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Showbiz Tonight
Anna Nicole`s Baby Paternity Case to be Settled Tomorrow; Interview With Dog the Bounty Hunter
Aired April 09, 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: The TV bounty hunter who might find himself spending a long time in jail. Duane "Dog" Chapman is right here. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
SIBILA VARGAS, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And we`re totally fed up sitting through all of these movies. Why in the heck are they so darn long? I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, yet another shocking racial controversy. Tonight, the outrage over Imus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON IMUS, RADIO/TV TALK SHOW HOST: They`ve got tattoos and --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s some hardcore hoes.
IMUS: That`s some nappy-headed hoes, I`m going to tell you that now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the furious reaction to what Don Imus called some black women athletes. Will Imus will silenced? Tonight, I go one-on-one with the man who`s leading the nationwide battle to get Imus fired.
The Anna Nicole baby battle. Tonight, explosive new developments hours before we`re expected to learn who Dannielynn`s real father is. And the startling, hard-to-believe news that Howard K. Stern might actually give up his custody fight.
Plus SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with a disturbing look at the life Anna Nicole`s baby will now face.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Tonight, the once unthinkable, A.J., is Howard K. Stern now thinking about giving up his custody fight for Anna Nicole`s baby. Plus, Dog the Bounty Hunter right here on his fight to stay out of a Mexican prison. That`s all coming up.
HAMMER: That`s right Sibila. But first tonight, the outrage over Imus. This was an unbelievable day, as one of the America`s most outrageous and most listened to radio personalities fought back against demands he be fired. Don Imus`s explosive racial comments about some black female college basketball players seemed to have just about everyone calling for him to get the boot. So Imus himself did some extraordinary things today to try to convince everyone that he`s not a racist.
And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there every step of the way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I`m going to say what you said was racist. I`m going to say what you said was abominable. I`m going to say you should be fired for saying it.
IMUS: That`s fine.
HAMMER (voice-over): Don Imus, in a dramatic confrontation today on the Reverend Al Shorpton`s radio show, Sharpton demanding the I-man be fired from his radio show.
SHARPTON: Are we now saying it`s acceptable in the middle of these kind of candidates and these anchormen for you to sit up and call my daughter a ho?
HAMMER: And on the streets of Chicago today, protests against Imus, led by Jesse Jackson.
And what did Imus say that has so many people outraged? IMUS: That`s some rough girls from Rutgers.
HAMMER: Listen for yourself as Imus rips into the mostly black Rutgers women`s basketball team last Wednesday on his show with his executive producer.
IMUS: Man, they`ve got tattoos and --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s some hardcore hoes.
IMUS: That`s some nappy-headed hoes there. I`m going to tell you that.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This is ridiculous. How can this man insult young women, college educated women, many of them carrying 4.0s.
BARBARA CIARA, VP OF BROADCASTING, NABJ: We`re talking about girls, college girls who tried their best to win a championship. And he degrades them by calling them nappy-headed hoes.
HAMMER: Last Friday, a full two days after his remarks, Imus apologized on the air.
IMUS: Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid. And we`re sorry.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that did nothing to silence the demands that he be fired. So again this morning, a full ten-minute apology from Imus on his show.
IMUS: If you read these newspaper articles and you read that phrase, you think, well this guys a racist. Well I`m not a racist and I`m not a bigot. But these young women deserve to know that it was not said with malice.
HAMMER: Malice or not, this is not the first time Imus has said something that some saw as racially offensive, like when he once referred to "New York Times" sports columnist William Roden (ph) as "quota hire," and PBS anchor Gwenn Aiffel (ph) as a "cleaning lady." CNN commentator Roland Martin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sorry just isn`t good enough.
MARTIN: I don`t know why he said it. But he has a history of making sexist comments, of making racist comments and folks simply are tired of it.
SHARPTON: What is any possible reason you could feel that this kind of statement could be just forgiven and overlooked?
IMUS: I don`t think it should be. I don`t think it can be. I think it can be forgiven, but I don`t think it can be overlooked. I`m not a journalist. I`m not Tim Russert. I`m not a politician. I don`t have any -- we don`t have an agenda. Our agenda is to try to be funny. And sometimes we go too far. Sometimes we go way too far.
HAMMER: But has Imus now gone so far that his show could be canceled? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that is unlikely. It`s a big money-maker on 70 radio stations. The show distributed by CBS, which has condemned Imus` comments, along with MSNBC, which simulcasts the show.
MARTIN: I don`t buy that nonsense. They`re making a killing off of the show.
HAMMER: The ladies of "The View" agreed on Monday`s program.
JOY BEHART, "THE VIEW": He has good ratings. I will guarantee you that the network will keep him on. As long as those ratings are up --
(CROSS TALK)
IMUS: I don`t think it was racial. I wasn`t even thinking racial.
