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Showbiz Tonight
Continuing Coverage of the Death of Anna Nicole Smith
Aired February 14, 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: Was Anna Nicole Smith under- feeding her baby to make her sexy? Absolutely explosive claims from a former nanny. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
SIBILA VARGAS, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And Anna Nicole`s long-time friend is right here with some explosive claims of her own. I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now!
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Anna Nicole Smith, now it`s a battle over her body. Tonight the disturbing, nasty, and ugly fight over who should get Anna Nicole`s body and where she should be buried.
Plus SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals why Anna Nicole`s life and death should be a wake-up call for hard partying young Hollywood -- Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, you better be listening! And that includes Britney Spears!
Tonight Britney behaving badly, really badly. Come on Britney, you promised to get your act together, so what`s the deal?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has been out almost every night. A lot of partying for somebody with two small children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, tough talk for Britney to get her life and her career together. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT jumps in with a Britney life intervention.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. And buckle your seat belts, we have got an explosive interview coming up with the woman who says she was one of Anna Nicole Smith`s best friends.
HAMMER: But first tonight the strange, almost unbelievable battle over Anna Nicole`s body nearly a week after her death. This battle played out today from coast to coast, from Florida to California. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, of course, was all over the hour by hour developments, and let me tell you, it was kind of like watching a riveting episode of "Law and Order," "The Practice," and "CSI Miami," all rolled into one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): Anna Nicole`s body is what brought her fame and attention while she was alive, and now, in death, it`s doing the same thing. A battle over who will claim her body and when. Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead, both Anna Nicole Smith`s lovers, both claiming to be the father of her five month old baby, Dannielynne, a baby who could inherit hundreds of millions of dollars.
DEBRA OPRI, LAWYER FOR LARRY BIRKHEAD: My client want custody of his child.
HAMMER: Stern and Birkhead not only fighting over the custody of Anna`s baby, but also fighting over custody of her body.
J.D. HEYMAN, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE": I think, the bottom line here is, these are people with a lot of axes to grinds, a lot of anger with one another and a lot of complexity to sort through.
HAMMER: Anna Nicole`s body has been held in a South Florida morgue ever since she died suddenly last Thursday. And now, today, two different court rulings in two different states could finally clear the way for her burial. The flurry of legal action started in a Florida court where a judge ruled Anna Nicole`s body should not be buried but could be embalmed. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there in south Florida with Larry Birkhead`s attorney.
OPRI: We fear if the body is moved out of state that we may not get appropriate DNA or paternity testing.
HAMMER: A clear victory for Birkhead in Florida. But then action in a California court, which had been preventing the burial until a hearing in the paternity battle next week, does an about-face, the court saying a DNA sample had now been taken and the body could now be released and buried.
RON RALE, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR ANNA NICOLE: The court modified its previous order so that the body of Anna Nicole is no longer ordered to be remaining in the Florida coroner`s office. We want Anna Nicole to have a proper burial.
HAMMER: Howard K. Stern wants Anna Nicole`s body so he can have it buried in the Bahamas next to Anna Nicole`s son Daniel. Daniel died tragically in Anna Nicole`s hospital room just days after she gave birth to Dannielynne. And in the Bahamas yet another court battle, this one over Dannielynne. A Bohemian Supreme Court ordered that the baby not be allowed to leave the Bahamas, where she is believed to be staying with Howard K. Stern, at least for now, a victory for Anna Nicole`s estranged mother, Virgie, who is fighting for a granddaughter she has never met.
HEYMAN: Anna Nicole`s mother has made it clear that she thinks the baby ought to go with Larry Birkhead, the photographer who has always claimed to be Dannielynne`s father. Virgie Arthur has been very outspoken about the wrongdoing that she believes happened on the part of Howard K. Stern and she is not about to back down.
HAMMER: And now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that, as the battle for the baby heats up, the list of potential fathers grows longer. The most recent addition -- this guy, Anna Nicole`s former bodyguard.
ALEX DENK, BODYGUARD TO ANNA NICOLE: I never spoke to anybody about Anna and I because we had a very private, intimate relationship.
HAMMER: Alex Denk claims he had a long affair with Anna Nicole and might be the daddy.
DENK: Anna and I, we talked a lot, and we always talked about the name she is going to give the baby, and she asked me questions, could you help me to raise the baby. And I said, I looked at her with a smile and then I hugged her, so we left it at that.
HAMMER: But Alex is going to have to take a number. In addition to Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead, there is also Zsa Zsa Gabor`s husband, Prince Frederick Von Anhalt, who claims to have had a ten-year affair with Anna.
PRINCE FREDERICK VON ANHALT, ZSA ZSA GABOR`S HUSBAND: I`m sure there are other men. There could be easily 20 to 30 men.
