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Showbiz Tonight
Paris Hilton Appeals For Pardon; Celebrities and Addictions.
Aired May 08, 2007 - 19:00 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: I`ve got the controversial new things that Rosie O`Donnell is saying about Paris Hilton`s jail sentence and drunk driving. And a revealing look at stars who have beaten their addictions through rehab. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, pleading for Paris. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the startling new push to keep Paris Hilton out of jail. The shocking connection to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Nixon?
Huh? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the latest in the wacky Paris Hilton countdown to lockdown.
The heated up Hasselhoff divorce battle! Tonight, David Hasselhoff`s wife speaks out for the first time since that disturbing tape of drunk David got out.
The explosive things she reveals about their marriage and custody battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the big picture is really there is a man who I love, my daughter loves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the ferocious new words in the shocking Hasselhoff split.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. And let me tell you, from coast to coast, people have been telling me Paris Hilton`s 45-day jail sentence is right on! Our countdown to lockdown clock is currently at 28 days. But get this, poor little rich party girl Paris says her jail sentence for violating probation not once, but twice, is cruel. It`s unwarranted.
So she`s unleashed her lawyers, who do plan to appeal. But wait, there`s more. She says her public needs her! So she`s going to a higher authority -- none other than the governator himself -- to ask for a pardon. Pardon me?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice-over): So Paris Hilton is set to go to jail. And her impending 45-day jail term is being met with celebration in some quarters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not sure if 45 days is enough.
FRANGELA, COMEDIAN: Christmas is coming early. This is going to be awesome on so many levels.
HAMMER: Still, as this t-shirt suggests, Free Paris is becoming a rallying cry for a small but growing movement. And now, fans of Paris are looking to one man, perhaps the only man, who can relieve Paris` predicament.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: Come with me if you want to live.
HAMMER: OK, it`s been years since Arnold Schwarzenegger saved anyone as the Terminator. But as the governator, can or will California`s chief executive save the jail-bound party girl from jail? This online petition says it all. It asks the honorable governor to wipe out the 45-day sentence Paris got, after she repeatedly drove on a suspended license pending a DUI case.
The petition says the socialite -- are you ready for this -- quote, "provides hope for young people all over the U.S. and the world. She provides beauty and excitement to most of our otherwise mundane lives."
JILL DOBSON, "STAR MAGAZINE": The people who wrote the petition aren`t say that Paris is innocent. They just are saying they want her free because she`s fabulous.
HAMMER: The petition goes on to say, quote, everyone makes mistakes. She didn`t hurt or kill anyone, and she has learned her lesson. She is sincere, apologetic, and full of regret for her actions."
FRANGELA: She`s not sorry. No.
HAMMER: Comedy duo and Paris bashers Frangela tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT they`re not buying Paris` penitence.
FRANGELA: She drove on the suspended license three times.
Yes.
The first two she didn`t feel bad but that last one really brought it home? That`s when she started feeling guilty, pullover three.
She was like, you know what, what I`m doing is wrong. Damn.
HAMMER: And the petition gets all historical on us, saying, quote, if the late former President Gerald Ford could find it in his heart to pardon the late former President Richard Nixon after his mistakes, we undeniably support Paris Hilton being pardoned for her honest mistake as well. Are you kidding? Frangela tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, they have a message for Paris`s petitioners.
FRANGELA: No matter how many petitions you sign for Paris, she`s not going to give you any of her money.
HAMMER: Still, the prospect has the media salivating. Will the governator swoop in to rescue Paris?
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: If Arnold Schwarzenegger would have a press conference and discuss the Paris Hilton petition, he would be my hero forever.
HAMMER: Don`t get your hopes up, Harvey. Governor Schwarzenegger is staying out of this one for now.
AARON MCLEAR, GOV SCHWARZENEGGER SPOKESMAN: It would be inappropriate for the governor to insert himself in this battle until the individual has exhausted all of his or her legal remedies.
HAMMER: Paris happens to be looking into those judicial remedies. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, she`s filed a notice to appeal.
LEVIN: It will almost certainly fail.
HAMMER: TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Paris shouldn`t hold her breath.
LEVIN: You have to prove the judge abused his discretion, and I just don`t think that`s going to happen.
HAMMER: And while Paris may be seeking a pardon, she`s apparently granting one as well. She`s reportedly reunited with her loyal publicist Eliot Mintz. The two had parted ways after she blamed him for telling her it would be OK for her to drive on a suspended license. Frangela contends she should have known that already.