HAMMER: Imus today seemed to be stealing a page from the playbook of Seinfeld`s star Michael Richards, who after his racial rant on stage at a comedy club went on Jesse Jackson`s show to ask for forgiveness. But Imus says comparing him to Richards is ridiculous.
IMUS: I wasn`t drunk. I`m not some angry, raving nut on a nightclub stage, and I`m not a bad person. I`m a good person. I said a bad thing.
HAMMER: As hid Paris Hilton, who was caught on tape making racial remarks at a party even when she knew she was being videotaped.
BEHART: Paris Hilton is so stupid that no one cares, because that`s like saying -- at what level of stupidity do we have to pay attention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one cares about Paris` opinion, right.
BEHART: Go say something stupid. Do we care?
HAMMER: While Paris did not issue an apology, Richards and Imus have, as did Mel Gibson after his anti-semitic rant following his DUI arrest. So, in the end, all a celeb can do is say "I`m sorry," and hope people will think that they mean it.
IMUS: What I did is repugnant and repulsive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
IMUS: Well, in addition to saying sorry, Imus says that he hopes to meet with the Rutgers players and their parents and coaches. There`s now word yet on whether or not they will be accepting his offer. Now late tonight, MSNBC and CBS Radio suspended Imus for two weeks. That will begin on Monday. But should he be outright fired? Well I`m going one-on-one with the Reverend Al Sharpton, who still wants him canned. That`s coming up at 30 minutes past the hour.
VARGAS: And now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day: Don Imus, should he be fired for his racial remarks? Vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us e-mail at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
And remember, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show that lets you express your opinion on video. To send us a video e-mail, go to our website, CNN.COM/SHOWBIZTONIGHT.
HAMMER: And now on to the other explosive story everyone is talking about tonight: by this time tomorrow, we may finally, finally know who the real father of Anna Nicole Smith`s baby, Dannielynn, is. Entertainment news website TMZ.com is reporting that the results of the paternity test will, in fact, be revealed at tomorrow`s hearing, which is happening in the Bahamas.
TMZ also reporting that if Larry Birkhead is proven to be the father, Howard K. Stern, who has insisted he is the dad, will not fight for custody. Wouldn`t that be something. Joining me tonight in New York, investigative journalist Diane Diamond. Diane is also the author of "Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case." Good to see you, as always, Diane.
DIANE DIAMOND, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Thank, A.J.
HAMMER: Wouldn`t that be something though? It seems a little hard to believe after all this time that Howard K. Stern, who has fought tooth and nail to prevent this custody and paternity battle from going on, would just give up the baby, just like that. Do you actually see something like that happening?
DIAMOND: Well, you know, I think I hear the sound of someone throwing in the towel, having exhausted all of his legal remedies. I think after he lost his last appeal last week and didn`t do anything about it, I thought maybe he`s realizing that there`s just nowhere else to go. If the TMZ.com report is true, it sounds like these two guys are -- have sort of shaken hands in the back corner and agreed to work together to make it better for this little girl and to make sure that the grandmother isn`t as involved as she wants to be.
HAMMER: Yes, which I want to talk about in just a second. It just is amazing to me that Howard K. Stern could actually be backing off, because that`s been the common thread as we`ve talked about this whole story, that he really has gotten in the way, caused constant road blocks, which, as we have discussed before, has only suggest that he has something to hide here.
DIAMOND: Right, and in the beginning he was saying, I`m the father. My name is on the birth certificate and I`m the father. But he never opened his mouth, and never allowed a cheek swab, and never submitted any DNA. And so from just that, I`ve been suspicious about those claims all along.
HAMMER: Yes, and what we`re hearing is that the actual DNA expert, the guy who came up with the test results, is himself coming to tomorrow`s hearing in the Bahamas. And now, some have suggested that that points that -- to the fact that Larry Birkhead will be named the father. Can you explain that to me?
DIAMOND: Yes, I think that that is a huge indication. Here`s why: A lab in Ohio gets a DNA sample, one from a man, one from a baby. Does it match. If it doesn`t, they send a memo. They write a letter and they say, no match, thank you very much, next case. But that`s not what they`re doing. They have put off the hearing so that this doctor from the lab in Ohio can come. My best bet is because it is a match and Larry Birkhead is probably the father, like 99.9 percent.
And this doctor is going to have to be on hand to answer some really tough question, chain of custody, who had access to these samples, could they have been corrupted; really important questions that they have to get on the record.
HAMMER: Well, we should look at the other side of this. We have to keep in mind the fact that this whole paternity question is whether or not Larry Birkhead is the father. If the results come back and don`t identify Larry Birkhead as the father tomorrow, it doesn`t identify anybody else. Howard K. Stern continues on then, I imagine, as the legal father of this child until somebody else files some kind of paternity test.
