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Showbiz Tonight
More Shock Jocks Fired for Racially-Based Pranks; Is Freedom Of Speech at Stake? Stallone Busted For Hormones; Paris Distraught Over Jail
Aired May 15, 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: Sylvester Stallone`s shocking growth hormone scandal! I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And the startling controversy involving a major TV network and Tom Cruise`s church of Scientology. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, two big stars, one sad, shocking connection! Tonight, why Paris Hilton and "Girls Gone Wild" boss Joe Francis are both completely traumatized. It`s so bad, the word suicide is even being used. Have they completely lost it? Can they recover? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the disturbing story of how the "Girls Gone Wild" star and the wild girl are total emotional wrecks!
Also, celebrity sex tapes! Tonight, a revealing look, and we do mean revealing, at why stars strip down for the camera. Paris, Pam, uh, even Screech? Do these x-rated, hardcore videos help or hurt a career?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Celebrities with brains do not let video cameras roll while they are having sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT uncovers the naked truth about celebrity sex tapes!
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Tonight we now know the secrets of Anna Nicole Smith`s will, including a shocker about what she was really worth before she died. That`s coming up.
HAMMER: But first tonight, you know, it`s not every night I can say the name of Paris Hilton and the name of "Girls Gone Wild" producer Joe Francis in the same sentence. But tonight`s the night and it`s not pretty. We learned today that Paris is having some real mental distress over her 45-day date with a jail cell that starts next month.
And Francis, who`s already locked up, is having his own problems. Joe and Paris. You know what? They deserve each other.
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HAMMER (voice-over): She`s Paris Hilton, the millionaire heiress. He`s Joe Francis, the millionaire creator of the "Girls Gone Wild" video series, which features scathes of young women going wild. They are reportedly one time flames. They are both young and wealthy and they are high flying fixtures on the international party scene, and now their party is over.
Paris is about to get locked up. Joe Francis is already locked up. And now they are both cracking up.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: I know Paris Hilton is an emotional wreck. Joe Francis is not only in deep trouble, but he`s deeply emotional.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the latest on how the pressures of the pokey may be getting to two of the most notorious celebrities around. Paris Hilton is facing a 45-day jail sentence for driving on a suspended license after her DUI arrest. And TMZ.com`s Harvey Levin tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that`s not the end of her legal troubles.
LEVIN: Paris Hilton faces a civil lawsuit by one of her arch enemies, who said that Paris spread vicious lies about her in the "New York Post."
HAMMER: But Paris may be claiming that 10 million dollar lawsuit, in addition to that pesky jail sentence, are just too much for her to handle. A psychiatrist has filed this declaration obtained by TMZ.com. It says Hilton`s jail sentence has left her, quote, emotionally distraught and traumatized, and that forcing her to participate in the civil suit would, quote, exacerbate her condition. Poor thing.
Paris`s legal troubles are nothing compared to her sometimes party pal, Joe Francis. His "Girls Gone Wild" series does an estimated 100 million dollars a year in sales and has made him a multi millionaire, and now it`s made him an inmate. He`s been locked up for over a month for charges related to a case where his video series was accused of using underaged minors.
Harvey Levin of TMZ.com tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT jail has not been easy for him.
LEVIN: He has been crying we are told literally every day, sobbing in his jail cell.
HAMMER: In fact, just like Paris, Francis also has a shrink filing papers on his mental state. TheSmokingGun.com has obtained papers from a Florida psychiatrist who says if Francis remains locked up, there`s, quote, a potential for suicidal activity. The psychiatrist adds that jail is, quote, not conducive to his mental stability.
So let`s get this straight. On one hand, this rich guy who`s made millions from semi porn videos featuring young, sometimes allegedly too young, women is upset because he`s in jail over the whole thing. And you have this rich woman trying to get out of a civil suit alleging bad behavior on her part like by claiming her case related to the potentially deadly crime of DUI has left her bummed out.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking the question a nation of people are asking; are they freaking kidding us? Is there any wonder why?
LEVIN: A lot of people don`t like Paris Hilton. A lot of people don`t like Joe Francis.
HAMMER: OK, maybe we`re being too hard on them. Paris Hilton and Joe Francis may, in fact, be dealing with some heavy psychological issues we can`t fathom. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brought in radio talk show host and psychology expert Cooper Lawrence to play devil`s advocate and explain why we should feel sorry for these two troubled souls.
COOPER LAWRENCE, PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT, RADIO HOST: I can`t devils advocate this, because this is stress they brought on themselves.
HAMMER: So much for devil`s advocate. Cooper tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, psychological issues or not, Paris and Joe deserve what they are getting.