FRANGELA: She knew she wasn`t allowed to drive. She signed a document saying, I`m know I`m not allowed to drive.
Unless she was drunk when she signed it.
Which might have been part of the problem.
HAMMER: But if Karma works, maybe the forgiveness Paris is showing her publicist will turn around and lead to her getting pardoned, just like Nixon. Then, the Free Paris crowd will be able to rejoice and say --
GERALD FORD, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our long national nightmare is over.
HAMMER: They can only hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So the question is where is the accountability here? Fingers are pointing everywhere except where it seems they should be. Paris blames the publicist. Mom blames the justice system. And of course those who don`t think she deserves to do time are putting this whole wacky petition together to get her pardoned by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. I have four words for you -- are you kidding me!
Joining me tonight from Los Angeles is investigative journalist Jane Velez Mitchell and from New York, "New York Daily News" columnist Ben Widdicombe. Ben, Jane, I appreciate you being here with us on this solemn night. Jane, it seems to me, Paris Hilton has such a sense of entitlement that maybe, just maybe she really thinks this wasn`t her fault.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, she`s very good at playing the blame game, A.J., because she`s practiced so hard at it. These high-profile, high-maintenance celebrities live in what I would call the celebrity safety bubble, where they are surrounded by yes people, people who are literally paid to be their enablers, their co-dependents and take the blame for everything. Occasionally real life pierces that safety bubble and they have to go to court, yet they`ll show up 15 minutes late because they`re still confused.
They think they`re in that safety bubble where everybody tolerates everything they do. It`s very sad and I hope this is a wakeup call for Paris that she has to deal with real life on real terms.
HAMMER: Wouldn`t that be nice? I mean, it does seem to me that the big responsible stars will at least own up to their basic civic responsibility. I don`t care how busy you are, we`re all busy, but if you just signed a piece of paper saying you understand what kind of a situation you`re in, it just seems the responsibility falls on nobody but yourself.
Ben, you`ve tracked this woman for years. We really shouldn`t be surprised by her behavior as this has unfolded, should we? Just par for the course.
BEN WIDDICOMBE, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Paris has been famous almost ten years here in New York. She was very well known by the paparazzi from the local papers for dancing in nightclubs on tables, drinking when she was in high school. That was way back when they were the Hilton sisters. Remember Nicky, she used to be around in those days. At the time her parents seemed to be not concerned in the least that they were in the papers every day after 3:00 in the morning.
They didn`t care that they weren`t studying for high school. So it`s not surprised Paris finds herself in the pickle she`s in now.
HAMMER: I have to repeat what was in this petition that the people have put out there, hoping that she gets a pardon, because it`s insane to me. It says, quote, "Paris provides hope for young people all over the world. She provides beauty and excitement to our otherwise mundane lives."
Jane, it`s like comedy writing. I`m just going to let you have at it.
MITCHELL: Well, we live in a very jaded, degenerate world where we value -- our society values beauty, wealth, fame and power. Paris Hilton epitomizes that perhaps more than anyone else, so of course she`s the poster child for this generation and of course kids want to be like her. What easier way to feel like a friend of Paris Hilton`s? You can`t go to the club with her, but I can sign this petition that will make me feel like I`m part of Paris` world, and one of the cool kids. So of course, if you look at the MySpace, thousands are signing.
HAMMER: But if you`re going to include this in a petition to get pardoned, it just seems -- Ben, I don`t know, it just seems stupid to me to use those words and put yourself above the fray like that.
WIDDICOMBE: I think it is very stupid, but also it should be pointed out that this petition was not a grass roots movement, or at least not yet. This was started by one of her friends and put out there and linked from her own MySpace page. So her buddies are circling the wagon trains, if you will, and trying to get people to ride in and support Paris. I`m not sure that she has that much support among the American public.
I think that people might even be a bit sick of her. I know from the letters coming into the "Daily News," the public, at least over here, is saying let her go to prison. It`s what she deserves.
HAMMER: And Ben, you alluded to her parents a little earlier. You know, her mom, Kathy Hilton, now being very outspoken about this horrible sentence that her 26-year-old daughter is receiving. But a lot of people have been asking where the heck were her parents up until now. I mean, there`s some accountability there for sure.