DIAMOND: Can you imagine? Only two things can really happen tomorrow: Larry Birkhead will be declared a match with the baby`s DNA, in which case, all hell breaks loose and he is the father, or he is not a match, and then all hell breaks loose and we have to figure out who is the father. Howard K. Stern, at that point, is going to have to give a sample. If it`s not Larry Birkhead, who is it? That could be anybody`s guess.
HAMMER: And, of course, let us not forget the wild card in all of this: Anna Nicole`s estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who says she wants custody of Dannielynn. Now even if it`s proven tomorrow that Larry Birkhead is the father, she says she`s still probably going to fight this. Is there any chance, even if Larry Birkhead is not determined the father, that she could actually get custody?
DIAMOND: Almost nil in my book. There have been some precedents set lately in court cases across the country, A.J., that give grandparents visitation rights. You can come on over, you can see the kid, or maybe we`ll send the kid to you and you can keep him for a weekend, but custody or guardianship? I just don`t see that happening.
And I really wonder who`s funding Virgie Arthur? I mean, she is a former sheriff`s department employee, probably not much of a pension. How does she afford all these court fights and how does she afford to stay in the Bahamas, keep flying back and forth from Texas.
HAMMER: It`s a big bill that she`s adding up. Diane Diamond, hopefully we`ll be talking about who the daddy is tomorrow night at this time.
DIAMOND: I hope so.
HAMMER: Thanks so much. And we have much more on this coming up tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. At 45 past the hour, a disturbing look at the life Dannielynn`s going to have even after all this custody stuff is settled.
And coming up next, one of my favorite dudes, Bounty Hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, and the lovely Beth, his wife. He hunts down the bad guys on TV. But tonight why he might do a little time in a Mexican jail. Dog, right there and right here with me coming up next.
VARGAS: And A.J., you won`t believe this; 102-year-old woman breaks a golf record. I mean, the fact that she still plays is pretty amazing and that`s next. We`ve also got this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever sat there in a super long movie, about two hours in, and this is your face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hey look, I`m just totally fed up with how long we`ve got to sit through movies these days, especially because so many of those long movies stink. Coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks, why are movies so darn long? It`s a SPECIAL REPORT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Sibila Vargas. Well a huge story out of the golf world this weekend that we just have to tell you about. And no, it doesn`t have to do with Tiger Woods. He actually lost at the Masters tournament.
Nope, the big news is 102-year-old Elsie Mclean hit a hole in one on the California Gold Course. It`s Elsie`s first hole in one ever. She`s now the oldest person to have ever done it. Previous record-holder was a young 101-year-old guy from Florida. So way to go, Elsie. Keep on swinging.
HAMMER: Now the shocking story of Dog the bounty hunter, who chases down and captures bad guys and he`s got an A&E TV show all about that, called "Dog The Bounty Hunter." But tonight, absolutely incredible, he could end up serving jail time for capturing a dangerous criminal, a convicted serial rapist.
Joining me tonight in New York Duane "Dog" Chapman and his lovely wife Beth. It`s always good to see you guys.
DUANE "DOG" CHAPMAN, BOUNTY HUNTER: It`s good to see you. Aloha my brother.
HAMMER: Aloha to you guys. Let`s get this business of Mexico out of the way, because this story has just fascinated me and I think so many people. You helped put away Max Factor heir Andrew Luster. This was a convicted serial rapist. He`s now doing time, 124 years is his sentence. You captured him in Mexico where bounty hunting is a crime.
You`re still facing those charges, from what I understand. And this was with your son and with an associate of yours. Do you think you`re going to do jail time over this?
D. CHAPMAN: Well, first of all, it was my son and my brother. And we helped locate Andrew Luster with the help of a Mexican police officer. We then were arrested because -- I`m not exactly sure. But we were charged with a minor crime such as running a stop sign.
BETH CHAPMAN, WIFE OF DUANE "DOG" CHAPMAN: Depravation of liberty.
D. CHAPMAN: Which is called --
HAMMER: So you weren`t charged with kidnapping?
D. CHAPMAN: No, we were charged with a low, low minor crime. Three and a half years go by. The statute of limitations on that crime runs out in three, and three and a half years go by and we`re arrested for kidnapping and conspiracy, an added charge that was never there, and kidnapping. So I think there`s a lot of misunderstanding on both sides. The reason why we didn`t stay there and go to court is because we were advised of our attorney from not to. Now the Mexican government is seeing all the facts: who was Andrew Luster or David Carrera, his alias, and who is Duane "Dog" Chapman, and what part did we play in why Luster was in jail?
Now the head of Mexico, three head judges, like our appellate court, is looking at the case very closely and looking to what happened. There`s so many rumors that we had Luster in the trunk and across the state line and that we used an airplane. Finally it`s down to what really happened.
