years later I got to go to the academy. It`s a beautiful, beautiful dream come true.
HAMMER: That`s great. A childhood dream realized.
I`ve got to tell you, all of that being said about how you attended the academy and you went through your training. I hear, I don`t know, LaToya Jackson being handed a gun. I thought maybe that`s a little strange. Should we at all be concerned about that? Do we need to be looking over our shoulders? Do we need to be worried about being gunned down by LaToya?
ESTRADA: At the beginning, yeah. I would always step back. You know? But the men and women of Muncie, Indiana, the police officers there, great group of people. They are really devoted to law enforcement. And I miss them and I hope to see them again when I go back because I`m going to continue my reserveship there so I`ll be back.
HAMMER: Well, that`s really cool to hear. Erik Estrada, it is a pleasure to meet you. Great to have you back on TV. I really appreciate you being with us tonight.
ESTRADA: Thank you.
HAMMER: Catch officer Erik Estrada in action on "Armed and Famous." It airs Wednesday night on CBS.
VARGAS: Well it`s a story all of Hollywood is talking about. And so we`ve been asking your vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. "Grey`s Anatomy" feud, should Isaiah Washington be fired? Keep voting at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT or write us at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
We will read some of your e-mails tomorrow and remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show that lets you express your opinion on video. To send us a video e-mail go to our Web site, CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
And who knows, maybe if your video e-mail is really, really good, it can even wind up being a viral video. You know, viral videos are one of the fastest growing and most popular forms of media in the world right now. You know those links you getting your e-mail from friends and family with comments like "you`ve got to check this out."
Those are the viral videos. Joining me here in New York tonight, the host of one of the most popular sites for viral videos, she is Maria Sansone of "The 9" on Yahoo! A pleasure to have you here, Maria.
MARIA SANSONE, "THE 9" ON YAHOO!: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: I love tuning into your little program - not your little program, your very highly watched program on Yahoo!
SANSONE: Thank you.
HAMMER: And taking a look at these things. Why do you think the viral videos have taken off in such a big way? Because there is not a day that goes by that my in-box is not flooded with you`ve got to see this links.
SANSONE: That`s a really good question and they are so random. There is no rhyme or reason. It could be a really cute video of a puppy dog and bunny or it could be a celebrity video. I mean, stupid human trick. It doesn`t matter. We don`t know why these viral videos catch on. They are so random.
HAMMER: And invariably they`re almost always so entertaining. The first one I want to show from your show, this guy has a particular talent that I think we just have to watch.
SANSONE: Lady.
HAMMER: This is a lady.
SANSONE: She makes ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m nervous. Here`s my rap. You`re going have a good, good drive today there ain`t no problems on the major roadways looking, looking at Country Club, things look pretty good like robin hood moving across the Triad, you it ain`t too bad, no, no, no
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANSONE: It`s rough. That`s what I call secondary embarrassment viral video.
HAMMER: And I`m watching that but I`m thinking -- I`m entertained but obviously you guys get either thousands submitted to you or you have your experts going around. What makes for a really good one?
SANSONE: It all depends. It is completely random. Whatever we`re feeling that day. We get hundreds of videos every day with this thing called the Pepsi 10th. So every day we have our nine stories. And some of our favorites have been Pepsi 10th to us. And we take that into consideration. And if there`s tons getting Pepsi 10th to us, then we know we have to air it. So we take that into consideration. It`s not just our judgment.
HAMMER: Well, this is one that fell into that category. This is the guy with the particularly strange talent. Roll this one, please, Chris.
SANSONE: Yeah.
HAMMER: Oh. Mama mia, make it stop! I look at these and I imagine you do, too and think these people have a lot of times on their hands.
SANSONE: Please note the look on his face, very serious. He was very serious when he was doing it. And this is within one in his repertoire. He had many songs. So these do have time on their hands. But God bless them.
HAMMER: God bless them.
SANSONE: Gives me a job.
HAMMER: Absolutely.
SANSONE: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: You know which ones I love -- we`re not going to play the mashup, we`re going to play Arnold Schwarzenegger. How can we not play Arnold Schwarzenegger? Roll it, Chris.
Yeah. This is the mashup, this is when they take a video from one place and take audio from another place. I love them.
SANSONE: You take it out of context, mash it up. This one of most popular things we get, a lot of good mashups.
HAMMER: Excellent. Do we have time to roll one more? Do we have the bubble wrap dancer guy? Let`s do it. "Bubble wrap dancer guy." I just love the name alone.
SANSONE: He was bored at work.
HAMMER: I imagine he was bored at work. I think I`d be frightened to walk into his place of business.
SANSONE: He probably got fired for this, but hey, it made for a really good viral video.
HAMMER: It sure did.
SANSONE: So thank you.
HAMMER: Maria, thank you for sharing all of these with us.
SANSONE: No problem.
HAMMER: I appreciate that. And you can catch more viral videos with Maria at 9.yahoo.com.
Well, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is at Sundance Film Festival. Coming up, the stars and the swag. And Brooke Anderson going one on with the Sundance director Robert Redford. We`ll hear what he has to say about the festival`s commercialism that certainly has grown over the years and the onslaught of celebrities attending. That`s on the way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is at Sundance again this year in Park City, Utah. The festival is the brainchild of actor Robert Redford to give independent filmmakers a place to showcase and sell their films.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson is there at the Treasure Mountain in at the top of the picturesque Main Street. Brooke, how is it going?
ANDERSON: It`s going great, Sibila. It`s very picturesque. A beautiful place to have a film festival. And yet it really is a platform for independent filmmakers to showcase their work, possibly get a distribution deal and then head into the mainstream but in recent years the festival has been criticized for becoming to commercial.
Many people say it`s just a bunch of stars wanting to walk way with a whole bunch of swag, free gifts.
Well, I spoke with Sundance founder Robert Redford about this and I asked him pointblank how he feels about the festival being perceived in that way and that some believe Sundance has lost touch with its independent roots. Here`s what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: What I think has happened that when we starred we were a festival and not a market. Once it became a marker and once actors found that there were roles more fun to play than what the mainstream was offering they began to move into independent film more and they would come up with films is and when they would come up managers would come or their P.R. people would come and then because they were known, they were celebrities then the press would come.
At a certain point -- I mean, there`s a certain part of the media that`s more interested in that than what we`re doing and that`s fine. That`s their business but it`s not who we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE: Redford also specifically mentioned to me the name Paris Hilton as being one of celebrities who just breezes into town for parties and the goodies. Redford also said the real Sundance where the Sundance Institute is located is about 24 miles from here tucked into the mountains and that Park City is just more of a mainstream kind of place. It`s a space that they rent actually to have this festival to showcase independent works from filmmakers.
This year`s Sundance is swirling in controversy already. And it`s due to a film from 12-year-old Dakota Fanning. She stars in the film "Hound Dog" and there`s a scene that`s being described as a brutal rape scene involving Dakota that`s causing a great deal of buzz here at Sundance. I`m going to see that movie and we will talk about those very controversial disturbing scenes right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
But it`s going great and there will be nearly 200 flips showcased and screened here at Sundance. Back to you, Sibila.
VARGAS: Wow. Well, keep warm, Brooke, OK?
ANDERSON: Thanks.
VARGAS: Brooke Anderson. And remember, be sure to watch SHOWBIZ at Sundance with Brooke Anderson from Park City, Utah all next week.
HAMMER: And be sure to join us all weekend on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this weekend. And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Good night, everyone. Glenn Beck is next right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
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