WIDDICOMBE: Well absolutely. Rick and Kathy have a very glamorous life-style themselves. They have a home in Los Angeles. They have a home in New York. They are well known generous hosts in the Hamptons here in the summer. So they enjoy the good life themselves. But I think the real problem is that Paris has lived in this world so long, where PR is reality.
As you remember her -- she actually fired her PR person for a day. He`s back now. He took the fall initially. I think Paris really did believe that if you can control the PR, you can control the reality, even the legal system. And she`s learning that you can`t.
HAMMER: Well, now that PR guy, Eliot Mintz, is apparently back on the job after initially falling on the sword. So, Jane, I don`t know about you -- I have a feeling you weren`t sending your resume to get that job. Who would want this awful gig to begin with?
MITCHELL: I`ve met Elliott Mintz. He`s a lovely guy, very evolved. But it`s his job to be an enabler and co-dependent. This is part of the job when you`re dealing with a high maintenance celebrity.
HAMMER: Not to be the fall guy like that, not to take the blame for something that he probably wasn`t responsible for, I don`t think.
MITCHELL: Right. Well, he`d have to really look at himself and ask himself, is this the best thing for Paris to take the fall or should I have exhibited tough love? You know the irony of all of this is that Paris thinks she`s being this rugged individualist, making her own decisions. Actually, she`s the obedient daughter following her family`s dysfunctional playbook and their toxic belief system. Someone has to tell the Hiltons, they`re not royalty. It`s not a kingdom. It`s a hotel chain.
HAMMER: It`s almost making her sound too good. Investigative journalist Jane Velez Mitchell, Ben Widdicombe from the "New York Daily News," I thank you both for joining us tonight.
Every time I watch the video of David Hasselhoff, drunk and shirtless, it strikes me as so sad. I`m not the only one. At thirty one past the hour, I`ve got Hasselhoff`s ex wife speaking out about that startling tape for the first time. What she says will shock you. I`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both times I went into rehab, I knew. Nobody had to tell me. I said, book me into Betty Ford.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: A lot of stars can`t beat their addictions but there are success stories out there. A SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report on how stars kick their habit coming up.
And what about becoming a superstar? What does it take? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson investigates secrets to making it big in Hollywood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. A shocking big-star admission! George Michael pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs in London today. Michael, the former Wham singer, was arrested in October, when he was found slumped over the steering wheel of his car while blocking an intersection. In court, Michael pointed the finger squarely at himself for his dangerous driving while on prescription drugs.
He said, quote, I am perfectly aware that I did something very wrong and got into my car when I was unfit to drive. I`m perfectly prepared to accept the correct punishment for that." This is certainly no laughing matter. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. But, George, the next time you decide to hop behind the wheel of a car, you may want to wake up before you go-go!
Moving on, as George Michael works out his substance issues, let`s take a look at some celebrities who have had success beating their addictions. Tonight, I`m revealing what stars like George Michael can learn from those who are taking it one day at a time following stints in rehab. It`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVIE NICKS, SINGER: Both times I went into rehab, I knew. Nobody had to tell me. I said, book me into Betty Ford.
HAMMER (voice-over): Stevie Nicks, front woman of the 70`s super group Fleetwood Mac, getting candid with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about her nearly deadly battle with cocaine and the powerful tranquilizer Klonopin and how rehab literally saved her life.
NICKS: I didn`t want to change. I didn`t want to stop doing what I was doing. People tried to talk to me and I didn`t really listen to anybody.
HAMMER: By the late 1980s Nicks says her addiction to cocaine was so strong that the drug had burned a hole in her nose. In 1986, she went straight to the Betty Ford Clinic.
NICKS: I unfortunately think that you have to make your own mistakes.
HAMMER: Fresh out of treatment, a psychiatrist put Nicks on Klonopin, the same drug given to Anna Nicole Smith to treat panic attacks. Stevie says she too Klonopin for eight years and was even under the influence at Bill Clinton`s 1993 inaugural bash. It was that high profile moment that drove Nicks to second stint in treatment.
NICKS: Nobody makes you go to rehab, believe me. You make yourself go to rehab. Nobody makes you aware that you have a problem. You`re the person that gets up out of bed one morning and says this is -- things are going to change.
HAMMER: Stevie is not the only star to know and beat crippling addictions. Robert Downey Jr. spent most of the 1990s in and out of southern California courtrooms, jails and rehab centers, hooked on cocaine, alcohol and methamphetamines. Downy couldn`t come to grips with his addiction.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR., ACTOR: There`s a reason it`s listed in the American medical book as a disease.