LAWRENCE: First of all, jail is supposed to be bad for you. These are people that have always been protected from the world and from reality. And they are above the law. They can do whatever they want. So now that they can`t do whatever they want, and they are being treated like the rest of us, it`s too much for them to handle. Here`s a great dose of reality that you are not better than anybody else. You break the law, you do what everybody else has to do, which is go to jail.
HAMMER: Joe Francis and Paris Hilton do have some fans. But they also have detractors, who are seeing that even if Paris and Joe aren`t exactly doing too well right now, the state of karma in the world appears to be healthier than ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, Joe Francis does have reason to feel bad as the "Girls Gone Wild" legal problems continue to pile up. When the state of Florida gets through with him, the feds want him for tax evasion charges.
And take a look at this, it might be Paris`s new home. A tent city prison on the outskirts of Phoenix. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known for being one of the toughest sheriffs around, heard about all the over crowding at the L.A. jail, so he is offering Paris a bunk at his tent city. He said he made an offer because he has the room.
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JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNT, ARIZONA SHERIFF: I just made an offer. Instead of reducing her sentence, which I feel is wrong, why not bring her over here and we will incarcerate her. She can do her time here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Sheriff Arpaio, we salute you.
And now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day, Paris Hilton claims trauma; do you feel sorry for her? Let us know if you have sympathy by voting at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT or e-mail us if you have more to say at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
ANDERSON: Tonight, we are finally learning the secrets of Anna Nicole Smith`s will and how much she is really worth. And let me tell you, by Hollywood standards, it isn`t much. So who gets what? Joining me now in New York Ashleigh Banfield, the host of Court TV`s "Hollywood Heat" and from Hollywood, investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, also the author of this book, "Secrets Can Be murder," due out this summer.
Ashleigh, Jane, good to see you both.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, COURT TV ANCHOR: Hi.
ANDERSON: Hi there. All right, I first want to look at some of the details here. Anna Nicole had personal property valued at 10,000 dollars. She had a home in Los Angeles valued at 1.8 million dollars, but she had a 1.1 million dollar debt on her home, presumably a mortgage, maybe tax bills. Bottom line here, she was only worth about 700,000 dollars, a lot of money for most of us, but Jane, for Anna Nicole, is that surprising?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: I`m shocked that she had any money, frankly. I expected just a whole boat load of debt. When you are dealing with drug addiction, it really doesn`t matter how much money you have coming in, it goes through your fingers like sand. You either ingest the money or you make very questionable decisions on how to spend the money when you are under the influence.
Remember, she was in the process of buying a yacht when she died in Florida. If you look at the money that has been left, it`s 10,000 dollars, which is basically the stuff that you have lying around. The rest is equity in her home. I`m actually shocked she didn`t just use that to the max. So the other thing is that there is a possibility that she could be worth more if a very savvy real estate broker takes that house and markets it as Anna Nicole Smith`s house. Somebody might be willing to pay five million dollars for it. You never know.
ANDERSON: That`s true, potentially. You know, her name, her likeness could make more people a lot more money. But to make things even more complicated, Ashleigh, who inherits what she did have? Her will was drafted in 2001, completely outdated, named Daniel her sole heir, her son who is now deceased. The will omitted any future spouses or children, including Dannielynn. So what does this mean? Who benefits here?
BANFIELD: Well, Dannielynn will ultimately be the beneficiary. Usually when you die intestate (ph), meaning no will, there is a process that`s in place, state to state, to sort of take the next of kin, et cetera, the next blood relative. That`s kind of the same process that will kick in here.
It will be a Dannielynn situation. I just want to add to that where are all those bobbles and things that J. Howard Marshall gave to Anna. It sure as heck wasn`t just 10,000 dollars worth. I guess she must have sold them all off?
ANDERSON: That`s true. Where are those? A mystery remains here. Speaking of J. Howard Marshall, there`s still that nasty little battle over his estate, 450 million dollars that Anna Nicole was fighting for. Jane, is it clear from this will -- I didn`t see anything that was clear from this will. But is it possibly clear who would receive the money should Anna`s estate win that court battle?
MITCHELL: Well, I think that they are going into probate because they wanted to settle the whole issue of Anna Nicole Smith`s estate, so that they can get to the big battle over the big money, which is the estate of J. Howard Marshall, potentially worth to Anna Nicole Smith`s estate, if she wins, at least a half a billion dollars, a lot more with interest, as Ashleigh has pointed out.