HAMMER: And if that`s not weird enough, Anna Nicole`s half-sister has suggested Dannielynne could have been fathered by frozen sperm from Anna`s late husband, J. Howard Marshall.
HEYMAN: Anna Nicole`s life was incredibly complicated in life and it seems to be only more complicated in death. Her body is under dispute in Florida. The baby at the moment has been ordered by a judge to remain in the Bahamas. And it doesn`t seem like even in death that Anna Nicole is going to be surrounded by her entire family, and those she loved. It is just going to be one argument after another.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So what`s next? Well, we`re going to find out tomorrow morning, because that`s when a judge in Florida has scheduled a hearing to decide who will finally get Anna Nicole`s body. And just as we have been from the very beginning of this very strange story of Anna Nicole Smith, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will, of course, be right there.
And, as unbelievable as Anna Nicole`s story has been after her death, tonight staggering new claims about her life. A nanny for Anna Nicole`s baby claims that Anna Nicole attempted suicide twice and allegedly underfed little Dannielynne. TMZ.com obtained the affidavit with these comments. With me tonight from Glendale, California, Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com. Hello, Harvey.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Hi, A.J.
HAMMER: So, the baby`s nanny filed this affidavit back in September, and in it she is basically alleging that Anna Nicole underfed Dannielynne for a reason that, if it`s true, is absolutely unbelievable. What is she claiming?
LEVIN: Well, the document says that she wanted her baby to be, quote, sexy. And she ordered this nanny, according to the affidavit, to underfeed the child with baby food, and the nanny says that the baby looked undernourished as a result.
HAMMER: You know, I`m hearing you saying that and I was seeing it as we were putting it up on the screen, I`m just dumbfounded by that. I`m wondering if what she alleged is true, that she wanted the baby underfed, what do you think could have triggered Anna Nicole to do something like that? I mean, obviously she was dealing with her son`s death and the stress along with that, maybe post-partum depression. I wouldn`t talk about it to Tom Cruise, but maybe that.
LEVIN: I don`t know what caused it. She was clearly unhinged during this time. I mean, you can go on in this affidavit, and as the nanny talks about two suicide attempts on the nanny`s watch, one time when Anna Nicole allegedly tried to take too much sleeping medication, and another time when she tried to drown herself, and was audibly upset when she didn`t succeed in killing herself. And what`s really revealing about that, A.J., is that, according to the nanny, Howard K. Stern said, if Anna dies, I`m in trouble with the cops, kind of an interesting statement.
HAMMER: Yes, and what do you think she meant by that? Is that because all eyes are always on Howard when it comes to Anna? That`s a little strange and it almost seems incriminating, although this is all alleged.
LEVIN: yes, listen, it`s in an affidavit. All I can tell you is that Howard Stern was deeply involved in her life. There were allegations that he may have supplied -- he may have supplied Daniel, her son, with that Methadone that contributed to his death. So Howard K. Stern is in the middle of a lot.
HAMMER: Well, the nanny also said that Anna took a lot of, quote, mood altering substances. Of course, rumors have been rampant for years about Anna`s drug use. In another development, I know you got ahold of air bills to Vickie Marshal, that`s Anna`s legal name, and Michelle Chase, which is her alias, and apparently these bills were for packages containing drug orders that I understand were placed or were dated when she would have been eight months pregnant. Do you know what kind of drugs were ordered?
LEVIN: I do indeed. One was Methadone, an order of Methadone, and we are publishing a story about the doctor who prescribed it for her under an alias, and it`s illegal to do that with a controlled substance. And we actually spoke with the doctor on the phone. He said, no comment, and hung up. So this doctor actually was, it seems like, personal friends with her. He was with her at the gay pride parade in West Hollywood in 2005.
In addition, another doctor in town sent a FedEx package of Demerol, Dalmane, and some other medications to the Bahamas with her name on it, as they put it, the consignee. Now I spoke with the doctor. The doctor told me, I didn`t write the prescriptions for Anna Nicole. And I said, why would you send it to Anna Nicole, then? And he wouldn`t answer me and wouldn`t tell me who he supposedly wrote it for. Buts she was getting medicine in the mail while she was eight months pregnant.
HAMMER: And we should point out there is no proof that she was actually taking the medicine, but she did, in fact, receive it when she was eight months pregnant. It would be hard to believe, Harvey, and this is just speculation here, but we`re hearing about the Methadone, these other drugs, it`s going to be hard to believe that they didn`t play some role in her death.
LEVIN: Well, drugs certainly played a part in her life. I have no doubt about that. And Larry Birkhead has been saying for a long time, one of the reasons that he ended the relationship is because she was on Methadone while she was pregnant. This seems to bear it all out. Now remember, Howard K. Stern, there is an allegation he was involved with Methadone with respect to Daniel. Now there is Methadone all over Anna Nicole`s house before she dies and Howard K. Stern is living there.
