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Showbiz Tonight
Paris Heads To MTV Awards Followed by Jail; Shocking Lindsay Lohan Pictures
Aired June 04, 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: Why Rosie O`Donnell is comparing fame to crystal meth. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And we`ve got the explosive video of somebody well known going absolutely nuts at a baseball game. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Paris` last words before jail. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT speaks with Paris Hilton right before she surrenders for her stint in the slammer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS HILTON, "THE SIMPLE LIFE": I`m really scared, but I`m ready to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
But come on. Will jail time really change her? And will Paris profit from her sentence? We`ve got this covered like no other entertainment news show. A SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, Paris in jail!
Another Lindsay Lohan out of control shocker. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the disturbing photos of Lindsay Lohan sticking a knife in her mouth. What in the world is she doing?
Plus, startling new details about what will happen when she gets out of rehab! SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates why Lindsay is living on the edge.
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Just about right now Paris Hilton is settling into bed behind bars.
HAMMER: I`m smiling for some reason. That`s right, Brooke. Paris is in the pokey, which is just a lot of fun to say. Help me out here, guys. Paris in the pokey. Fantastic. Paris Hilton has, in fact, checked herself into jail, and she`s not checking out for a while. But in true Paris style, and I kid you not, she even walked down the red carpet just hours before heading to the lockup.
ANDERSON: Yes, she did, A.J. Let me tell you that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has this covered like nobody else. I just have to ask, doesn`t the world seem a much safer place tonight with Paris in jail?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paris Hilton reports to jail overnight.
ANDERSON (voice-over): We all knew it was coming, but that didn`t make it any less shocking. Heiress Paris Hilton is now prisoner Paris Hilton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the Penthouse to the big house. Paris Hilton is behind bars today.
ANDERSON: Paris Hilton turning herself in two days early to begin her DUI-related jail sentence was the talk of the day. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT brings you the inside story of how the newly bible toting Paris spent her last hours of freedom in somber reflection and quiet prayer.
We are so kidding. Paris hit the town in full Paris style, walking the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards just hours before she walked into jail, and talking to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HILTON: I`m really scared, but I`m ready to do this.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tells you the real story of Paris`s secret surrender, what she told us she hopes to get out of her jail time.
HILTON: You know, even though this is a scary thing, I`m using it in a positive way.
ANDERSON: And all you ever wanted to know about Paris Hilton`s rough entry into the jailhouse world of law and order. TMZ.com shot this video of a serious looking Paris Hilton being driven to begin her sentence for driving on a suspended license. Sheriffs secretly had Paris turn herself in miles away from the jail, where she`ll do her expected 23 days in the clink.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: She they really wanted to low key this, frankly, I think appropriately.
ANDERSON: TMZ.com`s Harry Levin told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT L.A. sheriffs staged the switcheroo to avoid the paparazzi mob scene at the jail.
LEVIN: The sheriff`s department here didn`t want the paparazzi around, because there were so many people, they were worried, who would chase that car that it would create a safety problem.
ANDERSON: Hours before, when Paris showed up at the MTV Movie Awards, no one had any idea those were her last hours of freedom. Although she was looking glamorous, she told reporters that jail was not far from her mind.
HILTON: I`m trying to be strong right now. I`m definitely scared.
ANDERSON: At her sentencing last month, the judge made it clear that she would not be given the option to go to a more comfortable alternative jail she would pay for, but Paris now tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that she had that option and turned it down.
HILTON: I wanted to go to county to show that I can do it, and I want to be treated like everyone else. And if I`m going to do the time, I`m going to do it the right ~way.
ANDERSON: Whatever you say, Paris. Still, don`t think for a second that Paris Hilton`s humble tone made people go easy on her once she made it inside the MTV Movie Awards.
SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIAN: Paris Hilton is going to jail.
ANDERSON: Yes, that was the sound of deafening cheers when host Sarah Silverman reminded the audience of Paris`s predicament. And cover your ears, because you won`t believe the joke Silverman told with Paris sitting right in front of her.
SILVERMAN: I heard that to make her feel more comfortable in prison the guards are going to paint the bars to look like penises. I just worry that she`s going to break her teeth on those things. Anyway --
ANDERSON: As you can see, Paris did not look very amused. Still, despite the ribbing, Paris tells us she does have her supporters.
HILTON: I have received thousands of letters from people all around the world of support, and it`s really been inspirational.
ANDERSON: So now, after taking this glamorous mug shot, this jail is where Paris calls home.
LEVIN: It`s a pretty stark existence for her.
ANDERSON: She`ll spend 23 hours a day secluded in a 12 x 8 cell like this one. She`s allowed an hour outside of her cell each day to make phone calls or watch TV. It will be a hard knock life for Paris, but she can make it easier on herself.
STEPHEN WHITMORE, LA SHERIFF`S DEPARTMENT: She`ll be fine if she follows the rules.
