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Showbiz Tonight
Britney Spears Shaves Head; Anna Nicole Battles Continue
Aired February 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: Kelly Osborne reveals someone in her family has HIV. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And why is Oprah teaming up with shock jock Howard Stern? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Britney`s sheer disaster -- Britney Spears wigs out and shaves her head. Is this the final cut in a Britney meltdown?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks the tough questions, where is Britney`s family? Who`s taking care of her kids? And did she really go to rehab? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the inside story on Britney`s bizarre behavior.
Tonight, the showdown over Anna Nicole Smith, major new developments as courtrooms coast to coast take on the battles over Anna Nicole`s body and her baby. In this corner, possible daddy number one, Howard K. Stern. In the other corner, possible daddy number two, Larry Birkhead. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT setting the stage for the stunning showdown.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. We`ve got two explosive stories tonight. In just a few minutes the startling showdown in the battle over Anna Nicole Smith`s baby and her body.
HAMMER: But first tonight -- Britney Spears. What can I say? As the world now knows, Britney is now bald, giving herself a buzz cut, shaving her hair off, and the whole thing caught on camera.
ANDERSON: Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT getting to the bottom of Britney`s bald move, and the question everybody is asking -- has Britney gone from being out of control to being out of her mind?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It`s the buzz heard round the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you do this?
ANDERSON: Britney`s new buzz has talk shows buzzing.
KELLY RIPPA, TALK SHOW HOST: I`m worried though.
REGIS PHILBON, TALK SHOW HOST: I am too.
50 CENT, RAPPER: That`s Britney Spears man.
ANDERSON: Even hard-core rapper 50 Cent couldn`t believe his eyes when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT showed him how Britney Spears impulsively cut off all her hair.
50 CENT: Why did she do that?
ANDERSON: After all the crazy, far rout things Britney Spears has said, done, and married over the years, people are now asking, has she finally lost more than her hair?
JILL DOBSON, "STAR MAGAZINE": This looks to a lot of people to be a full-out nervous breakdown.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the stars` reactions to Britney`s brazen buzz.
NE-YO, SINGER: I think personally she needs a little bit of help.
ANDERSON: We bring you eye witness accounts of the night Britney went bald.
ESTHER TOGNOZZI, HAIR SALON OWNER: We opened the door and Britney Spears came in and sat in my chair and said, I want to shave my hair off.
ANDERSON: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks the tough questions, like what in the world led Britney to do this? What does her family think of her antics? And has she chopped off any chance for a career comeback?
DOBSON: It just really looks like a clear cry for help.
ANDERSON: Britney`s haircut capped of a wild week. Reports say, after partying in New York, she jetted to Miami for more partying, then flew off to the Caribbean island of Antigua for a reported stay in rehab that lasted less than a day. After a brief stop in Miami, it was off to L.A. where really got nuts.
DOBSON: When she got back to L.A., reportedly she had been having an argument with her mother. Her mother was upset over the short stay in rehab and wanted Britney to really take good care of herself, also for the sake of her children.
ANDERSON: It was after that reported spat with her mom that Britney ended up at this hair salon, whose owner says she refused Britney`s request to cut her hair.
TOGNOZZI: Next thing I know, she grabbed the buzzer, and she went to the back of my salon, and she was shaving off her own hair.
ANDERSON: After Spears sheered, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT scan tell you she came here to top off her do with some new tattoos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She seemed very distraught and disturbed. She was very scatter brained and wasn`t really answering many questions.
ANDERSON: Within hours, auctions, claiming to offer Britney`s newly shorn locks, popped up on eBay, before the site took them down. "Star Magazine`s" Jill Dobson tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, this story is plenty weird on its own.
DOBSON: If an actress shaved her head for a role, like Natalie Portman or Demi Moore, we understand it. For Britney to do it on her own, not for a movie role, but just because she was upset and distraught, and you wonder, what`s next?
ANDERSON: What`s next could be a heated up custody battle with Kevin Federline who, in comparison to Britney, has been pretty well behaved since their split last November. Each is asking for sole custody of their two small boys and Britney`s partying and her unpredictable behavior is not helping her image as a devoted mom.
DOBSON: Most people think the babies are at home with different nannies. And while Britney may be spending time with the kids, no one is seeing it. What we`re seeing is her out acting crazy, and it is certainly bad for her image and probably bad for her custody battle, too.
ANDERSON: Some of the stars SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talked to are sympathetic to Britney. Jamie Kennedy tells us people need to leave her alone.
JAMIE KENNEDY, ACTOR: I think that she needs to be with her family and go away and just take care of herself, because people are too mean to her and she is a wonderful person.