So until they settle this whole estate business, they can`t go forward to that big battle. And remember, Howard K. Stern is a lawyer in that battle and could make a contingency fee worth several million dollars, so it`s in his interest to settle up the Anna Nicole Smith estate.
ANDERSON: Well, I want to ask about that, because Howard K. Stern filed the petion to validate this will. He was the lover at the time she died, the man who claimed to be the father of Dannielynn, was not, the executor of the will as well. He went to court to validate the will, to probate the will. Does he have any personal interest here, Ashleigh? Could he benefit and make a lot of money?
BANFIELD: Well, he`s already said that he`s not interested in the executor fees from this will. I think he was savvy about how much personal property and wealth Anna Nicole had when it came to this will. I think, as Jane just mentioned, he`s waiting on the big tuna money next door. That`s of course the issue that the Supreme Court had to decide.
I mean, this whole thing went up to the Supreme Court because there was a Texas probate court that said Anna gets nothing. And then there was a bankruptcy court that was appealed several times that said Anna could have anywhere between 88 and half a billion dollars. So once that issue gets settled, then that money would be subject to the attorney`s fees and like Jane said, several million dollars for Howard`s coffers.
ANDERSON: It is extremely complex. It doesn`t seem to have been simplified too much by these latest petitions filed. Investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell, Court TV`s Ashleigh Banfield, thank you both for your insight.
BANFIELD: Thanks Brooke.
MITCHELL: Thanks Brooke.
ANDERSON: All right, I couldn`t believe when I heard about this, A.J., Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone caught up in a growth-hormone scandal! That`s coming up in about 10 minutes at 24 past the hour. Also this --
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(CROSS TALK)
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HAMMER: Why in the world is this guy so darn mad? It seems a little bizarre. Well, coming up next, the startling controversy between one of the biggest TV networks in the world and Tom Cruise`s church of Scientology. You will not want to miss that.
And also, the controversy over celebrity sex tapes! The question is, do these X-rated, hardcore videos help or hurt a career? I`m uncovering the naked truth. It`s a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, and it is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show! I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Time now for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video of the day. We`ve got a baby koala twins for you. Take a look. How cute, how precious. These oh-so-adorable little ones are being shown off to the world for the very first time. They`re each about the size of a fist and were born seven months ago in China.
They`re also only one of two sets of twins ever born in captivity! Zoo officials say they have a good shot of surviving. Now mommy koala was a gift to the zoo from an Australian wildlife sanctuary last year. We gotta give this SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video of the day an awww.
HAMMER: Now a startling controversy involving one of the biggest TV networks in the world and Tom Cruise`s religion! And it`s all caught on tape! Here`s the deal: BBC reporter John Sweeney had been working on a documentary. He`s trying to blow the lid off the mysterious church of Scientology. At one point, though, Sweeney himself blew up! He went totally ballistic. And the church turned the camera on him for the whole world to see! Here`s CNN`s Randi Kaye for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You listen to me for a second.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What you are about to see is a reporter crack. John Sweeney had been investigating the church of Scientology for the BBC. He said he was chased by sinister strangers and spied on at his own wedding. Just before he lost it, Sweeney attended an industry of death exhibition. Members of the church show disturbing video and blame the holocaust on psychiatry.
SWEENEY: No, listen to me! You were not there at the beginning of the interview. You were not there!
KAYE: Sweeney`s documentary, Scientology and Me, included the clips of his shouting match with Scientologist Tom Davis.
SWEENEY: Brainwashing is a crime against humidity.
KAYE: Clips of Sweeney`s meltdown were posted on Youtube. Sweeney did not want to be interviewed, but released a statement on the BBC`s website, "Scientology has prepared an attack video. Scientologists are expected to release 100,000 copies of it. Why?"
BRUCE HINES, FORMER SCIENTOLOGIST: To try to get him to back off and possibly to get the BBC to back off. And secondly, it`s just to discredit the individual John Sweeney. He`s the one doing this documentary on Scientology. And if they can show that he is not credible, they will do that.
KAYE: Former Scientologist Bruce Hines, who left the church after 30 years, says it`s common practice for Scientologists to keep their own cameras rolling on reporters.
MARK RINDER, DIRECTOR, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY: John Sweeney would have denied that anything that had done happened. That would have all ended up on the cutting room floor. Nobody would have ever seen it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would just like to -- and I hope somebody is shooting this. OK, good.
SWEENEY: To be fair, there`s one camera from the BBC, one camera from your --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you listen to me for a second. You have no right whatsoever to say what and what isn`t a religion. The constitution of the United States of America guarantees one`s right to practice and believe freely in this country. And the definition of religion is very clear. And it`s not defined by John Sweeney.