HAMMER: So at the bottom line though, Dog, it looks like you may not have to go to jail as a result.
B. CHAPMAN: Well, it`s a dog fight. It`s a fight.
HAMMER: Are you worried that your husband is going to wind up in a Mexican jail?
B. CHAPMAN: Absolutely, I never thought it would ever get this far, in a million years.
HAMMER: Let me ask you this, because there was such an outpouring of outrage. I mean, people were really upset about the fact that you helped put away this guy, whose a bad guy, a proven bad guy. If you do wind up going to jail, keeping in mind the fact that people were outraged and you did do a good thing in the end, will it have been worth it?
D. CHAPMAN: I won`t accept the jail part, because I was in Mexico and once they see what really happened, there`s no doubt that we will be vindicated. So I will end my faith -- I have too much faith in both systems, the criminal justice system. The wheels turn slowly, as we both know --
B. CHAPMAN: You have to remember, it`s Andrew Luster pressing the charges. It isn`t Mexico bringing these charges against the three men. It`s Andrew Luster.
HAMMER: So were it not for him -- It`s not that Mexico is coming after?
(CROSS TALK)
B. CHAPMAN: You have to clear that creep out of the scenario.
HAMMER: I appreciate you guys sort of setting that straight for us. So you`re into the new season now of your show. Last season, unfortunately, quite sadly, we saw that your 23-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident and you and Beth got married the next day. Congratulations on that.
D. CHAPMAN: Thank you very much.
HAMMER: Right there at the beginning, I think, of the first episode in this season, we see you getting a gift, a portrait somebody had done of your daughter. How has that been?
D. CHAPMAN: Well, it`s, of course, very difficult. I don`t talk about it much because I think, as a parent, you never get over it. But this is a reality show, so my little girl every day would look at the show and Google her name. She`s always with me and it`s real what happens in our lives.
So we have to, as we do think of her every single day -- and the first -- this is the beginning of our fourth season. Right away we start rolling, we`re out of jail. We`re ready to go. And the first girl we put on the board happens to have the same birthday.
HAMMER: Which has to sit with you all the time.
D. CHAPMAN: What do you do? All of a sudden you look up and you`re like, we get them in the mail every day, we don`t pick them. So we`re like, oh, my god. So it`s --
B. CHAPMAN: It stops you and it makes you realize, you know, these are all real people, with real issues.
HAMMER: We look forward to it unfolding on the season. I love seeing you guys. I appreciate you guys stopping by.
D. CHAPMAN: Thank you brother. Thank you for having.
HAMMER: You can catch the fourth season premier of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on A&E on Tuesday night.
VARGAS: Well, A.J., much more on the Anna Nicole Smith baby battle. As we told you, big day tomorrow. We`re expected to finally find out who Dannielynn`s daddy is. Coming up, a disturbing look at the life Anna Nicole`s baby will now face.
HAMMER: The other huge story today, should radio host Don Imus be fired for his startling racial comments? I`ll be going one on one with the Reverend Al Sharpton, who wants Imus canned. Plus this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think they`ve been getting longer, too? Do you think the films have just been getting longer and longer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: We here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are just totally fed up with how long movies have gotten? Coming up, We`ve got to ask you, why are movies so darn long?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VARGAS: Time now for the SHOWBIZ Weight Watch. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT covers Hollywood`s obsession with body image like no other entertainment news show. Tonight, actress Kate Beckinsale says what`s considered the ideal Hollywood look is absolutely ridiculous.
She tells "Glamour Magazine," "I don`t think you can aspire to it, nor can I. Everybody is retouched, stretched, lengthened, slimmed and trimmed. I could look at a picture of myself from the past and think, why don`t I look that way now. It`s I never have."
Kate also says even her daughter is shocked by the crazy length Hollywood types will go to get that perfect look: "My eight-year-old daughter Lily will point to a women and say, look, that woman`s had too much Botox." She spots them because they all look a little bit like Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter.
Any case, if you aren`t up to your Potter, that lord guy is really nasty looking. Check out more on Katie Beckinsale`s revealing issue in the May issue of "Glamour." That`s out tomorrow.
HAMMER: Well Nicole Kidman, certainly a glamorous leading lady herself, is she about to become a mom. Is she pregnant? Well, the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Truth Squad has got to find that out. And we will, coming up.
VARGAS: And, A.J., a disturbing look at the life Anna Nicole Smith`s baby will face now that we`re just hours away from probably finding out who Dannielynn`s daddy is. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates. We`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you been at a super long movie, about two hours in, and this is your face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I`m just totally fed up with how long we have to sit to get through movies today, especially when a lot of them just stink. Coming up, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT asks why are movies so darn long? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Monday night coming right back.