ANDERSON: And "ER`s" Mekhi Phifer tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Brit just needs to get back to the studio, stat.
MEKHI PHIFER, "ER": Hopefully she can shake that "US Weekly" nonsense and all of that tabloid foolishness, and just start putting out good product.
ANDERSON: But as Britney reportedly continues to work on a come back album, "Star Magazine`s" Jill Dobson says she may have seriously hurt her music career and the Britney brand.
DOBSON: People buy Britney`s albums because they like Britney, and it`s not because she has an amazing voice with an amazing vocal range, like Mariah Carey does. People buy Britney`s albums because they`re her fans. And as she loses more and more fans, it is really going to hurt her album sales down the road.
ANDERSON: But as this woman who witnessed Britney`s makeover show, maybe Spears can score with a new demographic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it`s cool. Rock `n` roll, man.
ANDERSON: Britney the rocker? She is showing no idea is too crazy for Britney.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And stay with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. In just a few minutes, we`re going to show you the entire interview with the owner of the hair salon where Britney shaved her hair. You just have to hear what Britney purportedly said after her impromptu buzz. You don`t want to miss it. That`s going to be at 30 minutes past the hour.
HAMMER: Well, the shocking new has really made us stop and say, what the heck is going on with Britney? Clearly she has hit a whole new low, but what is next for her, and will these scary headlines ruin what is left of her career?
Joining me tonight from Hollywood, celebrity journalist Pat Lalama. Also from Hollywood, TV Guide Channel`s Daphne Brogdon. Ladies, good to see you.
Pat, we have seen wacky behavior from Britney in the past, particularly in the last couple of months, after she said she was going to be getting her act together. When this news came out, people were just blown away, stunned at these images of a bald Britney. How shocked were you when you saw and heard this?
PAT LALAMA, CELEBRITY JOURNALIST: Maybe I`m jaded, A.J. I wasn`t that shocked. I think, look, if I had a dollar every time I wanted to shave my hair off because I felt distraught about something, I would be very rich. That, in and of itself, doesn`t trouble me. I think looking at the whole picture, building the circumstantial case is the thing we need to look at.
And I`m going to go back to my original aggravation about young people in Hollywood, and that is not so much the young people, but the people around them. They are improperly managed, they have yes people around them, they don`t know boundaries, they have too much fame, too much money. She picked a rotten ex.
I`ll say it. I don`t care. Who is that guy? Why did she ever marry him? And I think she is just too young and she`s not getting the guidance. That can have terrific traumatic fallout when you`re too young and there is all this fame and all these yes people, and no one is saying, Britney, get over here. I`m going to help you. I`m going to get you straightened out here. No one is doing that. And that`s problematic.
HAMMER: Yes, it is problematic that she doesn`t have the right people looking out for her. Although there are those who would say that there are people looking out for her that would have said, hey, shave your head Britney. It will get you some attention.
Daphne, what do you think? Because at our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff meeting today, there were those who said, a big publicity stunt. I don`t think so. I think this is a whole different thing. What is your take?
DAPHNE BROGDON, TV GUIDE: It`s not crazy to think about it. Is she sorry that Anna Nicole`s death is getting this much attention? If she didn`t want this attention, like she said to Matt Lauer, oh, I wish people would just leave me alone, number one, you don`t go shave your head. Number two, you don`t go shave in public.
She has got the money and the means. She could have a hairdresser come to her house and shaver her head, if she really wanted to. It seems like she really wants to act out in public, whether that`s a meltdown, a cry for help. I mean, she clearly has continued bad judgment. I mean, she takes here son shopping for trashing lingerie. If she doesn`t want publicity, she needs to make better decisions.
HAMMER: And just for the record, I`m going to go with meltdown in this case. Now Pat, obviously she should be paying attention to how she behaves in public, because she is in the middle of this nasty custody battle for her two kids in her divorce from Kevin Federline. Judges do take into account parental behavior. It`s not weighted so heavily in all cases. There are all kinds of public behavior. But between the day trip to rehab, to this latest stunt of the shaving the head and the tattoos and the continual partying, do you think she could actually risk losing her kids?
LALAMA: Let me put it to you this way, Michael Jackson still has his kids. The point I`m making is that I`ve seen many, many custody cases, some celebrity, some not, California courts tend to like to keep the kids with their mother, to begin with. That`s not always the right decision. But, in the end, I think so far she hasn`t done anything that I think will cause her to lose her kids. I think what she is losing is respect from her fan base and from a lot of us who cover this kind of a thing.
I happen to think she is probably a really nice person. When you look at a lot of this group of young females, I think essentially she has got a goodness in her. And, you know, Daphne made a very good point about going out in public. That`s true. Like, why do it? Why not wear underwear? Please.