So it seems like Methadone and Howard K. Stern are kind of a common link here.
HAMMER: If I was on "CSI," I would be lining all this up. It does not look good, but we`ll watch as it unfolds. Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com, I thank you as always.
LEVIN: See you A.J.
VARGAS: Now we want to hear from you on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, Anna Nicole Smith, should her mother decide where she is buried? 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. Send us a video e-mail. Go to our website, CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
HAMMER: So listen to this: one of the men who is fight to prove that he is the father of Anna Nicole`s baby wants your help. We`re going to tell you what Larry Birkhead and his lawyer are asking for from you. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have witnessed that man, Howard K. Stern, give my friend multiple drugs at one time and multiple times over the course of the years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Explosive claims from the woman who says she is one of Anna Nicole Smith`s closest friend. Jackie Hatten joins us right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. That`s coming up next.
HAMMER: You will not want to miss that. And can her death be a wake- up call to Britney Spears and Hollywood`s other young partiers? We`re going to have that and a life intervention for Britney coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Our continuing coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith rolls on now. Few people got very close to Anna Nicole Smith. Few people knew the real person behind the persona.
Well, Jackie Hatten says she is one of those people. Jackie and Anna Nicole Smith were best friends for 16 years. She was the godmother of Anna Nicole`s son Daniel and now she blames Howard K. Stern for her death.
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, Jackie Hatten. Jackie, I know it`s been an unbelievably difficult several months and an impossible last week for you. I do appreciate you being with us.
JACKIE HATTEN, FRIEND OF ANNA NICOLE SMITH: Thank you so much for having me.
HAMMER: You`re welcome. Now you say that Anna was like a sister to you and you had always feared her relationship with Howard K. Stern could be fatal. Why did you think that?
HATTEN: Just from what I had witnessed, A.J. I witnessed him give her so many drugs and alcohol cocktails that nobody could withstand after - - I mean, I wouldn`t even withstand one, let alone multiple over the years.
HAMMER: Drugs and alcohol aside, which obviously you think may have contributed to her death, a lot of people have been questioning what was the real nature of their relationship, did he control her, was she really doped up the whole time she was with him. From your vantage point, what was the relationship really like? How would you characterize it?
HATTEN: He was her gopher. He would run errands. He would carry her bags. He would be the driver. He would handle some legal affairs. Just one point, what you were saying before, if she wasn`t doped up and he didn`t control her, why did every time he was around she had to be carried? When she was with me or my brother, she walked on her own two feet. That`s major.
And also, if he is not controlling her, why now, after she`s dead, is he still controlling her by being the executor to her estate and Ron Rale the second executor?
HAMMER: Back to a point you were making a moment ago, particularly in that last interview that she gave, that we saw, where she really seemed to be out of sorts, we had always over the years seen her with some slur in her speech, having difficulty at times even in speaking and just carrying herself on. Would you say she was not that way when she was not with Howard K. Stern?
HATTEN: Most definitely. We had normal conversations like you and I. We laid out by the pool. We would go shopping. We would go to lunch. We would go to parties. She was never intoxicated like that unless he was around.
HAMMER: Did she love him?
HATTEN: She did not love him. She thought he was her friend. But friends do not feed friends drugs. Friends do not let friends drunk drive, if you will. Do you know what I`m saying, that quote?
HAMMER: Yes, I got you. I got you on that. Well, we know that there is a huge battle going on to find out who the father is of Anna`s baby. You`ve said in the past that Anna told you Larry Birkhead is the father. What exactly did she say to you?
HATTEN: She did say that she was dating Larry at the time and that it was his child. So the time frame did correlate. And she always wanted to have a blonde hair, blue eyed baby or a blond haired, green eyed baby to match son Daniel. So, again, it does correlate. One other thing I want to add to the other question you just asked, Howard being a friend, well, friends don`t make friends cash cows. Can any of those people, Ron Rale, Howard K. Stern, any of the attorneys that are around her or anything like that, TrimSpa, can any of them show me a check that wasn`t cashed from Anna? I can. I never took any money.
HAMMER: It has been alleged that Howard never made any money from Anna, it was all contingent upon whether the money from her dead husband actually happened, that half a billion dollars.
HATTEN: This is true from that case. However, he made money by going on her show, from all the other little things that he has done. That`s the only way that man has ever made money.
HAMMER: Ever since you`ve been speaking out publicly, obviously there are those who are going to come out against you and there are those who have said that your brother, Mark Hatten, once stalked Anna, and that led to the end of your friendship with Anna. And the fact is, according to those people, that you were estranged. So, can you set the record straight on that? What was the real deal there?