(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.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Well, tonight, the littlest but most important character in the Anna Nicole Smith saga, Dannielynn Smith. A.J., it`s hard to imagine what this little girl is going to face growing up. I mean, between all the press about her mother, the custody battle, all the money she may inherit one day. Coming up, we`re going to look into whether Dannielynn can ever really have a normal life.
HAMMER: Yes, she is in for a wild ride, to be sure.
Also, Sibila, it has happened to all of us. You go to the movies, you wait in line, you sit through all the previews, all those commercials, and then you get hit with a movie that clocks in at more than three hours. Well, we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT have had it, and we`re not alone, as I found out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Do you - do you think they`ve been getting longer, too? Do you think the films have just been getting longer and longer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Why are the studios doing this to us? Why the torture? What ever happened to "less is more"? It`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Special Report," and that is coming up.
But first tonight, Don Imus under fire. As SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been reporting, one of America`s most listened-to radio personalities is now in the hot seat for making racially charged remarks about the Rutgers women`s basketball team. The shocking comments late on Wednesday of last week on his show.
Listen to what Imus said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DON IMUS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Those are some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos..
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some hardcore hos.
IMUS: Them some nappy-headed hos there, I`m going to tell you that now.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, shortly after hearing this, the outraged Reverend Al Sharpton demanded that Imus be fired. Today, Imus appeared on Reverend Al Sharpton`s syndicated radio show. Sharpton is leading the call for Imus to be fired.
Al Sharpton joining us tonight here in New York.
It`s always good to see you.
THE REV. AL SHARPTON, CALLING FOR IMUS TO BE FIRED: Nice to see you, A.J.
HAMMER: So he apologized on his show a couple of times. He apologized on your radio show today. But you still feel Imus should be fired. Why is that?
SHARPTON: Absolutely.
This is not about an apology. When you have these young ladies, who worked so hard to come up academically and do well at Rutgers University, a top college in this country, and then athletically fought all the way to the championships, and then he just dismissed in a most sexist, racist way.
You can`t have the legal precedent that you can do that, violate the use of airwaves, and then say, `I`m sorry,` and that`s it.
HAMMER: Yes.
SHARPTON: Janet Jackson was fined for a wardrobe mishap by the Federal Communications Commission. Certainly FCC and certain advertisers would have to come down on this more harshly than they would for a wardrobe mishap. The whole country stopped - federal government, `We must deal with Janet Jackson.`
HAMMER: Yes.
SHARPTON: Yet we going to give a pass to you calling some young, black students that excel in athletics "some nappy-headed hos"? I don`t think so.
HAMMER: And - and the point that I think you made so eloquently today on your radio show was, `Well, of course, yes, you should apologize, and then we`ll take that into account.` But there has to be consequences.
SHARPTON: And it must - any apology, but don`t give me any consequences, is not really an apology. It`s - really becomes a strategy that others can use to do it again, say whatever they want, and then say, `Well, look at the Don Imus case. You don`t have to lose your job.`
And I`ve taken this same position with black disc jockeys and - and radio personalities that have used offensive language.
HAMMER: Yes.
SHARPTON: Any of us in public life can make a mistake. We ought to pay for it; we ought to apologize. But when you are hosting a federally regulated program with advertisers, you have a different kind of responsibility, and you have a penalty when you abide - when you are going over the line.
HAMMER: Absolutely, and no room at all for a double standard. And - and.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: .you - you have been a watchdog for that in the past. And, you know, it`s not the first time Don Imus has come under fire for racially charged remarks. He - he once referred to a "New York Times" sports columnist, William Roden (ph) as "a quota hire." He referred to PBS anchor Gwen Ifill as "a cleaning lady."
SHARPTON: Right. And I confronted with that today. He made some remarks about athletes, and he promised "Chicago Tribune" columnist Clarence Page "I won`t do it again." So what are you, becoming a serial apologist? Well, we`re not in the business of just watching you periodically apologize.
This is not about Don Imus. It`s about enforcing equally the regulatory law, and in every situation.
HAMMER: Well, but I - I should clarify, I think it is very much about Don Imus, because, you know, obviously, here`s a guy who makes a lot of money for some - for - for some big companies.
Do you think based on what he said last week, based on these other things that he has said in the past, do you think - I got to ask you flat out - that he`s a racist?
SHARPTON: I don`t know. I think what he said was racist, and I think that`s enough for the FCC and for his advertisers to demand action from those that employ him.
I think that should we get a couch and have a psychiatrist go deep into him, and find out if these were racially motivated or whether he just thinks that these young, black women were expendable - no, I think that what he said was over the line. It broke the regulatory law. It broke any advertiser`s ethical right to continue to subsidize his show. And that`s enough to take action.