However, A.J., keep in mind, this is how she knows to get attention. It could be a combination of both: yes, I`m distraught. Yes, I`m screaming for help. And boy, the only place I really know to go is to the public.
HAMMER: But it really could kill her chances at a comeback. As we saw in our story, people love her partially for her image. Ten seconds, Daphne, what do you think, could this really hurt that comeback that everybody is talking -- that they were hoping for in 2007 for Britney?
BROGDON: It`s not going to happen in 2007, but I think she is definitely setting up for a fab comeback. People love a come back story. She needs to go disappear like Demi Moore did in Idaho for a couple years, take care of her kids.
HAMMER: I don`t know. We`ll have to wait and see. Celebrity journalist Pat Lalama, Daphne Brogdon, thank you for not shaving your head prior to the broadcast today and we appreciate you being with us on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Now on the way, we`re going straight to the intervention experts, to get a little insight into this shocking story. What should happen now and what could happen if Britney doesn`t get the help that she may very well need? Britney`s breakdown? That`s coming up at 30 minutes past the hour.
ANDERSON: And now we want to hear from you about this. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, what do you think, Britney Spears, do you feel sorry for her? Vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us an e- mail, SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
And don`t forget, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show that lets you express your opinion on video. To send us a video e-mail, just go to our website, CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
Coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the hair dresser who saw it all in her own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOGNOZZI: She said, oh, my god, I shaved off all my hair. I have no hair left. I think she enjoyed it actually. I think she enjoyed the baldness of her head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We will hear from the woman who was there for the head shaving heard around the world, as she describes, uncut, what really happened.
HAMMER: Plus, the stage is set for an Anna Nicole Smith showdown, in courtrooms coast to coast, and there are some brand new developments tonight you will not want to miss, including major news about that Bohemian official who was in bed with Anna Nicole, literally. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: Also a shocking revelation from Kelly Osbourne that somebody in her family is battling HIV. That`s next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Keep it right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Get ready for what might be the ultimate showdown in the battle over Anna Nicole Smith`s baby and her body. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Anna Nicole Smith`s body has now been embalmed, but as of right now she has still not been buried.
The fight over who gets to claim her body includes everyone from her estranged mother to her lover, attorney and the man who claims he is the father of her baby, Howard K. Stern. And tomorrow a major showdown in a Ft. Lauderdale courtroom, when Stern is expected to show up and so might Larry Birkhead, Anna Nicole`s former lover, who also claims he`s the baby`s father.
What a day that is going to be. With me tonight from L.A. investigative journalist Jane Velez Mitchell, from Glendale, California, managing editor of TMZ.com, Harvey Levin.
Harvey, I want to kick it off with you, big day in court tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale. Now, why did the judge order Howard K. Stern to be there and what can we expect? Do you think he will show up?
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: Well, Howard Stern actually asked to be part of this proceeding when it started. So the judge is saying, fine, have at it, now come here. I want you to be in the courtroom. He asked today if he could testify by video phone. The judge said, no, I want you hear.
Larry Birkhead will absolutely be in the courtroom. He right now is in Ft. Lauderdale. And he will be testifying. It will be an interesting day, if the two of them are squaring off.
ANDERSON: Yes, face to face. Judge wants Howard K. Stern to be there, to be present. Now, Jane, the judge ordered more DNA to be taken from Smith. The body has now been embalmed. So it would appear to me that everything is set for a paternity test to go forward on baby Dannielynne. Now, is that the case? And also do you think it is just a little ridiculous that it is taking so long to settle this whole thing? I mean, come on, just figure it out. Who is the baby`s father?
JANE VELEZ MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: This is such a saga and this such a drama, and personally I think that`s why Howard K. Stern fought so vigorously not to have to come to Florida. He wants to stay in hiding in the Bahamas, because he knows that when he shows his face in Florida, the entire world will be watching, will be scrutinizing how he looks, what he says, and that paternity issue is going to come up, I believe, even though specifically they are talking about the burial and where Anna Nicole Smith`s body should be buried.
I think that paternity issue is something that is always going to be hovering, and I think the judge has expressed interest in finding out who the real father is. The entire world is asking Howard K. Stern, if you`re so sure you`re the dad, take the paternity test, and end the question mark once and for all.
ANDERSON: Yes. It would be shocking for that issue not to come up, when you`ve got Birkhead and Stern there for this hearing. And, Harvey, in yet another bizarre development, the immigration minister snapped -- in photos snapped of him in Anna Nicole`s bed, with his clothes on, who let her stay in the Bahamas, has just resigned. Is this also going to blow up big time? What`s the latest you`re hearing on this?