HAMMER: The headline making bouts with rehab eventually worked for Downey, who is now clean and sober, and working movies like "Zodiac," where he ironically plays a cross-addicted reporter. On "LARRY KING LIVE" Downey talked about the second chance he`s been given at sobriety.
DOWNEY: Part of it is largely a moral issue. But I think once you have the opportunity to get the help you need to get out of it, you have to remember that sometimes that train doesn`t come back around for seven years. It`s very specific how many chances you get.
DANNY BONADUCE, ACTOR: I like that better.
HAMMER: Danny Bonaduce knows all about second chances. Bonaduce went from squeaky clean conniver on the "Partridge Family" to a conniving homeless addict when the show was on the air.
BONADUCE: I was on the "Partridge Family" and then I lived between the dumpsters at Grommons Chinese.
HAMMER: Danny did countless stints at rehab centers and detox facilities before finally going on the straight and narrow. He`s now open and honest about his addictions on the VH1 reality show "Breaking Bonaduce." Danny told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson that as many as 90 percent of rehab patients fall off the wagon.
So for him, every day is a statistical victory and sobriety is something he takes one day at a time.
BONADUCE: You know, I could wrap up the show and go off and have a cocktail like civilized people. And I`d go home and life would be fine. The next day I`d think well, I`ll have two. And within three months to a year I would be in jail somewhere. That`s just the way it goes. So no, in the long run, I can`t have just one drink.
HAMMER: "Different Strokes" actor Todd Bridges hit rock bottom after his TV show ended in 1986. In 1989 Bridges was charged with shooting a drug dealer in a crack house after a four-day cocaine binge. He was jailed and later went to rehab.
TODD BRIDGES, ACTOR: My father was very dysfunctional. He was an alcoholic and abusive.
HAMMER: Bridges tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson the sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child made him return to drugs. Religion, he says, turned his life around.
BRIDGES: Yes, I may have had problems growing up like any other kid did, but I have completely turned my life around.
HAMMER: Now that Stevie Nicks has turned her life around, she`s got some advice for Britney Spears, who recently completed her own stint in rehab.
NICKS: I love Britney Spears. I would love to go and sit in her room with her and say, like I`m going to be your mom for a minute. I`m going to tell you what`s happening and I`m going to tell you how much you`re going to regret all of this. But I don`t think until Britney is ready to make a change for herself; I don`t think anybody can tell her.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And I`m happy to report Stevie Nicks doing better than ever. She`s out with a new CD called "Crystal Visions, The Very Best of Stevie Nicks."
Well, tonight, one big female star who I think is very naturally pretty has a shocking body admission. That`s coming up next.
Also, Rosie O`Donnell speaking out again about Paris Hilton`s controversial jail sentence. Now Rosie has a startling admission of her own, something she`s got in common with Paris. I`ve also got this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
DAVID HASSELHOFF, ACTOR: I`m going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
HASSELHOFF: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Every single time I see this video of a drunk, slurring David Hasselhoff, I just find it so, so sad. Now, for the very first time since it got out, I`ve got Hasselhoff`s wife. She`s speaking out about their nasty divorce and custody battle. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Virginia Madsen is one of my favorite actresses. Of course, she`s a very attractive woman. But tonight, she`s shocking everyone by fessing up to something Hollywood stars usually deny, deny, deny! Yes, tonight Virginia says she uses Botox. There`s the b-word. She claims she doesn`t use it for Hollywood, or to impress men, but to feel great about herself.
She says, quote, I wanted my forehead to move. I wanted my eyes to crinkle when I smiled. I wanted to look like me, just more refreshed." By the way, Virginia is now a paid spokesperson for Botox, So that might be another reason why she`s so high on the stuff.
Well, Drew Barrymore has a lot to say about Hollywood`s obsession with body image and beauty. She`s on the cover of this year`s "People Magazine`s" most beautiful issue. But as pretty as Drew is on the outside, she thinks the most important part of beauty comes from within.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW BARRYMORE, ACTRESS: I said this in "People Magazine" and I will say it for the rest of my life. happiness. I think what you feel and process and really, you know, hold true to your heart on the inside is what comes out through your pores and exudes all over people in sort of a form of energy. So I think if you can, you know, be happy and give happiness and hopefully be open to receiving it, that`s true beauty to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I always liked Drew Barrymore. A great message coming from her. And you can check out Drew`s new movie. It`s called "Lucky You." You`ll find it in theaters now.