HATTEN: The real deal is I did introduce Anna and my brother. They called me Cupid. I put them together as a blind date. But before the blind date I told them, no matter what happens, I do not want to get caught up in a love triangle. You guys are both adults. You`re like a sister, a best friend. You`re my brother. I don`t want to be in the middle of it.
So I will hook you guys up, if you wish, but I don`t want to hear anything. If It doesn`t work out, you two will part ways. You can be amicable. You can be friends, whatever, but I`m not going to be in the middle of it. Both parties agreed and we were good to go.
It didn`t work out after -- because of Howard K. Stern perjuring himself under oath, trying to get my brother locked up, you know, calling and lying and saying, there is a stalker coming over, when my brother only called and said I want to come over and pick up some things. I want to pack my things. Big difference. But a little twist. And it means, you know, all of a sudden someone goes to jail.
HAMMER: Jackie, I got to wrap it up there. I appreciate your candor on your side of the story here. And, again, my condolences on your loss. And I appreciate you being with us.
HATTEN: Thank you so much. I just want to say one more thing, happy Valentine`s Day to Anna and Daniel. You`re in heaven, rest in peace, and have a beautiful day. You guys are each other`s Valentines and that`s all you guys ever wanted. Thank you guys.
VARGAS: Larry Birkhead has been fighting to go prove he is the father of Anna Nicole`s baby even more Anna died and the other men started to come out of the woodwork. And now he and his lawyers are reaching out to the public for help. On his attorney`s website, DebraOpri.com, there is a notice posted asking people to send money to the Save Dannielynne Legal Fund. For months now Birkhead has been battling in court, so far unsuccessfully, to get a DNA test to prove he is the baby`s father.
HAMMER: Well, it certainly has been an unbelievably dramatic day in the courtrooms coast to coast in the battle over Anna Nicole Smith`s body. We are going to be taking a closer look at that coming up. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are very hopeful that 2007 would bring a more composed Britney, sort of a more responsible mom, but it doesn`t look like she is going in that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Britney promised she would tone it down, but it seems the party circuit has lured her back in. Is there anything she can do to turn her life and career around? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to the rescue. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And another piece of heart breaking news for Kellie Pickler. The "American Idol" finalist has been very open about trouble at home. We`re going to tell you about what`s going on now, and that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Kellie Pickler`s father is in trouble with the law again, this time for allegedly assaulting a woman with a stake knife. Kelly often talked about her father`s jail time when she was a finalist on "American Idol." Well, her dad has been charged with assault and faces trial in a couple of weeks.
Now, a few months ago, Kellie stopped by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT when her album came out. That album included a song about her mother abandoning her at age two. And Kellie told our own Brooke Anderson that she wanted to be honest about her family issues, hoping that it would help her fans who were going through similar troubles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLIE PICKLER, SINGER: You know, you don`t choose your parents. You don`t choose your family, and I just want to be a witness for other people that are going through the same problems. And yes, it was very hard to put that on the album, but there -- for once in my life, I`m not ashamed of where I came from. I`m very happy to say, I`m Kellie Pickler.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She is a strong young woman. We wish Kellie all the best.
VARGAS: Well the "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue" is trying something new this year. No, they`re not ditching the whole scantily clad woman thing. They wouldn`t do that. But this year there`s a music theme and Beyonce is on the cover.
"Sports Illustrated" says this is the first time the cover has featured someone who isn`t a model or an athlete, although Beyonce certainly looks like a model. "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue" is on news stands now.
HAMMER: Sandra Bullock says when she first met her future husband, she assumed he was a homophobic chauvinist. Well, she gives us all a refresher course in not judging a book by its cover. That`s coming up. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People were very hopeful that 2007 would bring a more composed Britney, a more responsible mom, but it doesn`t look like she`s going in that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Britney promised she would tone it down, but it seems the party circuit has lured her back in. Can she turn around her life and career? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT to the rescue. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: And what a day it has been, explosive new developments today in the Anna Nicole Smith case, including startling claims from a former nanny, and there is drama in the court rooms over Smith`s body. Who is going to get Anna Nicole Smith`s body when this is all said and done? That`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Guests: Jill Dobson, Ian Drew, Ashleigh Banfield, Jane Velez-Mitchell
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Wednesday night. 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.
Well, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that the death of Anna Nicole Smith should serve as a wake-up call to the Paris Hiltons and Britney Spears of the world - the young Hollywood stars out of control. We`ll be getting to that in just a moment.
And here`s why: we want to first show you just why Britney Spears needs to be saved from herself. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has a message for Britney: check yourself before you let yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS (voice-over): Even though Britney Spears says she`s trying to get her act together, the newspapers are full of reports of more partying, more late nights and more explosive tabloid headlines, as Brit gets off to yet another bad year.