KAYE: Here Sweeney had just suggested to Davis critics believe Scientology is a cult.
SWEENEY: Now, my friend, it`s your turn to listen to me. I`m a British subject, not an American citizen. And in my country we have the freedom of speech.
KAYE: In his documentary, Sweeney apologizes for losing control. He says he was wrong, that he let his team down, lost his voice, but not his mind. In a separate video being shown on Youtube, he apologized to Tom Davis and the church of Scientology.
SWEENEY: You were interrupting me and preventing me from saying my points.
DAVIS: You interrupted me first, but that`s immaterial.
SWEENEY: And I wanted to demonstrate to you that actually my voice is louder than yours. I did it in a way in which I regret and I apologize.
KAYE: None of this surprises former Scientologist Bruce Hines, who says specific steps are taken to respond to reporters.
HINES: These give quite a lot of information about what to do about what they call black propaganda. Black propaganda, in their view, is any sort of negative publicity.
KAYE: Negative publicity is nothing new for the church of Scientology, but this time it may have successfully turned the tables, exposing a journalist, a critic at his worst, faster than he could apologize.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Randi Kaye for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, there`s much more SHOWBIZ controversy today. Two big radio DJs just suspended for the shocking things they said on air! But I`ve been wondering, have we gone a little bit too far with all these suspensions and firings? Coming up, we`ve got a heated debate with the Reverend Al Sharpton, who led the fight to get Don Imus fired. He`s right here, and that`s at 30 past the hour.
ANDERSON: And I just can`t get over this one, Rocky star Sylvester Stallone caught up in a disturbing growth hormone scandal. Yes, we`ve got that coming up. We`ve also got this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Celebrities with brains do not let video cameras roll while they are having sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hide the children. I have a revealing look at celebrity sex tapes! The question is, do these X-rated, hardcore videos help or hurt a career? That is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A really rocky Tuesday for Rocky star Sylvester Stallone. He pleaded guilty today to bringing a restricted muscle-growth hormone into Australia. We`re heading down under to find out what happened. Here`s nine networks` Bethany Jensen for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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BETHANY JENSEN, NINE NETWORKS CORRESPONDENT: Sly Stallone`s last installment was Rocky Balboa. His next could be Rocky regrets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bit of a delay, Mr. Stallone.
JENSEN: The delay in February on arriving in Sydney was caused by what he called a terrible mistake. Stallone had imported 48 viles of human growth hormone, bought on the American black market. In court, his lawyer claimed there were also four vials of illegal testosterone in Stallone`s bag for hormone replacement therapy, but authorities saw it and let him keep it.
But customs lawyer John Agius SC insisted those vials were hidden and discovered only when officers went to Stallone`s hotel and he threw them out the window, "his conduct can only be explained with consciousness of guilt."
STALLONE: I just made a mistake. Customs is just doing their job. It`s just a slight misunderstanding. It`s nothing.
JENSEN: In a written apology to the court and the country, Stallone insisted never ever was it my intention to breach the laws. I wish to express my deepest remorse.
(on camera): The court heard Stallone`s extremely embarrassed and humiliated by the experience. His lawyer requested a lenient sentence because the drugs had a legitimate purpose. And Stallone`s not some back alley body builder dealing in secretly.
(voice-over): His punishment will be handed down next week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was Australia Nine Networks Bethany Jensen for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. All right, now more shock jock shockers today. Two very popular radio DJ`s suspended for what they said on the air!
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To have somebody fired from the airwaves because they made what essentially comes down to a pee pee joke that every second grader in the country is making is absolutely absurd. People need to get a thicker skin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Up next, a heated debate on whether all these firings, these suspensions have gone too far. The Reverend Al Sharpton, who led the fight to get Don Imus fired, is here next.
HAMMER: And celebrity sex tape scandals. A revealing look at X- rated, hardcore videos. Do they help a career or hurt it? Coming up.
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(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. This is TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, do you remember the good old days? Let me take you back to, say, the year 2003 B.P.? That stands for "before Paris," of course. Back then, nobody actually really knew who Paris Hilton was, and then came -- the sex tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: Celebrities with brains do not let video cameras roll while they are having sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Well said, Howard Bragman.
Coming up, we are taking a look at how Paris and some other stars have let cameras into the boudoir and how in some cases it was the best thing that ever happened to their career.
ANDERSON: First tonight, though, the backlash over jock shocks. First Don Imus was fired over his racists and sexist remarks. Now, a month later, two more are under fire for a phone prank that offended the Asian- American community. Tonight, we`re taking a look at all sides of the political correctness spectrum.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are a very nice Chinese man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably, can`t drive for (bleep) but who cares.