LEVIN: Well, we found out that there was actually an official complaint filed with the commissioner of police today. And they have opened an investigation into him. The people we`ve spoken with in the police department will not say if it`s a criminal investigation, but there is an issue as to whether Anna Nicole Smith obtained residency properly.
She did not own property, and that`s a requirement for establishing residency. So he is under scrutiny and now under investigation.
ANDERSON: Yes, I want to add, Gibson has denied any wrong doing here. But Jane, there is so much to decide in regards to Anna Nicole, including who gets the body, and where the body is going to get buried. Her mother says it should be in her birthplace, in Texas. Howard K. Stern, on the other hand, says it should be next to her son Daniel, who died in the Bahamas. How do you think it is all going to play out?
MITCHELL: I think the judge is ultimately going to make a decision with the help of some experts that he has brought in. But I think the big question isn`t where is Anna Nicole Smith`s body going to be buried, but what`s going to happen to her little daughter, Dannielynne, this five and a half month old girl in the Bahamas. Nobody has seen her recently. She is staying at Horizons, the mansion that is the subject of a huge battle. Did Anna Nicole Smith own it? Was it given to her as a gift or was she a squatter? And Does Howard k. Stern remain a squatter?
There are so many issues here. And I think the key is, we have to peel the onion. We have to resolve one issue after the other. And the key issue is paternity and then custody. Who gets custody of this little girl?
ANDERSON: Very worrisome to think about the child and that child`s future. Harvey, ten seconds, what do you think is going to happen? Who is going to get the body? Who is going to bury it?
LEVIN: I think ultimately, look, Daniel is buried in the Bahamas. She bought a plot next to Daniel. It doesn`t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. I think that`s where she is going.
ANDERSON: We shall see what happens tomorrow at that hearing. OK, Harvey Levin of TMZ.com, investigative journalist Jane Velez Mitchell, thank you both for your incite. We appreciate it.
And you should know that CNN Headline News will carry the entire court proceeding tomorrow morning live. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is your one place to turn for this story. We`re going to have comprehensive coverage of the proceeding tomorrow. That`s 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: Tonight a shocking revelation from Kelly Osbourne. The singer was at an AIDS benefit in London over the weekend, and as she was introducing a performance by the band the Scissor Sisters, she said that the cause is special to her because a family member of hers had been diagnosed with HIV. Now, people who were at the benefit said that Osbourne was fighting back tears as she spoke. So far, no word on who Kelly was referring to. We did reach out to representatives for the Osbournes, but did not hear back.
Well, we know Britney Spears shaved her head, but will Donald Trump be next? Dare we even hope? We`re going to fill you in on what`s going on, coming up. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOGNOZZI: Britney Spears came in and sat in my chair and said, I want to shave my hair off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The hair dresser who saw it all. Her account of what really happened when Britney came into the salon, in her own words, straight ahead.
HAMMER: And we`ll take you behind closed doors at a major modeling agency. Very thin girls getting called Pillsbury Dough boy and fat cow. What the heck`s going on? Well, I will ask the head of Willamina Models (ph), who happens to also be the star of the new reality show, "The Agency." That`s coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Monday night coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The star of "Good Fellas" may have done a bad thing. Actor Ray Liotta was arrested for suspected DUI over the weekend. Police say Liotta crashed his car into two parked cars in California. He was booked on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, and has to appear in court next month. Police say Liotta was alone in his car and no one was hurt in the collision. Liotta was released on 15,000 dollars bail.
HAMMER: Of course the big news today, Britney Spears shaves her head. That really got us thinking around here, kind of a shame that it was Britney who went nuts with the clippers, and not some other star, someone with really bad hair for instance.
Oh, take Donald Trump. Everybody has been over his comb-over for years now. So why can`t he follow Brit`s example? Well, we may actually get our wish. Trump and Vince McMahon threw down an interesting gauntlet on WWE Raw. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": So Vince, our deal, you lose, you get your head shaved at Wrestlemania. I lose, I get my head shaved at Wrestlemania.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That was all taped before Britney`s clipper escapade, but the timing certainly is interesting. The question is -- is Britney`s new baldness a sign that she is really having a breakdown. And is there anything anyone can do to pull her back? We`re calling in the doctors coming up. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOGNOZZI: She said, oh my god, I shaved off all my hair. I have no hair left. I think she enjoyed it actually. I think she enjoyed the baldness of her head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She was there for all of it, the hair dresser who saw it first hand. Her account of what really happened when Britney came into the salon in her own words. That`s straight ahead.