HAMMER: It`s hard to talk about this and not think of all of the things that have taken place over the last year in terms of celebrities and various - whether it be racial slurs or - or other inappropriate things, Michael Richards` racist rant. We - we had the anti-Semitic tirade from Mel Gibson.
Now Imus said he doesn`t feel it is fair for him to be lumped in with those guys. What do you think?
SHARPTON: Well, I think some of them might think it`s not fair that - that they be lumped in with him, what he said.
But let`s look at that. Michael Richards, who does it on a show that presidential candidates and senators and others go on, and he was castigated. We had the young black actor who all of us castigated for off- camera using a homophobic word. He was taken off his show and was sent in to some kind of rehab, where he had to deal with (INAUDIBLE).
So how come everyone suffered a punishment but Imus? That`s the question.
HAMMER: Yes.
SHARPTON: Everyone you cited, including Michael Richards, the young man who allegedly said something homophobic off camera - they all had to make some adjustment to - career had to come off-camera. Imus is supposed to just say, `I`m sorry`?
HAMMER: Well, it will be really interesting to see if anything does become of it, if he is fired. Because he, as I said, makes a lot of money for these people.
Al, I`m out of time; I got to wrap it up. But.
SHARPTON: Thank you.
HAMMER: .thanks very much for coming in and talking to us.
Reverend Al Sharpton`s radio show, "The Al Sharpton Show" airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings.
VARGAS: And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Don Imus: Should he be fired for his racial remarks?"
Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. And 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: You know, Sibila, it seems like every other day we`re hearing pregnancy rumors about one star or another. And right now, there`s a report out there that Nicole Kidman is expecting a baby. But is it true? The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad" is on the case. That`s coming up.
VARGAS: Also ahead, which hot, young Hollywood star went to AA and got sober before he became a big-time superhero on screen? We`ll tell you.
We`ll also have this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Have you ever sat there in a super-long movie, about two hours in, and this is your face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Now you see how I feel, and I`m not afraid to say it: movies are getting way too long, and it`s keeping me away from the theaters. Who wants to sit there for a movie that`s more than three hours? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is saying "less is more," coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fade up, go 3 music under. Stand by, A.J. Pre-set 1. Open his mike. Dissolve. Go.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Do you remember when going to the movies was just part of a fun night out? Well now, going to the movies is the night. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has noticed that films just seem to be getting longer and longer, and the box office is suffering as a result. And so are we as moviegoers.
So now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is calling for an end to the never-ending insanity with a simple plea: make movies shorter.
Allow us to make our case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): It was a horrible bloodbath for "Grindhouse," and not in a good way. It barely made $11 million, debuting in fourth place. A disaster for a movie with this level of hype.
"Grindhouse" is a double feature: two movies back-to-back.
LEAH ROZEN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: And they`re each too long. They`re 90 minutes each. They should be shorter.
HAMMER: And including the fake trailers that are part of the movies, people were grinding their teeth about "Grindhouse"`s three-hour-plus running time.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking: can`t anybody make a decent movie in under two hours anymore?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, what are you waiting for? I.
HAMMER: Good question. "The Departed" may have won the Best Picture Oscar, but it won`t win any prizes for brevity. It clocks in at a butt- numbing two hours and 31 minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You owe me your soul.
HAMMER: And last year`s highest-grossing movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man`s Chest," almost hijacked our patience. It clocked in at an even two and a half hours.
So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking what theatergoers everywhere are asking: why are so many movies so darn long?
PAUL DEGARABEDIAN, BOX-OFFICE TRACKER, MEDIA BY NUMBERS: Well, it seems that movies are getting longer.
HAMMER: They certainly have. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that last year, the top 10 highest-grossing movies averaged longer than two hours. Two hours and four minutes, to be exact.
Twenty years earlier, back in 1986, the top 10 movies were an average of an hour, 48 minutes.
Since the days of black-and-white flicks and 25-cent movies, it seemed like only sweeping epics like "Gone With the Wind" and "The Godfather" ran long.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m not weak!
HAMMER: Now, summer popcorn flicks like the Harry Potter movies routinely go over two hours, and sometimes stray dangerously close to the three-hour mark.
(on camera): So now, moviegoers are often asked to sit in theaters for three hours or longer. And when you add in all the theater announcements and the coming attractions and all of those soda commercials, a movie outing these days can be as long as a cross-country flight.
So I decided to ask some folks here at this Manhattan theater if the long movies are just too much of a good thing.
Do you think the films have just been getting longer and longer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do. Some of the plots could have been wrapped up a half hour earlier.
HAMMER: Have you ever sat there in a super-long movie, about two hours in, and this is your face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I`ve fallen asleep a couple times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I`m a penguin.
HAMMER (voice-over): Even "Happy Feet" and other kid-friendly films seem to be getting longer.