Well, thousands and thousands of people stripped and got naked and very cozy in one city. I`m just going to leave that one alone and suggest you stick around to find out why. That`s coming up. That`s certainly one way to grab people`s attention, but is there really a magic formula to becoming a Hollywood big shot? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson investigates the secrets to becoming a superstar. That`s coming up.
Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
DAVID HASSELHOFF, ACTOR: I`m going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
HASSELHOFF: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Terrible to watch each and every time. And now, for the very first time since it got out, I`ve got David Hasselhoff`s wife speaking out about their nasty divorce and their custody battle. We`ll get into that next on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We`ll be 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. Make no mistake about it this is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
I`ve said it before, I`ll say it again. Paris Hilton is famous for absolutely nothing. But there is hope for even Paris -- tonight we have a little advice on how to be a legitimate superstar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: Big stars should have causes and things they`re passionate about in this world besides just being a performer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s right. There seems to be a formula for getting on top and staying on top and we here at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT are revealing the secrets to being a superstar. That is coming up.
Also ahead tonight. Rosie O`Donnell goes off on Paris Hilton -- but it`s probably not what you`re thinking. Today, Rosie actually admitted that she has something in common with Paris. And came to her defense, a little bit -- kind of way, that she did, kind of surprised me. We have Rosie in her own words, coming up.
But first tonight, David Hasselhoff`s ex-wife, Pamela Bach, speaks out for the first time since seeing this shocking video that the TV show "Extra" obtained. Bach says it was shot by her 17-year-old daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m going to stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Promise?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mm-hmm. This is a mess.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you, like, doing this to yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cause I`m lonely. And I have trouble in my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you`re going to stop drinking. Tell me right now. Or I`m not going to talk to you ever again and I will totally disown you because it`s not fair to me or your family, what you`re doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: This is incredibly sad. After this became public, a judge temporarily suspended Hasselhoff`s visitation rights, blocking him from seeing his two daughters. Hasselhoff says he asked his daughter to make the tape, but on Larry King Live, his ex-wife Pamela Bach says that`s not what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: Did he ask her to do that?
PAMELA BACH, EX-WIFE OF DAVID HASSELHOFF: I asked her that, and she said no. I was with my youngest daughter, Haley, and we had just coming back from a vocal lesson on Wednesday night. And my oldest had called me and was in such a rant and a rage. I said, calm down, what are you saying, what are you saying?
And she`s saying a tape. And this is Wednesday. And I was trying to have her explain what tape. And then she went on to say she had taken a tape of her dad. I didn`t know about it. I said, why didn`t you ever tell me you taped him?
KING: Why did she tape him?
BACH: I think that -- I don`t think. I know. It is her cry for help because she sees there`s nothing else going to work. As I`ve tried thinking if I just pour out the bottles. If I just be by his side, if I just baby- sit him. Give him more love. Do more for him or make him see himself, it will get there. But the disease of alcoholism is cunning. It`s a baffling disease. And it`s very chaotic. And it`s a family disease.
KING: Was it the reason for the divorce?
BACH: It was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: No question about it, this is getting uglier by the minute. Joining me tonight from Hollywood, the host of the syndicated TV show "Judge Mathis", Judge Greg Mathis.
Your Honor, good to have you on the program again.
JUDGE GREG MATHIS, "JUDGE MATHIS" SHOW: Thanks for having me, A.J.
HAMMER: This judge sees the tape of a slurring, drunk David Hasselhoff. The judge then suspends visitation rights, saying it basically changes the landscape in this case. Do you think that that judge did the right thing?
MATHIS: Well, let me say first, this is very different than the cases it`s being compared to, that with Alec Baldwin, who, in fact, was threatening his child to come and straighten her out. He also called her names. In this case, we see that David Hasselhoff is drunken, suffering from a relapse from the disease called alcoholism.
He didn`t appear to put his daughters in the line of fire, if you will. And so I would suggest that the judge may have acted prematurely. But it may have been the best thing to be pre-cautious, instead of just waiting on an accident to happen.
HAMMER: Yeah. And I think he perhaps could have gotten a lot of slack if he didn`t react to it in some way.
I want to ask you about the thing that`s really been troubling me about this entire case. And in every divorce that involves media celebrities that play out in public -- because if this was playing out in your courtroom, I`m real curious how you would feel.