HAMMER: And here we are at the height of the skinny model debate. We`re going to take you behind closed doors at a major modeling agency, where you see very thin girls getting called Pillsbury dough boy and fat cow, among other things. We`re going to find out what`s going on from the head of Wilamina Models, also the star of a new reality show, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You`re watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: All right. In case you missed it, and quite honestly that would have been hard to do because the whole world seems to have been talking about it, this weekend Britney Spears shaved her head. That`s right. She went Kojack on us. We`re a little worried about you, Brit. It`s not just this "hair"-brained move, it`s the panty-less partying, the K-Fed divorce, what will probably be a nasty custody battle over her two kids.
Oy vey! Here`s what happened. Last Thursday Britney reportedly checked into Eric Clapton`s Crossroads rehab center in Antigua, but checked less than 24 hours later. Then Britney flew home to Los Angeles, she reportedly sat in coach, perish the thought. After she gets home, she heads to a hair salon, demands that they shave her head.
And when they refuse, she grabs the clippers and takes it all off herself. And then she stops by a tattoo parlor for some ink. She got a pair of lips on her wrist and a cross on her lower back.
And does Brit run right home, balling over her baldness? No. She was out last night partying in Hollywood, wearing a blonde short wig.
ANDERSON: so what was the point of shaving her head if she`s going to wear a wig now? OK. Anyway, and what was it like when Britney "wigged" out? Was she walking the razor`s edge by taking clippers to her head or was it simply a case of taking control of her life and getting her head in a better place? Now that we`ve got all of those puns out of the way, let`s get a first-hand account of the "shear madness," one more, from the Southern California salon`s owner, Esther Tognozzi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ESTER TOGNOZZI, SALON OWNER: Well, my assistant and I were closing up. Actually, we had locked the door, because it gets really scary around here because we`re set back from the boulevard. And all of a sudden there were lights flashing and we thought it was the police or somebody got into an accident.
And they asked us to open the door. We opened the door. And Britney Spears came in and sat in my chair and said, I want to shave my hair off. And I said, well, I`m not shaving your hair off. And I tried to talk her out of it.
I said, are you sure you`re not having a bad day? And tomorrow you will feel differently about it. Why don`t we wait a little bit. She said, no, I absolutely want it shaved off now.
And, as I was talking to her bodyguard, next thing I know she grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my salon and she was shaving off her own hair. And she actually enjoyed shaving off her own hair.
But you know, she never said anything about being sick and tired of people touching her and that`s why she was doing it. I think maybe the braids were on too tight. She had a lot of extensions in her hair. So she shaved off the whole thing all by herself and all I basically did was go in there and even it out for her.
When we were done, she just walked out the backdoor and of course the paparazzi were all over the place.
I made sure the bodyguards knew that I had nothing to do with it. I tried to talk her out of it. And in fact the only thing she said that made her look a little bit emotional was, her mom was going to be very upset that she was doing this.
I don`t know how she found my salon, but they all of a sudden just charged my salon, came in here after hours, and, you know, she cut her own hair. I had nothing to do with it. I just evened it out, that`s it.
She just wanted the hair off. And I did say, is it getting rid of the old and just starting fresh? And she said, yes, that`s it. But the only emotion she showed was when she said, my mom`s going to be real upset and she got teary-eyed.
And I think her mom should maybe get a hold of her little girl. I think she needs her family. You know what? It`s only hair. I tell all my clients. I think in about a couple of months she will have like a really short, boy haircut. Maybe she just got sick and tired of all the chemicals and the extensions in her hair and maybe she wants a new beginning, I don`t know. Her hair is pretty short underneath. I think it was only about four inches. And you couldn`t tell because it was all extensions.
I was pretty shocked, but she had no emotions in her face anyway when we told me that she wanted her hair buzzed off or shaved off. And so when she first said she was going to try the buzzer and she shaved of a little piece, but by the time I came back from talking to her bodyguards, half her hair was gone already. So it was shocking. But it`s only hair. It grows back.
She said, oh, my God, I shaved off all of my hair. I have no hair left. And I think she enjoyed it actually. I think that she enjoyed the baldness of her head. But I told her she is lucky she has a nice shaped head.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Nice shaped head or not, I wonder if today Britney is thinking about what salon owner Esther Tognozzi said in the piece, are you sure you`re not having a bad day and may feel differently about it tomorrow?
HAMMER: Well, with all of this drama going on, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, is Britney having a breakdown? And what should her family doing to help her out here? And joining me from San Francisco, a licensed therapist from A&E`s "Intervention," Dr. Tara Fields (ph). And here in New York, clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky.
Ladies, it is good to see you both. Dr. Judy, you know, Britney has done some seemingly irrational things, particularly over the last couple of months. I`m no psychologist, but it does really seem pretty obvious to me that this is a big cry for help.