ROZEN: I think it was long. I went with a very movie-savvy 7-year- old, but he did turn to me and go, `What`s happening here? Is it over yet?`
HAMMER: "People" magazine film critic Leah Rozen tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, there`s a reason films are getting longer. ROZEN: Why are movies so long? Two reasons: one, a director is in love with the material and cannot, will not cut a frame of his masterpiece; two, it`s a huge, event movie, it`s a big spectacle full of special effects. And the studio knows that the audience is coming to this movie expecting to absolutely get their dollar`s worth.
HAMMER: But audiences can only take so much. And box-office tracker Paul Degarabedian tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that long movies can hurt the box office as well?
DEGARABEDIAN: It just becomes problematic, though, when the movie`s so long, that it - of course, for theater owners, it can be played fewer times in a day, which means less money at the box office. And for moviegoers, they can get kind of restless, and want to leave the theater a little bit sooner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iceberg! Right ahead!
HAMMER: Of course, we`re not here to bash all long movies. "Titanic" is the highest-grossing film of all time, even though at three hours and 14 minutes, it runs a half hour longer than it took the real "Titanic" to sink.
Some moviegoers tell me, if a movie is good, it doesn`t matter how long it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you really like it, it`s going to feel really short. If you don`t like it, you`re going to sit there wishing you could just leave.
HAMMER: But unfortunately, not all movies are "Titanic." So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking Hollywood, let`s have shorter movies. We`d love to go to the movies, but we got things to do. After all, there are only so many hours in a day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, the people behind "Grindhouse" may have learned something from their two-movies-in-one experiment. Harvey Weinstein, whose studio released the movie, says that when "Grindhouse" goes overseas, its two flicks will be released individually.
Tonight, you can actually own a piece of Anna Nicole Smith history. Now you have two choices, as I see it. You can get a copy of the new "Playboy" - what does that run? About six bucks, right? Or you could get this: somebody has a painting up on eBay - isn`t that a lovely work of art? Now supposedly, it`s an Anna Nicole Smith original self-portrait. The starting bid - are you ready for this -- $1.7 million. Although the seller is very generously offering free shipping, there are no bids just yet, believe it or not. But I`m still here working.
Now to the more reasonably priced keepsake. "Playboy" magazine is paying tribute to Anna Nicole in its new issue. It features a 10-page pictorial of her "Playboy" photos from over the years, and a look at her rise to fame. That issue of "Playboy" is on newsstands now.
VARGAS: Well, it`s the question that we`ve all been waiting to have answered: who is the father of Anna Nicole Smith`s baby, Dannielynn? Well, tomorrow, we might finally find out. The result of the DNA test taken by Larry Birkhead and Anna`s baby, Dannielynn, are expected to be announced in the Bahamas.
But nobody who the daddy is, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, this little girl does not have an easy road ahead.
Joining me now from New York is developmental psychologist and syndicated radio host Cooper Lawrence.
Hi, Cooper. Thanks for being with us.
COOPER LAWRENCE, DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Hi. Thanks for having me.
VARGAS: Well, let`s talk about Dannielynn. She`s going to grow up, and she`ll hear about what happened to her as a baby, of course - what happened to her mother. She`ll always be known as Anna Nicole Smith`s daughter.
What does this mean? Will she always have trouble establishing her own identity?
LAWRENCE: Well, there`s two things going on here.
One of them is the fact that we`re always destined to repeat the sins of parents. So you got to hope that she doesn`t actually become like Anna Nicole. You hope that she`s somebody who`s not chasing fame and vulnerable to what other people say about her.
But the other half of it is going to be how she`s parented, and how whoever takes over next either isolates her from paparazzi and this crazy world, or - you know, the whole - the whole developmental thing. It all - it all comes to how - what the next step is going to be. That`s why it`s so important to find out who the father is, because the next step of her life is going to be so pivotal.
VARGAS: Sure. Larry Birkhead will of course have - be instrumental in shaping her, wouldn`t you say?
LAWRENCE: Oh.
VARGAS: If he is found to be the father, of course.
LAWRENCE: He seems like a great guy, doesn`t he?
VARGAS: He certainly does. And - and he says he has her best interests at heart, so we`ll have to see, right?
Let`s also talk about the paparazzi. You can bet that there`s going to be a lot of them, and they`re going to be - play a huge part in Dannielynn`s life. Everyone is going to be, you know, wanting to take pictures of her, and they`re going to hound her. She may never have the privacy that most kids do.
And it`s something that, you know, she hasn`t even asked for. How will that impact her life?
LAWRENCE: Well, it comes down to personality. You know, everyone is - is born with a certain type of personality. That`s why you see five kids from the same family with five completely different personalities.