KATRINA SZISH, "US WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: I think people were every hopeful that 2007 would bring, you know, a more composed Britney, a - sort of a more responsible mom. But it doesn`t look like she`s going in that way. You know, she hosted New Year`s Eve at Pure Nightclub, and, you know, there were reports that she collapsed. So she sort of started out on that, and (INAUDIBLE) it`s really just continued. She`s out almost every night. A lot of partying for somebody with two small children.
VARGAS: Two of New York`s biggest newspaper are describing in excruciating detail Brit`s drinking, dancing and makeout sessions at several clubs: "Britney`s Wild Night" in "The New York Post"; "Thong Tweaking (ph)" in "The Daily News". Behaviors so regular SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that it`s become a joke.
ADRIANNE FROST, AUTHOR, "I HATE OTHER PEOPLE`S KIDS": Look, I`m a clubber; I club in New York City all the time. And I sit in my VIP section with my peeps. And Britney comes in, and she`s like, `Hey, ya`ll, how you doing?` And her friends are there to pull up her pants and make sure that they cover up her whale tail.
And my friends are there to make sure I don`t muffin top. So it`s all good.
VARGAS: Newspaper reports and explosive unconfirmed reports in tabloid magazines about her sex life while married to Kevin Federline - allegations coupled with pictures like this, showing Brit`s now-infamous pantyless partying while out with fellow wild child Paris Hilton - that could really damager her image when it comes to the custody battle over her two kids with K-Fed.
SZISH: He actually is coming out look a lot better - sort of more clean cut. And Britney right now is not looking like the most responsible mom.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: I would say try something novel: stay home and watch your kids. Sometimes the solution to bad press is not more press, but no press.
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes you back to one year ago, February 2006, when the bad press started. This picture of Britney behind the wheel of her black SUV with five-month-old Sean Preston on her lap - no car seat, no seatbelt, lots of outrage following.
KELLY RIPA, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": The smallest fender bender..
REGIS PHILBIN, "LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY": Yes.
RIPA: And that child`s neck snaps, and that`s it.
JOY BEHAR, "THE VIEW": You don`t take off in a car.
(CROSSTALK)
SZISH: Whether she was driving with her infant on her lap or dropping him out of his high chair, there were a lot of things that happened that really made her look like a questionable - how - how good of a mom was she really?
VARGAS: From the driving disaster in February to this in May: Brit almost dropped Sean Preston outside of her New York hotel. Two incidents, a lot of bad press.
But things only got worse once a very pregnant and not-so-put-together Britney sat down with Matt Lauer for "Dateline."
BRITNEY SPEARS, ENTERTAINER: You have babies at home, and you have - you have a life. And if you don`t, you have to realize that we`re people, and that we need - we just need privacy, and we need our respect. And - and those are things that you have to have as a human.
SZISH: Well, Britney`s publicist right before her interview with "Dateline" said, `You know what? Why don`t you spit out your gum? Why don`t you wear this?` And Britney said, `No, I`m going to be myself.` You know, and so she did.
VARGAS: With two kids to care for, an image to revive and a music career to resuscitate, maybe being herself isn`t the best idea. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s asking if Britney needs an intervention.
FROST: I think Christian Aguilera needs to step in and just, you know - I want to help you.
JC CHASEZ, SINGER: JC!
SPEARS: Britney!
FROST: I think "The Mickey Mouse Club" needs to come together like - like Band Aid did -- maybe Bono could be there - and just have a concert for Britney, to save Britney.
VARGAS: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT found out the hard way that Britney`s ex and former Mickey Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake isn`t really interested in talking about Brit`s image.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, SINGER: Oh, I`m not commenting on any of that. So, thank you.
SZISH: Britney ultimately is going to do whatever she wants. You know, she grew up in the limelight; she really never had that adolescence. So now she`s really having that delayed adolescence. You know and it`s - it`s sort of unfortunate that she does have two small children.
SPEARS: Huh?
SZISH: I do think a life coach or somebody to intervene to tell her what to do. But I do think she has that already, I just don`t think that she`s really following that advice.
SPEARS: What`s that supposed to mean?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So what lessons can the likes of Britney, Paris and Lindsay learn from the tragic life and subsequent death of Anna Nicole Smith?
With me tonight in New York, Ian Drew of "Us Weekly," and Jill Dobson of "Star" magazine.
Ian, Jill, good to see you both. I appreciate you being here.
When - when you look at the out-of-control lifestyle of Anna Nicole Smith and what became of her, it really would seem that it should serve as a wakeup call to these young starlets out there in Hollywood. I mean, shouldn`t they be saying, Hey, you know, that could be me.
JILL DOBSON, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Yes, you know, we`ve all been covering this story. And I interviewed a psychiatrist this week that said he thinks the root problem is really a lack of self-esteem.