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: I`m worried about it and I do think it is. And I know A.J., you love to talk about the panty-less partying, and I think that exposing her head is like exposing her body parts, down there and up here is a way of saying to everybody, I feel exposed, I really need to be exposed. Somebody notice that things are going on deeper inside. I think it is unconscious as a way to say, this is headed for a problem.
HAMMER: Yes. And shockingly, nobody is stepping in. It doesn`t seem to help her out. Dr. Tara, you deal with interventions all of the time. You know when it`s time for one. What does it say to you that Britney goes into rehab for a day, she checked out in 24 hours, and then she carries on with this behavior, shaving her head, getting the tattoos and continuing to party right after, what does that all mean?
TARA FIELDS PH.D., LICENSED THERAPIST, "INTERVENTION": Well, what it says to me is that she is really not ready to deal with her pain. She is really not ready to deal with the alcohol or any of the other things that she is doing in her life that are having detrimental effects on her.
I mean, she is saying, you`re not going to control me. And you know, it really takes a lot of help, a lot of emotional courage, a lot of support to be willing to step into the kind of pain that I have the sense she has been self-medicating for a long time.
HAMMER: Help and support, operative terms to deal with here. Now there are reports, Dr. Judy, that her mom is with her right now. But, really, where has the family been? They are supposedly this close-knit family, yet we don`t see them jumping in. We don`t see anybody grabbing her by the hand, sitting her down and saying, hey, you have got to deal with this. It makes me wonder, if her family had stepped in before, would she necessarily be going through all of what she is going through right now? It`s nuts.
KURIANSKY: Well, they needed to step in way before, because there are already all of the signs, the drinking, the drugging, the dropping the baby, the sexual acting out all of the time, so it`s essential now for there to be tough love, which is people -- the family and friends all stepping up to the plate and saying, look what you`re doing.
This is the kind of thing that is called intervention in the technical sense of it, where the family sits down and everybody says, we`re not going to take this anymore. We love you and we won`t stand for it. And there is such a thing by different state laws called the involuntary commitment, where petitioners can be family members, doctors, and they say, you have to go to a rehab center or a hospital and stay longer, I think, than 30 days or certainly than one day.
HAMMER: And as much as that is all a great idea, aside from the -- what do you call it, the involuntary.
KURIANSKY: Commitment.
HAMMER: Commitment. Aside from all of that, there is always a chance she doesn`t want any help. I mean, Dr. Tara, let`s say the family did want to get involved in all this time, but she is pushing them away. So what really can be done to reel her in before she hits rock bottom?
FIELDS: Well, exactly. Because absolutely, you can what`s called 5150 someone, put them in involuntarily for 72 hours and you see what happens. She will just check herself out. And that`s why it is so important that you do a really formal intervention, where this support system and the family are trained, almost like a SWAT team, which is there is a real technique to do this, so that the person that is drinking, or acting out, or even depressed gets to the point at the end of that intervention, where they choose to say, yes, and they realize that if they don`t say yes, the one thing the family and friends can control is what they are going to do to make sure that their life changes, no matter what.
So the alcoholic or addict can either say yes to treatment or, in a sense, almost be abandoned by all of these people that are making it possible, and they may not be aware of this, to allow the person to keep drinking, to keep acting out and doing the things that are going to end up.
HAMMER: Hello Howard K. Stern, Anna Nicole Smith. I`m sorry, I said it. But that`s what I think.
KURIANSKY: Well, we end up really being what`s called enablers. Then everybody or so many millions of people who know what that means, that when you`ve got somebody who is an addict in some way, whether it`s alcohol, drugs or sex, the other people around them enable it. They unconsciously really facilitate them being that way by giving them attention, by not doing anything.
All of the people, the bodyguards who were with her when she had her hair -- when she buzzed off her hair, what are they going to do? They are dependent on her. So we really need to stop -- to know -- all the people around her need to stop enabling her behavior.
HAMMER: Let the enabling stop, I`m all for that. Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Dr. Tara Fields, I appreciate you joining us both tonight. And let`s just hope that Britney gets the help that she clearly needs right about now.
ANDERSON: A.J., Oprah Winfrey and Howard Stern, you wouldn`t exactly say these two are best friends, right?
HAMMER: No, I listen to Howard every day, I don`t think she is on his Christmas list.
ANDERSON: Well, listen to this, they soon could be playing on the same company softball. But you know, I just hope Howard doesn`t put the porn stars and the strippers on the roster.