ANDERSON: Some are speculating that jail may be a turning point in the life of this famous heiress who has made more than her share of questionable choices. Paris herself is promising a positive result.
HILTON: I hope that I`m an example to other young people when they make decisions. When I come out, I can`t wait to start my new life and be even stronger than I am now.
ANDERSON: But with Paris in the pokey, she`ll have plenty of time to figure out how she`ll make that happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right, by the way, Paris did receive a swag bag of sorts when she checked in. Just like any prisoner, she got a welcome kit that included a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, a comb, deodorant, shampoo and shaving stuff, along with a pencil, stationery, envelopes and stamps, but no designer brands of course.
HAMMER: Well, the "Simple Life" star is living the much simpler life right now. But what I want to know was what the heck was going through Paris` mind by going to the MTV Music Awards the same day she was checking into jail? I mean, com on. With me tonight from Hollywood, "Inside Edition`s" chief correspondent Jim Moray, in New York, defense attorney and founder of MyFifth.org, B.J. Bernstein. Jim, B.J., good to see you both.
I don`t know how you feel, but to me it`s just kind of ridiculous that hours before she`s heading off to jail, Paris Hilton walks the red carpet to go to the MTV Movie Awards. Of course, in the process, she is subjecting herself to that public humiliation by attending the movie awards, although I do have to say Sarah Silverman did knock that softball out of the park there.
Jim Moray, is this woman just a masochist or was this just a brilliant PR move on her part?
JIM MORAY, "INSIDE EDITION": I think it was a brilliant PR move. Look how she staged her entrance into jail. She controlled everything. Frankly, she upstaged the MTV Awards by using the MTV Awards and throwing everyone off the trail, so to speak. Because I don`t know of anyone who really expected that she would go right to jail last night.
So she had the last word. What was that last word, A.J.? She was very contrite. She said that she could have gone to another facility, which, frankly, is not the case at all. She said that she wants to be a role model. This is very different for Paris than we heard a month ago.
HAMMER: I don`t think she was being contrite. I think she was spinning her wheels. I think contrition would have been keeping her mouth quiet and not showing up to a red carpet event. B.J., shouldn`t all of this be about paying the price for breaking the law and not about public relations?
B.J. BERNSTEIN, MYFIFTH.COM: It really should, and what type of PR. Jim has got it right in terms of PR, the type of PR she`s had before. But if you take Hilton at her word, which is she wants to be a role model for young people, then she probably should have done it more low key. She should have done what most of my clients do when they`re going to prison, which is spend time with their family, be more low key, and really show the world that you want to change.
So she did accomplish PR, but that`s old Paris, and it makes it hard to believe there`s going to be a new Paris.
HAMMER: As we just saw a couple of minutes ago, when Sarah Silverman told the audience at that MTV Movie Awards that Paris was heading off to jail, everybody went nuts. Everybody was cheering. I didn`t hear anybody saying no, that`s terrible. Jim we really just love to hate this woman, don`t we?
MORAY: That`s her audience too. The MTV audience is Paris. That`s her fan base. And they were thrilled that she`s going to jail. I think you`re right. I think many people want to be seen with her and photographed with her, but they secretly seem to hate her or, as you say, love to hate her. She`s an easy target, let`s face it.
HAMMER: I don`t really get what the attraction is. I haven`t, well, for years now. But when you -- maybe that was a big wakeup call for her what happened. You kind of have to wonder what`s going through her mind right now as she`s sitting in that jail cell without her cell phone, without her tinkerbell.
Now, when we talked to her last night as she was getting to the MTV Movie Awards, she told us about how she was feeling. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: I`m trying to be strong right now. I`m definitely scared, but I`m ready to face my sentence. And even though this a really hard time, I have my friends and family, and my fans who support me, and it`s just been really helpful in this really scary time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That monotone is like a drill bit in my head. B.J., do you think she was really scared? Do you think it really finally is settling in for her, what is happening? Obviously she is there now.
BERNSTEIN: Well, the video that showed her on her way to the jail last night made her look like she kind of had a tear in her eye, although the windows were rolled down so we could all see it. But the truth is jail for anybody, even with the special circumstances that are surrounding her, that she may be alone or only around one other person, that`s got to be incredibly difficult when she`s had this very pampered life, everything in the world done for her. And for her to spend 23 hours alone and not able to get to whoever whenever she wants. And then sleeping on that little plastic mattress, that`s got to drive her insane.
HAMMER: About those special circumstances that you mentioned, a lot of people, of course, are claiming Paris is getting special treatment because she`s a celeb, and that is why she is isolated. Now a little later the show, you`ve got to hear what one woman told us who did serve some time there. But, Jim, is she getting special treatment really or is this pretty normal for a celebrity prisoner, particularly because the jail has to protect themselves?
MORAY: I don`t think she`s getting better treatment. I think she`s being treated differently because, frankly, I think she would be a target if she were in the general population. I talked to some people that were coming out of the jail today, and they don`t have Paris` lifestyle or her money, and one was in for a month and a half. One was in for 15 days. They both said that this is really a time to reflect.