And it seems like these girls have the same thing: they`re trying to seek love and seek attention and to get headlines and to show off their sexuality and get attention that way. But deep down, they`re not really solving the root problem, which is that they don`t necessarily feel like valuable people. And until they solve that, they`re going to keep up with this outrageous behavior and self-destructive behavior.
HAMMER: Which is crazy - and self-destructive being the operative term, because they should be watching shows like ours and all the coverage that this is getting. And you know that they`re watching, and say, `Well, wait a second` - hello, like I said, wake-up call.
IAN DREW, "US WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: Yes.
Well, a lot of them are sort of self-obsessed. They`re not really. You know, it`s kind on in the background.
But they`re in their own world all the time. And that is part of the reason why they behave the way that they do; no one is telling them anything different because there`s - they`re filled with yes men, and they`re filled with people trying to keep them in that world. So they lose touch with reality, which is what happened when - Anna Nicole a long time. She just had a lot more years of it.
HAMMER: Now playing devil`s advocate to this whole notion, Anna Nicole was 39 years old when she died. We`re talking basically about the young starlets in Hollywood who are largely in their 20s.
So on the other side, are we making too much out of their partying?
DOBSON: I don`t think we do. I think their partying is really, really self-destructive. When it`s to the point that you`re flashing yourself to the media day after day after day after day, that really does raise eyebrows and make people wonder, `Is something wrong with you? Do you need more attention or more love?` What - what is it that you really need?
And I think that these girls, as Ian said, are surrounded by yes men and are surrounded by people that make money off of them, and can`t really set them straight at risk of losing their jobs.
HAMMER: So Ian, we`re not blowing this out of proportion, right? I mean, I - I don`t think we are, but - but, you know, there seem to be a lot of red flags going up there in Hollywood.
DREW: Well, we`re not. At the same time though, we have to remember that the cameras are out there on them all the time.
HAMMER: Yes.
DREW: I`m not so sure that this isn`t endemic of society, of more girls all over the place that go through this. I mean, the "Girls Gone Wild" videos document them. We`ve got paparazzi on these two girls. So.
HAMMER: Yes, it obviously feeds itself.
DREW: It - it`s obviously that there`s just more cameras watching. But in any small town, there are a Britney Spears or a Lindsay Lohan of that town who go out and act exactly the same way week after week.
HAMMER: I want to read to you something that our marquee guy, Dave Levine, the executive producer of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, wrote on the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT blog, which you can look up at cnn.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT, about this very subject.
He wrote, "There is a lesson to Anna Nicole`s fame. You can tempt a vapid fame only for so long if it is constructed of falsehoods, recklessness and self-abuse. It is a lesson the Brit Pack should examine closely."
It does seem to me that these ladies, who should be getting some good advice, do have their heads in the sand.
DOBSON: Right, and I think it`s because every one around them is paid by them. And people can`t really - if I acted crazy, the people around me would say, `Cut it out.` But when your mother is your manager and might lose her job if she sets you straight, and all your friends are actually your interior designer and your hair stylist and your makeup artist, none of them can really say, `You`re acting ridiculous.` Instead, everyone just kind of - is yes men to them.
HAMMER: And - and maybe for a moment, Britney Spears was listening to the people who were advising her. Because at the end of last year, she said, `You know what? I`m going to get my act together; I`m going to put a whole new face.`
Well, flash forward a couple of months. I mean, as we just saw in our story, that has not been the case. She is out of control once again. And it seems to me, Ian, that part of it is based in the fact that these young ladies do see themselves as invincible, just like teenagers.
DREW: Yes. Well, it lasted a week, if we all remember. And that`s when Britney actually had a great team put together. She had Britt Bardot (ph), one of Hollywood`s top stylists working with her.
And now she`s doing her own hair. She`s not working with a stylist. Her hairdresser`s actually been in L.A. during this whole New York sort of crusade of toxicity that she`s been on.
So it - it has to do with a lot with the fact of patterns. And these are just individual women with different patterns.
Britney, unfortunately, is falling into a very typical child-star- gone-wrong pattern, which Michael Jackson was on for - and probably still is on - for the same amount of time for that period. If you fast forward 20 years, she might be on the same trajectory.
HAMMER: Yes. Well, let - let`s just hope that another tragedy is not looming for one of these young stars. Because we should be looking at what happened with Anna Nicole - and granted, her circumstances a little different - but it should be a big red flag.
I appreciate you both being with us. Ian Drew, Jill Dobson, thanks so much.
DOBSON: Thanks.
VARGAS: Well, who hooked up with Britney`s ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake at the Grammys, and she`s now singing a different tune? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will tell you.
HAMMER: Plus, "Love: Hollywood Style." Because it`s Valentine`s Day - and happy Valentine`s Day to you - get out your pen and pad to write down Hollywood`s advice to the lovelorn. What made Sandra Bullock think twice about her husband?