HAMMER: Oh, why not? There is your fun right there, Brooke. So Britney Spears and this whole shocking shaving of the head thing has Rosie O`Donnell throwing out a desperate plea to help Britney even if it means Brit has got to move in with her, she will hide the clippers. We have also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No more biscuits, no more fried chicken, no nothing bad, you`ve got to lose about 10 pounds, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ten pounds?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ten pounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you`d like a bloody steak next time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: An absolutely appalling behind-the-scenes look at the modeling world that can actually push women into having eating disorders. Unbelievable. That`s next.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Well, by now you`ve probably heard the shocking news about Britney "Shears" -- Britney Spears, rather, all of a sudden she shaved her head and got some more tattoos. Well, it has got everybody talking, wondering if there is something wrong with her. The ladies of "The View" are really concerned, wondering if this is all a cry for help.
On her blog, Rosie O`Donnell writes: "Super rich 24-year-old who have spent half their lives in the famous-sphere, Mary Kate and Ashley, Miss Brit, same same same, I want them to come live with us, somehow thinking there is healing here, it worked for me." On today`s show Barbara Walter`s fear, said this could send a really bad message to Britney`s young fans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, HOST, "THE VIEW": When you see how disturbed she is in many ways, and not just this but other things she has done, and we don`t know where those two little babies are, I hope that maybe this will be an example to young people who think that it`s so hot to be like some of these really unhappy -- supposedly unhappy young women. The other thing is, I`m afraid some young women will copy her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It is a fear. And what`s really wild is that Brit was out last night in Hollywood partying with a wig on like nothing happened.
HAMMER: Well, as the raging debate goes on over whether to ban super- skinny models from fashion runways, this is a new reality show that exposes the dark side of modeling where sink or swim might depend on whether you eat or diet. The show, "The Agency," makes its premiere tomorrow on VH-1.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too old, too short, too big. And there is nothing I can do with you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) It`s like the Pillsbury Doughboy. You can`t be like that. What you need to do is exercise and it will come of you. You`re young. You should be able to shift it. But you haven`t shifted it. You`ve got fat, love. And I`ve just said the F-word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Joining me in New York, Sean Patterson, president of Wilhelmina Models, the agency that is featured in the show.
It`s good to see you, Sean, I appreciate you being here. As I mentioned, the show is making its debut at the height of this debate over the super-skinny models. And I realize this is not what your show is all about, but it is obviously a hot button issue.
SEAN PATTERSON, VH-1`S "THE AGENCY": It is. It is very big issue right now in our industry.
HAMMER: In the show we see an otherwise healthy woman, she is at a weight that most women dream of achieving, and we see her being told she needs to look like a stick and we see her being referred to as a fat cow. And it seems to me, Sean, that this is exactly what people are talking about when they say that the modeling industry contributes to the pressures women feel and the anorexic and eating disorders that we see women go through.
PATTERSON: Well, I think one of the things that you`re seeing in this scene is Becky, one of the agents at Wilhelmina, who is feeling the pressure to try and deliver the talent to the clients the way the clients are expecting. You know, I think that`s one of the things that gets loss in this issue. The modeling industry, we are the middlemen who end up providing the talent to the client. And the talent the clients look to book. So if the clients are putting out size zero dresses on the runway, then the agents necessarily have to deliver girls that are that size, otherwise the agency ceases to exist because the models end up getting booked from another agency.
HAMMER: But it becomes this vicious cycle, it seems to me. And it creates a really difficult thing where nobody wants to take responsibility. And there is a lot of finger-pointing obviously that goes on about the issue.
PATTERSON: Sure. Well, and it is a really serious issue that I`m glad people are taking a look at now. You know, for the most part it is something that we grapple with every day. It is one of the issues that, you know, is part of the complexities and the dynamics of being a model agent, which is one of our inspirations for doing the show.
We wanted to show the good and the bad. We wanted to show everything that really goes on behind the scenes in our business. Glamour is not easy. It is not served up to you on a silver platter that you walk in the door. There are a lot of hard issues that face young models, you know, trying to break into the business. There are a complex issues that the agents have to field as well. And the skinny -- the thinnest issue is but one of many issues that we have to deal with on a daily basis.
HAMMER: Well, you have to fulfill the needs of your clients, as you said, but are they actually saying, we want stick-thin girls?
PATTERSON: I mean, the bottom line is this, a lot of designers unfortunately right now are putting out size zero dresses on the runway. And regardless of whatever the modeling agencies do, if you don`t provide the girls that can fit into those dresses, then you aren`t working with those clients, and those clients will book somewhere else.
The flip side of it is, agencies need to be very vigilant looking out for the interest of their talent, looking out for the interests of the models so that they are not engaging in any sort of unhealthy behavior. But for the most part, as well, I think we have to look at the image that`s being put on the runway.