ANDERSON (voice over): These offensive remarks first put radio shock jocks J.V. and Elvis into the dog house, which also happened to be the name of their show. Now they are off the air altogether. CBS fired the two hosts, Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay, whose antics can be seen on YouTube. This comes after a nearly three-week long suspension following this prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant that aired on their program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need shrimp, fried lice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, large order or small?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very large, shrimp fried lice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK?
ANDERSON: Rife with ethnic and sexual slurs, the six-minute call was broadcast on CBS` owned New York radio station, WSNY.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have very good kung fu skills.
ANDERSON: It first aired in early April, the day after Don Imus made his controversial remarks, and then it was aired again a week after Imus was fired.
VICKI SHU SMOLIN, ORG. OF CHINESE AMERICANS: It was a shocking case. It was a shocking case to the Asian community that this was aired the first time, ha-ha-ha, let`s do it again. We`ll get even more laughs and see what happens. It was very offensive that they kept perpetuating these stereotypes.
ANDERSON: The Asian-American community was outraged and publicly called for their dismissal.
SMOLIN: We are getting somewhere, here. So, definitely, we`re happy. We`re very happy.
ANDERSON: But some angered by the firings and view the punishment as censorship.
DEBBIE WOLF, PEOPLE AGAINST CENSORSHIP: To have somebody fired from the airways because they made what`s essentially comes down to a pee-pee joke, that every second grader the country is making, is absolutely absurd. People need to get a thicker skin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Condoleezza Rice, I`d love (bleep, bleep).
ANDERSON: Less than a week ago, XM Satellite Radio, Opie & Anthony spoke on air with a guest they call Homeless Charlie, about violent sexual acts against Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush, later posted online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And George Bush`s wife -- I`ll (bleep) that (bleep) to death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah?
ANDERSON: Opie & Anthony have since publicly apologized.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We apologize to the public officials for comments that were made on the XM show.
WOLF: Do we want to live in a society where everybody has to think through whether everything they are going to say might offend somebody, somewhere? I`m not sure if that would really make for entertaining radio.
ANDERSON: Entertaining or not, radio shock jocks are now, it seems, subject to closer scrutiny than ever before.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Late today, XM Radio released the following statement about because they have decided to suspend the "Opie & Anthony Show" for thirty days.
Here`s the statement, quote: "The management of XM Radio decided to suspend "Opie & Anthony to make clear that our on-air talent must take seriously the responsibility that creative freedom requires of them."
HAMMER: But, tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking just where do we draw the line when it comes to that creative freedom? Should these shock jocks be silenced? Or are we in fact crossing the line into censorship.
With me tonight, in New York, community activist and radio host, the Reverend Al Sharpton. He led the campaign to get Don Imus fired. Also from New York, Debbie Wolf -- you just saw her in our story -- the president of People Against Censorship.
Al, Debbie, it is good to have you both here.
And Al, let me start with you. Because in case of "Opie & Anthony", we certainly can all agree that what happened on their show, that we just showed, was reprehensible. It was offensive. It was disgusting. And as we reported XM radio has now suspended those guys for 30 days. What do you think, Al, is that enough in their case, or should they be fired as well, like Don Imus.
REV. AL SHARPTON, RADIO HOST, ACTIVIST: Well, I think that -- see a lot of this, you have to remember is about -- all of it, really, is about advertising dollars. I think advertisers have the right to say that they do not want to put their money behind large segments of their consumer based being offended, particularly when people say to them, they are.
And in the case of the show that you just mentioned on XM, with them trying to get a merger, they have to go through Washington to get that. I think that these cases are different than Imus. Imus was a repeat offender that stood out, in a different situation.
HAMMER: Well, I understand, Al. You are talking here about corporate responsibility and letting the marketplace sort of dictate what happens to these people, but did you lead a charge for Imus to be fired. So --
SHARPTON: I led a charge for Imus to be fired, because Imus had made a commitment several times that he would stop these racist jokes, and he didn`t. And eventually his advertisers and bosses agreed with that. If he did not, himself, feel they were over the line, he wouldn`t have made those apologizes. Imus` situation cannot be compared to others` arguments that Debbie may want to make about free speech. Here`s a guy that admitted himself, and committed that he would stop himself to stop and kept doing it.
HAMMER: Debbie, I do feel like we`re on this slippery slope. I mean, you did say yourself, in our story, that people do need to develop a thicker skin?