If you have one side going on national talk shows airing dirty laundry, you have the other side releasing statements to the media. Of course, we have this tape floating around in this case. Is there any good to making something like this so public?
MATHIS: Quite frankly, in this case -- once again, different from previous cases. It wasn`t volitional by Ms. Bach or her daughters. I think in this case it was someone who violated their privacy by distributing this tape. That`s my understanding.
And when she did go public to respond, on Larry King, she was very sympathetic toward her ex-husband with regard to his alcoholism. So this is a little different than the dirty laundry going back and forth that we`ve seen before.
HAMMER: But, judge, there is still some of that going on in this case. And you do have the statements coming out from both sides. Do you think, generally speaking -- let`s put the tape aside for a moment. Generally speaking, when celebrities and David Hasselhoff and Pamela Bach among them, involved in a divorce, it would be better for them to shut the heck up?
MATHIS: Absolutely. They should not -- and many times, they -- the judge can place a gag order regarding the proceeding that might be going on. In this case, it`s a child custody proceeding and perhaps the judge should place a gag order so that nothing is aired in the media by either side.
HAMMER: Now, a lot of people are suggesting that the tape of a drunken David Hasselhoff did get released to the public from Pamela`s people. As we heard her say, Pamela is saying, no way, not me, it wasn`t us. The tape hasn`t been admitted as formal evidence, but of course it is already out there. It`s already cost David Hasselhoff visitation rights, temporarily, anyway. So, how damaging could this tape wind up being in the actual custody battle as it continues to play out?
MATHIS: Once again, the judge should consider whether his drunkenness, or previous drunkenness, would lead to the danger of his children, endangering his children. From what I understand, in this case, he doesn`t have a history of violence, he doesn`t have -- he wasn`t violent in this case. He was kind of trying to soak it up with a hamburger, if you will.
No, but honestly, I would suggest to you that he has admitted it`s an intense problem. He has sought treatment. His wife -- his ex-wife, is somewhat sympathetic. His daughter taped him so that it could be addressed.
In fact, I`ll tell you that some forms of treatment require -- or I`m sorry, request that a family member tape the drunkenness of the -- of the other associate family member so that they can look at it later, and try and correct their ways and change their lives.
HAMMER: We have heard both sides of that and we`ve heard from some people as well saying, no, that`s never really a good practice. So I guess we`re just going to have to continue to watch all this unfold.
As always, Judge Greg Mathis of the TV show "Judge Mathis."
MATHIS: Thank you.
HAMMER: I thank you for joining us tonight.
We`ve been asking you to vote on our question of the day. Hasselhoff loses visitation rights. Was it the right call? You can keep voting at cnn.com/showbiz tonight. You can write to us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read your e-mails tomorrow.
Of course, you can always stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories, and find out what we`re working on by signing up for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Go to the website, cnn.com/showbiztonight, look on the left-hand side of the page. You`ll see where it says newsletter. Just click there to sign up. We`ll e-mail you the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter every day.
OK, I have to admit it, I was a little surprised today to hear Rosie O`Donnell is kind of defending Paris Hilton. Rosie says they have something in common. That is coming up. We`ll also have this.
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BRAGMAN: Big stars should have causes and things they are passionate about in this world, besides just being a performer.
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HAMMER: Paris may be famous for nothing, but she can take a cue from some real superstars if she ever wants to change that. The secrets for becoming a superstar up next.
Also, look at this. A shocking photo shoot that makes Paris`s sex tape seem like nothing. I`m talking thousands upon thousands of naked people! We`re uncovering that for you, still ahead on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Coming back for a Tuesday night, in just a moment.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has often pondered -- why is Paris Hilton such a big star anyway? She really hasn`t excelled in much -- in fact, she is the original "famous for absolutely nothing" celebrity.
But there is hope. There seems to be a formula for how Paris, or anyone for that matter, can become a legitimate superstar. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Brooke Anderson cracks the code of superstardom status -- and sorry, Paris, getting thrown in jail, not one of the ways to get there.
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DAVID CAPLAN, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Angelina Jolie is such a huge star because she has this air of intrigue and mysteriousness behind her.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you there may be no one in Hollywood who has earned the title superstar more than Angelina Jolie.
From her work on the big screen, making blockbusters like "Tomb Raider", to taking on roles that tell real stories like "A Mighty Heart", Angelina Jolie is a movie star with a mission. From her charity work with the United Nations to her adopting underprivileged babies, she`s brought attention to places in need. And she does it all by herself.