If there is a size zero dress being put on the runway, then for the most part you have to think about those tens of thousands of girls who are at home that are maybe inspired to try to try and live up to this unattainable image of beauty, which is not healthy. And they don`t necessarily have the metabolisms to get there.
HAMMER: And maybe, maybe things are going to start to change. Every time I sit with a star and we talk about this and we talk about the fact that the fashion industry sends out the wrong images, Hollywood sends out the wrong images, why can`t they show a more accurate representation of what women really look like in America?
Even today, USA Today said, maybe curvy is coming back. What do you think, is there a sea change that`s going the start happening?
PATTERSON: I think you have to go a really long way to prove to me that designers would really lose billions of dollars in volume.
HAMMER: I agree.
PATTERSON: . if they put a size 4 or size 6 or size 8 out on the runway. I think that that`s more representative of all the different types of beauty that exist in this world. And I think that, again, once you`re just putting out one certain image of beauty, I think you do society a disservice and I also don`t think you`re being representative of about what, you know, the world of fashion can be.
HAMMER: Well, your show, "The Agency," is a very entertaining look inside -- much more than this, inside everything that goes on inside the modeling industry. What is something that would really shock people that they are going to learn by watching this show? Because it is wildly entertaining to watch.
PATTERSON: I mean, I think the most interesting thing is, you know, as I came up as a junior agent in this business, it never ceased to amaze me how the complexity of personalities in our business combine to create some really unbelievable situations. And I think this show really captures that.
That you will have situations where you`re sitting there almost dumbfounded of why is this happening, but it is because of the fact that you have a 16-year-old girl working with an agent in her mid 30s, trying to keep a client happy who is in their late 60s, and all of them very flamboyant, different sort of personalities, and when you put that all into the mix together, you get some explosive situations.
HAMMER: Tension and drama run side.
PATTERSON: You really do, you get some really crazy situations.
HAMMER: Sean Patterson, I appreciate you being with us. And then also your insight on the skinny model debate. Thanks very much.
PATTERSON: Great, thank you for having me.
HAMMER: You can tune into "The Agency" Tuesday nights on VH-1.
ANDERSON: Coming up, why in the world is this guy -- you`re about to see him, this guy banging his head into watermelons over and over again. No, he`s not trying to invent a new way to make fruit salad. But watching this is giving me a headache. Boy, I need to take a Tylenol. If anyone else out there has a headache, go take a Tylenol, then come back to the television. We`re going to have that story when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Monday night comes right back. Stay with us.
(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 our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT videos of the day. Talk about hard-headed. Come with us now to the land down under, Australia, for a watermelon head-butting contest. This 29-year-old head case broke the world record for smashing 40 melons in 58 seconds. That`s quite a feat. And when they asked him how he felt afterwards? He said, as good at goes, mate. Can somebody please get this guy an aspirin? He is really out of his mind for ramming his head into rinds.
And now, take a look at this amazing piece of tape from Salt Lake City, Utah. Check this out. A guy is filming his friend snowboarding when suddenly an avalanche starts. The snowboarder, Chris Coulter (ph), gets buried, he rolls down the hill and through some trees. But when it`s all over, Chris is still on the board and unharmed. Nicely done, Chris. Those are our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT videos of the day.
ANDERSON: That is incredible. All right. You know that old saying, politics makes strange bedfellows? Well, try satellite radio makes strange bedfellows. Here`s what we`re talking about. Sirius and XM are merging. So that means Howard Stern, who ditched regular radio for Sirius to avoid those FCC fines and do even more with his strippers and porn stars, will be on the same team with Oprah Winfrey, who has a channel on XM, yes. You know, those two had better never run into each other in the company cafeteria. That could get really ugly.
HAMMER: So we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Britney Spears spending a day in rehab, shaving her head, getting more tattoos, so we`re asking, Britney Spears, do you feel sorry for her? If you would like to vote, go to the Web site. It`s cnn.com/showbiztonight. If you have got more to say, gosh darn it, we want to hear from you, showbiztonight@cnn.com. We will read some of your e- mails tomorrow. And, of course, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the only entertainment news show where you can express your opinion on video. If you would like to send us a video e-mail, please go to our Web site, cnn.com/showbiztonight.
Time now to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow. Of course, a huge day in the Anna Nicole Smith battle. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has every angle covered. Get ready for a nasty showdown. Will the men fighting over custody of her baby daughter come face to face in court? Will a paternity test finally happen? And who will get to bury Anna Nicole? Plus, puzzling unanswered questions about her will. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, of course, is all over the various twists and turns of this shocking story like no other entertainment news show. That all happens tomorrow.
Well, that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Glenn Beck is coming up next right after the latest headlines from CNN HEADLINE NEWS. Take care.
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