VARGAS: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s continuing coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith. The shocking claim of what Anna Nicole did to her newborn to make her look sexy. That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show, and our continuing coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith.
It has been a wild day from coast to coast in the Anna Nicole Smith story. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT bringing you the very latest right now.
We could hardly believe it when we heard there is a report that Anna Nicole Smith was underfeeding her five-month-old baby Danielynn. This to make her - quote - "more sexy." That`s a claim in the shocking sworn affidavit obtained by TMZ.com, written by Anna Nicole`s former nanny.
And baby Danielynn isn`t leaving the Bahamas anytime soon. The Bahamas Supreme Court ordered that the baby not be allowed to leave the Bahamas. Danielynn is believed to be staying there with Anna Nicole`s lover, Howard K. Stern, who claims he`s the daddy.
Stern`s fierce battle to claim Anna Nicole`s remains is nowhere near over. He`s fighting Larry Birkhead, who claims he is Danielynn`s father, as well as Anna`s estranged mother, Virgie Arthur. After a hearing today, another is set for first thing tomorrow morning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This might be settled once and for all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON RALE, ATTORNEY FOR HOWARD K. STERN: We all know that Anna Nicole would not want Virgie to have control of her body. And I am hoping and praying that - that justice follows what the intent of Anna Nicole was, and that Howard Stern will be able to follow up on what the wishes were of Anna Nicole for her - the disposition of her remains.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, there are so many battles raging on in the Anna Nicole Smith case. As you can see, it`s kind of hard to keep up and keep score on all this.
So with us tonight to sort it all out, Court TV correspondent and host of "Hollywood Heat," Ashleigh Banfield.
And investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, joining us from Los Angeles. Her book, "Secrets Can Be Murder," will be out later this year.
Ladies, I appreciate you joining us again tonight.
Let us talk about this startling report that TMZ.com has obtained. It`s this affidavit from Anna Nicole`s former nanny saying that Anna was underfeeding Danielynn to make her - quote - "more sexy."
Wow. So this is all alleged in an affidavit. But if this is true Ashleigh, couldn`t this have an almost unbelievable impact on Howard K. Stern as the case move - moves forward?
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, "HOLLWYOOD HEAT": Well, it`s - it`s - there`s no allegation that Howard Stern was behind any of this. It`s just that Anna Nicole was behind some of this.
But there`s some other unseemly stuff in there, too. Notably that there were two suicide attempts that she said she witnessed, this nanny witnessed, (INAUDIBLE) Anna Nicole Smith. Also that there was a - a torrid affair between this immigration minister, that they were locked in the bedroom for hours and hours on end.
The nanny also claimed that Anna Nicole threatened to shoot her if this child ever called her "mommy." There were some pretty nasty allegations in there.
But again, none of them directed directly at Howard K. Stern.
HAMMER: No, none at Howard K. Stern particularly.
And - and Jane, you know, I`m not from child protective services, but - but it seems to me Howard K. Stern was present with the baby, and presumably giving care to that baby when these allegations were made, back - back in September.
So I would think that investigators looking into this would say, `Hold on a second. You know, this guy was there when that happened.`
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Absolutely.
This is a shocking, shocking affidavit. If even 10 percent of it is true, this child could be in harm`s way right now, as we speak. We hear of daily substance abuse, wild affairs, no bonding with the child, underfeeding child, a wild and unpredictable environment. And yet Howard K. Stern, supposedly the love of Anna Nicole Smith`s life, was there at the time.
I think enough is enough. He no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt. I would urge the government of the Bahamas - either child services or the courts - to be more proactive. Not just say, `This child can`t leave the country,` but to step in, take the child out of the home, put the child in foster care. And often in foster care, the child is put with a relative.
We know that the grandmother has gone to the Bahamas. This is a stable woman, Virgie Arthur, many years in law enforcement. This is her blood relative. Put this little child, who could be literally starving, with her grandmother, and let`s say enough is enough with giving Howard K. Stern the benefit of the doubt.
HAMMER: And at the moment, if that were to happen, it would have to take place in the Bahamas, because the Bahamian court has now ruled that Danielynn`s not allowed to leave the Bahamas.
But - but Ashleigh, wouldn`t that make that ruling sort of a - a half- baked ruling, considering this new evidence?
BANFIELD: I think really all that does is set the stage for where we`re going to see paternity issues play out, and then potentially those - those ensuing custodial issues play out. That was at the behest of Anna Nicole`s mother. She flew there; she wants to address this issue there, and she asked the court to make sure that that child stays there. Presumably she just didn`t want Howard K. Stern taking that child anywhere else while this all gets sorted out.