CAPLAN: She doesn`t even have a publicist. She never responds to innuendo. She never responds to rumors about her in the press. She really is above it all and fans love that.
ANDERSON: So what catapults some stars to superstardom? How do stars become superstars? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your secret checklist.
Sure, the occasional blockbuster gets a star recognition. But end of the day it`s the award-winning work that transforms regular Hollywood stars into superstars. And Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie`s lover and father of their daughter Shiloh, and their adopted kids, is right up there with her.
CAPLAN: One of the secrets to Brad Pitt`s success, as a superstar, is his film work. He is completely versatile. She`ll do the blockbuster films, but then he`ll do films like "Babble" and then he`ll produce the Mary Ann Pearl story about Daniel Pearl. So he really shows that he`s a serious actor.
ANDERSON: And not just an actor. Pitt has also been involved in a number of causes, including lobbying for stem cell research. So being seriously committed to a cause is another secret to being a big star.
BRAGMAN: A big star should have causes and things they`re passionate about in this world besides just being a performer.
ANDERSON: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you being committed to a cause is something Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney also do, and what makes them superstars.
BRAGMAN: George has been willing to vocalize a lot of things that the average guy is feeling and he`s been willing to take a stand for it even at some risk in his career, to stand up for what he thinks is right.
ANDERSON: And Clooney has certainly done that, passionately speaking out about the war atrocities that have left hundreds of thousands of people dead in Darfur. And superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has been just as vocal about his own cause, the environment and saving the planet.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTIVIST, ACTOR: We need a president who will dedicate himself to protecting our air, our water and our land. We need a president who will increase our use of renewable energy and promote energy efficiency.
BRAGMAN: Leonardo DiCaprio just defines cool for a generation. He`s a great looking guy. He`s an articulate guy. He`s -- his commitment to environmentalism isn`t just talking the talk like a lot of celebrities do. But he really drives the right car and lives the right lifestyle, and does respect the environment, and sends that message to a lot of people.
ANDERSON: And giving people what they want while maintaining a sense of privacy despite the tabloids documenting their every move is something superstars know just how to handle. Another perfect example, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman.
CAPLAN: She refuses to respond to rumors, but at the same time, Nicole manages to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and be open with the public.
ANDERSON: And Nicole Kidman has battled two very public hardships. Her divorce from Tom Cruise, the break-up heard around the world; and her new husband, Keith Urban`s battle with addiction.
CAPLAN: There were photographs of her walking around with her husband, Keith Urban, when he was in rehab. Keith Urban, himself, spoke about how important Nicole was to him during his rehab. So you see there`s a definite effort on Nicole`s part to be open about certain issues that she wants to share with the public, yet she never deals with all the nasty rumors about her.
ANDERSON: Instead, Kidman focuses on her other work off screen as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
So Hollywood stars, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT says, listen up, if you want to an superstar and speak out for important causes, help those who really need it and ignore your own press because, in the end, that`s what will make you really super.
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HAMMER: I want to add to that list. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT also thinks Oscar-nominated actress Natalie Portman of, of course, the "Star Wars" franchise and "V for Vendetta" has a real shot at superstardom. She`s a spokesperson for FINCA, that`s an organization that provides loans to women in the poorest of countries. And Portman always stays way above the fray of tabloid media. So I think she`ll make it.
Tonight, a big controversy is brewing over a billboard for divorce lawyers. Check this out. It`s a racy billboard in Chicago that says, "Life`s short, get a divorce." It`s complete with cleavage and six-pack abs. The billboard is sponsored by an all-female law firm that specializes in divorce cases.
It`s being criticized as offensive, even disgusting -- and some say it even trivializes divorce. The lawyers who thought this concept up say their firm just wanted to try something different because law firm advertising is generally boring.
Nothing boring about that.
And if you thought that was racy, well try 18,000 naked bodies packed into a public square in Mexico City. You heard me right, 18,000, all in the name of art. It`s the story of a record-breaking photo shoot that might make you blush. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Big, bigger, biggest. It was the mother of all nude photo ops, crammed into Mexico City`s Main Square were some 18,000 naked bodies.
And if you were one of them, well, it was enough to make you --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nervious, muchos nervious.
MOOS: Mucho nervous, and this was after he had his clothes back on. Atop the ladder, the photographer was treated like a king by his roughly 18,000 naked subjects. But who`s counting? Not Spencer Tunick.