WOLF: We are not on a slippery slope, we`re on a mountain and we`re going down at full speed here. I think Reverend Al is missing the point that your chilling speech here, when you fire someone from a brief remark that was said, very quickly, and in this case not even by the jocks but by somebody who just happened to be visiting the studio, who they had no control over. You`re saying people can`t speak freely anymore. They have to watch everything they say for fear that they are going to be fired based on a 30-second sound byte.
SHARPTON: Now, what I`m saying is that if people are going to say things that offend people based on who they are, then people have the right to say, if you`re going to make money off of who I am and not respect who I am, I`m going to withdraw my money. That`s what we said to the people at Imus. You have the right to say whatever you want, and have the right to expect me to pay for it. Then what happens to my right?
I think that is clearly where we have to draw the line here. When you want free speech, we have the right to speak back and say, fine, that`s what you`re going to do. You won`t do it with my dollar. And advertisers have the right to say I`m not going to support that.
WOLF: Well, Al, if you don`t interfere with that right, that`s just fine. But when you lead a charge, when you demand a firing, when you`re saying to the companies that if you don`t fire this person, there are going to be repercussions and I`m going to use my power to come after you, then you`ve got a different story.
SHARPTON: Then, you`re telling me that --
HAMMER: But how does that go --
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: How does that go beyond Al`s right to free speech?
SHARPTON: That`s correct.
WOLF: He actually -- no. Absolutely not. We are defending your right. My organization actually defends your right. You will not see our member base go to your sponsors to seek to have you taken off the air. We will instead have a voice that will counter you with.
SHARPTON: But what you`re saying is that if I use my voice to say that I`m offended at someone calling people, as Imus did, racial terms that I shouldn`t have the right to say that.
WOLF: Absolutely not. For you to get on the news and say that you are offended is absolutely your right and that`s exactly what you should do.
SHARPTON: Oh, I see, I should have the right --
(CROSS TALK)
WOLF: When you are offended, you should get angry. I`m asking -- no, no. Let me finish.
HAMMER: Hold on a minute.
WOLF: I`m just asking.
HAMMER: Debbie, I want you to finish.
WOLF: I`m just asking to you exercise some social responsibility. For 200 years some of the smartest men in the world have made the decision that free speech is a good thing. At least and our government isn`t allowed to interfere with that free speech. And that`s even when that speech may be offensive, and even when it may be harmful to some people`s feelings or to some people`s beliefs.
But those people have decided that that speech should be protected anyway. You seem to think you know better than those people.
SHARPTON: No, not at all.
WOLF: You seem to think that that doesn`t matter.
SHARPTON: Not at all. First of all, you`re saying I have the right to free speech, just don`t exercise the right to free assembly, and your right to organize against those that I`m patronizing. And I think you or anyone else doesn`t have the right to decide which freedoms that I can exercise.
WOLF: No, you can organize. I have no problem.
SHARTPON: I let you finish, Debbie. I let you finish. What you said, and I quote, you just said don`t go and organize. Don`t go and lead charges to these corporations.
WOLF: No, that`s not correct. That`s not what I said.
SHARPTON: Which is to deny my right to organize and move forward against companies and say I don`t want my dollar spent there.
WOLF: No, no. I just said to use some social responsibility and think of the consequences of your actions. You have to realize --
(CROSS TALK)
WOLF: No, no, you have to realize that one of the consequences are that people are going to be afraid to speak their mind. Another consequence is that we are going to lose, at least on radio, and possibly everywhere else now, the ability to say what we think.
(CROSS TALK)
SHARPTON: No.
(CROSS TALK)
WOLF: You are concerned about racism. You can`t fight racism, if you can`t hear it.
SHARPTON: The consequence is that people cannot just get up and arbitrarily blast people according to their race or gender. That`s the consequence.
WOLF: Why can`t they?
SHARPTON: Because people then, in that race and gender, have the right to say I`m not going to support those that subsidize --
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Let me ask you something.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Let me stop right here, because we could go on about this for a long time.
But, Al, one of the things that keeps coming up is where does that line get drawn? At which point? You know, talk about repeat offenders, calling Imus a repeat offender. You look at a guy like Rush Limbaugh. OK? He has certainly said things and then later apologized for them.
He talks about Barack Obama on his show all of the time. He has referred to that man as a half-frican. He has played a song called "Barack the Magic Negro". On surface, I find that offensive. A lot of people find that offensive, but the outrage over that pales in comparison. Where do you draw the line and decide who you go after?