HAMMER: Well, let`s - let`s talk about the body. Because while it lies there in Florida cold in that morgue - you know, we have judges from coast to coast who are arguing over what`s going to happen to it, who gets to claim it. We have Anna Nicole with a blood relative, her mother - now granted, they have may have been estranged. But doesn`t - you know, why - why is it that they can`t just release the body to her I guess is what I`m asking, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, all this argument over the body seems to be misplaced attention. We`re arguing over the deceased when the living is what we should be concerned about.
My understanding is that there is a DNA sample of Anna Nicole Smith that has been taken. It is substantial enough; there`s going to be a hearing tomorrow to determine next of kin. I don`t see why that should be an issue; we all know her mother is her mother.
It seems to be such misplaced attention when the real focus should be on this little girl, if she`s being underfed, she could be really in harm`s way as we speak.
And another thing: TMZ also reported that allegations that Anna Nicole Smith was getting methadone, Demerol and sleeping pills during her pregnancy. If this child was addicted in utero, she may need special attention as well that she is not getting right now because she`s not in the proper hands.
HAMMER: Ashleigh, I want to talk about the fact that as this battle rages on and the other battles rage on, a DNA sample was taken from Anna Nicole`s body. So they still need to take a DNA sample from Danielynn, correct? Because this was just so we can assure that they don`t switch the babies and do a switcheroo.
BANFIELD: Yes. I think the bait-and-switch issue had to do with keeping Anna Nicole`s body for 10 days so that Larry Birkhead`s people could come and make sure they got their own sample, so that there could be no funny business.
But really when it comes down to it, and - and Jane was mentioning, we`re kind of like circling around issues that aren`t - aren`t as important. The biggest issue is the - is the DNA from the baby. And right now, I actually just heard in the last half hour, the attorney for Howard K. Stern he doesn`t object at all to having a paternity and a DNA test.
HAMMER: Interesting.
BANFIELD: We`ll wait to see how that plays out.
HAMMER: Yes, we`ll see how that plays out, indeed.
"Hollywood Heat" from Court TV Ashleigh Banfield; Jane Velez-Mitchell, investigative journalist, I appreciate you both shedding some light on a very complicated situation for us.
BANFIELD: Thanks, A.J.
VARGAS: We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Anna Nicole Smith: Should her mother decide where she`s buried?"
Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. Write us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll 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.
HAMMER: Remember when your mom told you you only get one chance to make a first impression? Well, stick around, because you`re not going believe what Sandra Bullock about her husband that changed him from "bigot" to "babe."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start your push, Camera 3. Stand by, A.J. Pre-set 2. Open his mike. Dissolve. Go.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on this Valentine`s Day. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And on this Valentine`s Day, allow me to give you one Hollywood`s star advice for finding true love: first impressions aren`t everything.
Actress Sandra Bullock meant "Monster Garage" reality show star Jesse James four years ago. She tells "In Style" magazine that at the time - quote - "I assumed he was a homophobic chauvinist, a bigot who killed people. Later, I felt saddened by my assumptions, because I wondered how many times I had written off people who were truly real."
And while we celebrate Valentine`s Day, she says nurturing her relationship is not easy. Quote - "People are so good at attending to their jobs, their plants, their pets. Why is that when it comes to a relationship, we just sort of Go, `Oh, it`s here, it just should work.` It doesn`t."
You can read the entire interview edition of "In Style" magazine.
VARGAS: And while we`re talking about love and first impressions, A.J., remember Monday night on the Grammys? America picked Houston teenage Robyn Troups to go up on stage and sing "My Love" with Justin Timberlake.
Quite a first impression, especially since some of the world`s most powerful music executives were right there in the audience. Oh, but wait: it turns out Robyn tried out for "American Idol" in the most recent auditions in San Antonio. She made it to Hollywood, and check out what happened next:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
PAULA ABDUL, "AMERICAN IDOL" JUDGE: (INAUDIBLE) I`m sorry, you`re going home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: (INAUDIBLE) "Ironic" "American Idol."
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has a word of advice for all of you tens of thousands who tried out and were told "other door" by Simon, Paula and Randy: look who`s smiling now. There`s buzz online she`s being looked at by some of those same record executives. So you go girl.
HAMMER: So as we wind it down on this Valentine`s Day, let`s find out what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Now tomorrow, it`s not just Anna Nicole Smith. Lindsay Lohan in and out of rehab. Keith Urban just out of rehab. Danny Bonaduce asks, `Where are the people who should be really taking care of a celebrity when they get into trouble?` He`ll join us tomorrow.
Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT gets on the money trail of Anna Nicole Smith, the poor-little-almost-rich-girl. Does she really have any money? And if so, where is it? Or does that all depend on the estate of her late husband? The truth about her bank account; that is tomorrow.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Good night, everyone. Happy Valentine`s Day.
"GLENN BECK" is next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
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