So is she going to be Kate Hudson, or is she going to be Nicole Richie? Is she going to be somebody who can handle the pressure and has more lofty goals for herself, or is she somebody who is going to succumb to what everyone else says about her, and she`s going to end up a mess? We don`t know yet.
VARGAS: Well, she could stand to inherit $475 million. A lot of money - the estate of Anna Nicole`s late husband, J. Howard Marshall of course. But not until she`s an adult.
If that happens, isn`t that going to mean yet another big adjustment in her life that she`ll have to deal with? And how might that help, or can it hurt her?
LAWRENCE: Well, that`s a huge adjustment. That`s a lot of money. That`s an adjustment for any one of us.
But it`s going to - again, it comes down to personality. Is she going to be like Oprah, where she takes that kind of money and she just does more charitable things and opens schools all over Africa? Or is she going to be like Britney Spears, and buys $400 underwear for her boyfriend?
So it comes down to, whatever her personality is, it`s going to be magnified by what she`s going to do with that money.
VARGAS: So you think it`s something that could be innate, right? Something in her.
LAWRENCE: It`s definitely something innate. So it - it starts out with whoever - who you are, who you`re born being. And then the environment kicks in.
So does the environment encourage who you are, or does it discourage the - the good parts of your personality, or encourage the - the worst parts?
VARGAS: It`s certainly going to be tough for her I think with - you know, under the spotlight.
The bottom line, though: is Dannielynn facing a troubled life no matter what happens?
LAWRENCE: That`s a tough question to answer, because, you know, we all thought that when Madonna gave birth, that we were going to be seeing Lourdes everywhere, and is she going to be screwed up and - I don`t know about you, but I`ve seen maybe two pictures of her.
So it depends on how protective Larry is, if he is the father. Whoever - whoever - whoever her father is, let`s say. It depends how protective that person is of her life and of her privacy, and how much of her that they let us see, and how much paparazzi are allowed to get to her.
VARGAS: Exactly, and I think a lot of people are rooting for her, for sure.
Well, thank you so much, developmental psychologist and syndicated radio host Cooper Lawrence. That`s our time. Thanks again.
LAWRENCE: My pleasure.
HAMMER: So last week we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day": "Sanjaya Wins: Will you stop watching `American Idol`?"
Seventy eight percent of you said "yes"; 22 percent said "no."
Among the e-mails, one from Diane, who writes, "If Sanjaya wins, I won`t be watching `AI` again. I think it`s just a publicity stunt."
Also Jerri in Illinois writes, "I won`t stop watching the show, but I do feel they need to let the judges override these votes for Sanjaya."
VARGAS: Coming up, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT riddle: which hot, young Hollywood star went to AA and got sober before he was old enough to legally drink, and way before he became an onscreen superhero?
Think that over, and we`ll be right back with the answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Master, stand by to your break. Roll it now, and effect black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And we`ve been asking you to vote tonight on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Question of the Day." Here`s what we`re asking: "Don Imus: Should he be fired for his racial remarks?"
You can keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. If you got more to say, well please, write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll get into those e- mails tomorrow.
And don`t forget, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is the only entertainment news show where you can express your opinion on video. If you want to do just that and send us a video e-mail, go to our Web site, cnn.com/showbiztonight.
VARGAS: Toby Maguire is opening up about getting sober. Long before he became known as Spider-Man, Toby had a different kind of battle to fight. At just 19 years old, he entered Alcoholics Anonymous. In an interview with "Men`s Journal" magazine, Toby, who turns 32 in June, says that his life had become really predictable.
He says - quote - "I have an addictive nature, an obsessive-compulsive nature. I don`t know if that`s what it is clinically, but I go to addictive extremes, and before I got sober, that became routine."
For more with Toby Maguire, pick up a copy of "Men`s Journal," on newsstands tomorrow.
Well, time now to call in the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT "Truth Squad," where our crack team of celebrity investigators sets the record straight on Hollywood`s biggest mysteries.
Well, tonight, we`re opening a case file on Nicole Kidman. Is she expecting a baby with her husband, Keith Urban? The British tabloid "News of the World" is reporting that Kidman is pregnant. But is it true?
Nope. Kidman`s publicist says the story is "100 percent not true." Kidman is in Australia, where she is going to start shooting a new movie in the Outback with director Baz Luhrmann.
So there you have it; Nicole Kidman not expecting anything but seven months on a movie set.
HAMMER: Here`s what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tomorrow, of course, is DNA day in the Anna Nicole Smith saga. It looks like we may find out once and for all if Larry Birkhead is in fact the father of Anna Nicole Smith`s baby. It`s a huge day in the Bahamas, and you can be sure SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be all over it tomorrow.
And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
VARGAS: And I`m Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Good night, everyone. Good night, A.J.
"GLENN BECK" is next, right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News.
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