SHARPTON: Because, Mr. Lumbard (sic) done years against me, now Obama, others. He has the right to do that with individuals. That is not - - what we are talking about, when you castigate a race or gender. And he`s very, very careful that he will hit individuals, I think he wanted us to come after that. I talked to Senator Obama about it. He wanted to come after it, because he wanted to get --
HAMMER: Hold on a second, Al. I`ve got to stop you there simply because I`m out of time. We will continue this discussion, though. Reverend Al Sharpton and president of People Against Censorship Debbie Wolf. Thank you both for joining us.
SHARPTON: All right.
HAMMER: Brooke, we all remember what Paris Hilton was put on the map for; it wasn`t acting, wasn`t singing. It was a famous sex tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAGMAN: I think that the sex tape catapulted her in a way no one could have ever imagined
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Coming up, we`re taking a look at how celebrity sex tapes -- in Paris`s case and in others, can actually help a star`s career!
ANDERSON: Oh, their parents should be so proud. And, we probably won`t see Cameron Diaz in a sex tape anytime soon -- she has been really quiet about her personal life. That`s why I was so surprised to hear her really open up about her breakup with Justin Timberlake. Straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Paris Hilton, of course, is known for doing a lot of bad and nasty things, including that pesky little problem that has her headed to jail for 45 days. But perhaps nothing was as nasty as that sex tape she made that became a best-seller called "One Night In Paris." The sex tape made her notorious. And if you ask me and a lot of people, she was probably thrilled at all the attention she got for it.
Of course, Paris is not the only celebrity to get caught with their pants down on tape, so to speak. But is that a bad thing, or can celebrity sex tape actually help a career? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is on the case!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You look gorgeous.
HAMMER: This is the tape that not only puts Paris Hilton on the map, but catapulted her from socialite to superstar. This tape with then boyfriend Rick Solomon will probably go down as the biggest movie of her career.
BRAGMAN: I think that the sex tape catapulted her in a way no one could have ever imagined. I think that tape 20, 30, 40 years ago would have clearly ended somebody`s career. And instead, it made her one of the biggest stars in the world.
HAMMER: Paris and her billionaire family originally tried to stop the footage from being released, but then later agreed to take a cut of the sales.
DAVID CAPLAN, CELEBRITY JOURNALIST: Paris decided to share the profits with Rick Solomon, basically because the video couldn`t be stopped and she really had the mentality if this video is going to be out of me -- at my most discrete moment -- I`d better get a cut in that. And that`s the simple answer.
BRAGMAN: In this day and age, you can`t stop something from getting out. You can`t put it back in once it`s out on the Internet.
HAMMER: Nobody knows that better than "Baywatch" beauty Pam Anderson and her h then-husband, Motley Crew drummer, Tommy Lee. Their 1998 honeymoon footage took the web by storm and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, it remains one of the most downloaded celebrity videos ever.
Even though the couple wanted to suppress the tape, it only ups their celebrity ante. The truth is times have changed, and so have attitudes. Actor Rob Lowe`s career came to a screeching halt after videotape emerged showing him have sex with two young women back in 1988. One of the girls turned out to be only 16 years old.
CAPLAN: His career took a nose dive. He had problems getting projects. Plus, he went to rehab for sex addiction and alcohol.
BRAGMAN: And when the Rob Lowe tape came out, we weren`t as, quote/unquote, "liberated as we are now. And I think it really did hurt his career. He really had to do some resurrection to get beyond that point in his career. And to his credit, he did a really good job of that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I come in, or no?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
HAMMER: Flash forward to today. This 45-minute tape SHOWBIZ TONIGHT obtained shot on a tour bus in 1999, gives us a glimpse into the private lives of rock stars and groupies. You probably recognize Kid Rock. The other guy is Scott Stapp, the former front man of the Christian rock group, Creed. Kid rock told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the video was Stapp`s idea.
KID ROCK, SINGER: He came in the room with his camera. And I`m standing there and these girls are with me and he`s kind of got the camera. Dude, what`s with the camera or something? He was like, he said no, no, it`s just mine. It`s one of mine. I`m like whatever, whatever. I might not have been exactly sober at the time.
HAMMER (on camera): I understand. I understand. It`s rock and roll.
ROCK: It`s rock and roll, man. I`m not making any excuses. I was there. I was involved. I had a lot of fun, all right? Do I want to put the tape out? No, I don`t really want the tape to come out. It comes out, do I care? No, I really don`t care.
HAMMER: Just give me a piece of the action.
ROCK: It had to be impeccable timing though, with my record coming out. If it`s going to come out, perfect timing.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that not every sex tape is a guaranteed money maker. Just look at the bedroom bomb staring former figure skater Tonya Harding and her now ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. The same guy that conspired to club Nancy Kerrigan.