SPENCER TUNICK, PHOTOGRAPHER: I don`t work with records. I just create shapes and forms with human bodies. It`s an abstraction. It`s a performance.
MOOS: They linked arms, laid down, bowed down, and surrounded a naked guy in a wheelchair.
Photographer Spencer Tunick has come a long way. The first time we covered him, he was getting arrested in New York for taking pictures of a naked man named -- we kid you not -- Michael Weiner, sprawled over an eight foot Christmas ball at Rockefeller center. His naked shoots --
TUNICK: Come on! Hurry up, run, run.
MOOS: -- kept growing in size. Tunick insisted on stark nakedness.
TUNICK: Hey, you, with the purple! What do you have your bag for, man? Come out of the shot.
MOOS: He was always rushing, trying to sneak in a few shots before the police showed up.
TUNICK: He just said, if people get naked here, someone`s going to get arrested.
MOOS: Tunick went on to shoot nudes from the Nevada desert --
TUNICK: Want to get another pose?
MOOS: To the Philadelphia waterfront, in front of the Louvre in Paris.
Security sniffed him out with a dog. HBO did a documentary about him. He`s used props ranging from grapes to guns to swordfish. Finally, in 2003, he got official permission to shoot 450 naked women in Grand Central Station.
TUNICK: Tonight`s a sweet night for me because I`m not going to jail.
MOOS (on camera): And if you ever get the urge to get nude yourself go to spencertunick.com to sign up to participate in the next shoot. Note that you`ll have to choose the color closest to your skin tone.
(Voice over): At the end of every mass nude shoot, everyone yells.
Tunick`s gone from art outlaw to international acclaim, whether it`s 18,000 in Mexico, or a few hundred in New York, clothes aren`t the only thing his subjects can`t wear.
TUNICK: Don`t smile.
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HAMMER: That was the fully clothed Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT
Well, Rosie O`Donnell says she has something in common with Paris Hilton. You heard me right. This morning on "The View," Rosie admitted to doing something Paris did. That`s coming up.
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HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
It`s the story everyone is still talking about -- Paris Hilton`s 45- day jail sentence. And Rosie O`Donnell is speaking out about it, again. Paris, of course, got the sentence for violating her probation by driving with a suspended license.
But the original charge, remember, was for alcohol-related, reckless driving. And it was the drinking and driving that really got the co-hosts on "The View" talking this morning.
Rosie said, part of the problem is you don`t realize you`re drunk when you`re drinking, and that almost everybody has driven when they probably shouldn`t have, at some point -- including Rosie herself. Take a look.
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ROSIE O`DONNELL, "THE VIEW": It`s like teen pregnancy. Yes, kids are having sex and some get pregnant. It`s like driving drunk. Many people drive drunk. If you ask people in this an audience how many have ever driven when they had too much to drink, nearly everybody would raise their hand. It doesn`t make it the right thing to do and hopefully as you get to be an adult -- I remember being, you know, 21 years old coming home from gigs totally not in any capacity to drive. I was 21 years old. Not only, thank God, I didn`t kill anyone, or myself.
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HAMMER: Something from Rosie, there. Yesterday, Rosie joked that she hoped to go visit Paris in jail -- and would if Paris wrote her and said she really needed her. So we`ll certainly be keeping an eye on "The View" to see what Rosie has to say next.
Yesterday, we did ask you to vote on this very subject for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Paris Hilton going to jail -- did she get what she deserved? We couldn`t really figure out what you thought -- oh, well, yes we could; 95 percent of you said, yes, she got what she deserved. And 5 percent said, no.
Among the e-mails we received, we heard from Alisha in Texas, who writes: "Paris Hilton is a spoiled brat. I don`t think 45 days is enough time to be served."
And Suzanne from North Carolina writes, "I wish she was going away for 45 years. Could you refresh my memory, exactly what she has done to make this world a better place?"
Let us now find out what`s coming up tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And tomorrow, it is supermodel sweep. Why did Naomi Campbell show up for her community service in all of those high-fashion outfits? There is a surprising reason behind it. Plus, Naomi says she learned something life changing while she was mopping those floors and cleaning them toilets. We`ll do that tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also tomorrow, stars hurt by their own words, from Mel Gibson to Isaiah Washington to, of course, Don Imus and Alec Baldwin. We`ll take a look at how sometimes what the stars say can really hurt their careers. Tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
That is it for tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Glenn Beck, coming up next, right after the very latest CNN Headline News.
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