Ala Pam and Tommy, the couple filmed themselves on their honeymoon. But unlike Pam and Tommy, they then leaked the footage to the Internet and packaged its sale.
CAPLAN: Why? Because this girl was hungry for publicity; she was desperate. And when a celebrity is desperate for attention, what do they do? Mysteriously a sex tape lands on the Internet.
BRAGMAN: Tonya Harding didn`t have the goods in terms of being a sex pot and somebody that we all wanted to see, number one. Number two, we didn`t feel like it was, quote/unquote, leaked. We felt it was something very contrived and very controlled. People have a real good antenna for that. If they think they are seeing something they are not supposed to see, that`s exciting. If they are seeing something that was created and produced with them in mind, not so exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s bath time.
HAMMER: Dustin Diamond is still mum about whether he had anything to do with this sex tape`s release. The former "Saved By The Bell" star, still known as "Screech" more than a decade after the TV show went off the air, told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he was lived when he found out footage with him and two women had made its way on line.
DUSTIN DIAMOND, ACTOR: I`m going to see to it that you`re shut down. I`m not like other celebrities. I`m going to fight this tooth and nail.
HAMMER: Well, the fighting didn`t last long. Heavily in debt and with a flagging career, Screech ended up authorizing the sale of the tape a few months later.
BRAGMAN: I read recently an interview by a male star and he said the only reason you will videotape sex is if you want somebody to see it. And or if you want it to get out on the Internet. And I think there`s some truth to that. Celebrities with brains do not let video cameras roll while they are having sex.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Hollywood bad boy Colin Farrell also found himself in the center of a steamy sex tape scandal. He ended up suing his ex-girlfriend, a "Playboy" Playmate, when she tried to release some of their footage. The two ended up settling out of court -- and the tape faded off into the sunset.
ANDERSON: Cameron Diaz has been pretty hush-hush about her personal life -- so I have to say I was kind of surprised to hear how much she opened up about her breakup with Justin Timberlake. You know she used to be really quiet about this, but Cameron, in her own words. And she doesn`t hold back. That`s coming up next. Stay with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, for a Tuesday night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Cameron Diaz is opening up about her breakup with Justin Timberlake. Cameron is usually pretty guarded most of the time about her personal life, but Ellen Degeneres really got a lot out of her on her show today -- Ellen even brought up Justin and Cameron`s recent reunion at the premiere of "Shrek, The Third." Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST, COMEDIAN: You must be friends because I have want seen the pictures, but everybody is saying at the premiere, you and Justin saw each other and it was huge news. He came over and kissed you on the cheek and everybody went nuts.
That`s your moment?
DIAZ: There it is.
DEGENERES: Wow.
DIAZ: I love how people just expect people, when you break up to just hate each other. But the great thing is that Justin and I have lived extraordinary lives. And we had a wonderful opportunity to live an extraordinary life together for a period of time, and now we live an extraordinary life -- not the same way together, but we`re still in each other`s lives in that way that, you know, when you care about somebody, you just want them to be happy, and that`s what we both are now, so.
DEGENERES: That`s right. So you`re happy and he`s happy. That`s great.
DIAZ: Yeah. Life is amazing.
DEGENERES: I`m glad.
DIAZ: There`s nothing not to be happy about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, you can hear the voices of the very happy Cameron Diaz and her very happy ex, Justin Timberlake in "Shrek, The Third." It hits theaters on Friday.
ANDERSON: Yesterday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT questions of the day. It was this: Paris Hilton, will she come out of jail a better person? Only 9 percent of you optimistic; 91 percent of you like me, a little cynical here. You say, no, the jail time won`t improve Paris. Here`s some of the e-mails we received.
Tiffany from Nevada writes: "I think for a short period of time she will be on her best behavior, but it`s all a show."
Kathryn from South Dakota says: "Paris may suffer in jail, but true punishment for her would be for America to simply ignore the whole thing."
HAMMER: Yeah, 91 percent, plus whatever I add to that whole thing.
Time now to find out what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Tomorrow, first comes love, then comes marriage -- then the baby, and presto! The baby weight is gone, just like that! How do they do it?! Stars who lose their baby weight faster than you can say "Oh baby!" That`s tomorrow on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Also, tomorrow, the Rosie O`Donnell feud! Remember this? Long before Donald and Rosie went toe-to-toe -- Tom Selleck got into a war of words with her -- so what does he think of her all these years later? Tom Selleck, joining me tomorrow, in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks a lot for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Have a great night, everybody. And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. "Glenn Beck" coming up next. Right after the latest headlines from CNN Headline News. Take care.
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