HAMMER: Yes, I think it will be a sobering time, if nothing else. Jim Moray, B.J. Bernstein, I thank you both for being here tonight.
ANDERSON: And now we want to hear from you about it. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Paris in jail; do you think it will change her? Vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us e-mail at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
You can now stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories and find out what we`re working on every day by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. All you have to do is check out our website, CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Look on the left hand side of the page, where it says newsletter. Click to sign up and we`ll email you the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter every day.
HAMMER: And Brooke, I`ve got so much more on this coming up. There are so many controversial questions I have got to ask. Like how is Paris, in fact, going to survive jail? You know, talking about this special treatment, I really want to know, how is it possible that she won`t get special treatment? We`ll get into that. And is she going to profit from all of this, which would just make sick. I`ll be investigating this a whole bunch more. It`s my SHOWBIZ special report: Paris in jail. That`s coming up at 31 past the hour.
ANDERSON: And A.J., you`re not going to believe this: more of young Hollywood melting down. Look at these absolutely jaw-dropping pictures. That`s Lindsay Lohan playing with knives. Remember, Lindsay`s in rehab as we speak. I mean, can it get any worse? I`ve got that coming up.
And if you thought Rosie O`Donnell was going to go away after leaving "The View," you`re so wrong. Coming up, she`s still making headlines, this time comparing fame to crystal meth. What? That`s coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show! I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Time now for another story that made us say, that`s ridiculous!
A minor league baseball coach, a major league melt down. Look at this, Mississippi Braves Manager Phillip Wellman (ph) going absolutely nuts this weekend. I don`t know about you. I have never seen anything like this. He didn`t like the way the ump was calling balls and strikes, so he drew the ump a new home plate, as you see.
But that was just the beginning. Watch what happens next. He takes it out on the bases, and then he even goes over and does some kind of a military crawl, and then he tosses the rosin bag as a grenade. Phillip Wellman, not exactly well at this game. The Mississippi Braves are in first place. I don`t know what this guy is so mad about. So I say hit the showers, and that`s ridiculous.
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And I have to tell you, just when I thought I had seen it all about the now in deep rehab Lindsay Lohan, I got a load of a couple pictures today that made my jaw drop. Take a look at these. Lindsay, who`s in rehab right now for the second time this year, is seen playing with knives in a very scary way.
In this picture she puts a knife in her mouth. Take a look at this one. I mean, would you want Lindsay Lohan holding a knife to your throat? Not me. With us tonight from San Francisco Dr. Tara Fields, family therapist and interventionist for A&E`s "Intervention."
Dr. Tara, I could not belief these photos. And, as we know, Lindsay has been in rehab for a week after a very public apparently passing out and a meltdown. Now, while we don`t know what condition she was in when she was playing with these knives or if they were just fooling around, if the knives weren`t real. They look like they were. whatever the case, what do these pictures say to you?
DR. TARA FIELDS, A&E`S "INTERVENTION": What they say me is this is a young girl that`s really suffering and really needs genuine help. I`m talking about the kind of help that doesn`t involve a parent going to the media saying put all the attention on me, or treatment centers that are more concerned with getting publicity. I mean, if those pictures were current right now, and I was in the room with her, as a mental health professional, I would be mandated to call 911 and have her put in a hospital, because she is a danger to herself and someone else. They are shocking and terrifying.
ANDERSON: It`s extremely worrisome, and looks to me like just a sincere cry for help. And as we know, Lindsay has a very impulsive personality, Dr. Tara. Do these pictures just kind of fit in with that profile?
FIELDS: Well, absolutely, and, you know, even though it`s become a cliche to say cry for help, I think you really hit the nail on the head. What else does she have to do to say I need some help. And she`s young. What she also really needs is a mommy, not a mother and a father that are going around trying to use her pain and her suffering to get attention.
She needs to be somewhere where people are going to deal with not just the addiction, but the mental health issues, and they need to bend over backwards not to let anybody know where she`s being treated. But the real concern is, Brooke, is that I`m wondering who is there in her life?
ANDERSON: Right.
FIELDS: Is there one person? I don`t know.
ANDERSON: And you bring up the fact where are her parents? A lot of people have been asking that question, and her parents have received a lot of criticism. I think it is warranted. I want to take a look now at Lindsay`s father, Michael, who just got out of jail himself for his own problems, sending a message to Lindsay through the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LOHAN, LINDSAY LOHAN`S FATHER: You`re the most important thing in my life, and I`m sure in mommy`s life and in your brother`s and sister`s life. And we just want to all be there for you. Please, honey, just get in touch with me and let`s get this right, all right? I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: There`s Lindsay`s dad. Now there`s a report, Dr. Tara, that the mother, Dina, is shopping a reality show to E about making her two youngest kids into stars as well. E told us they have no comment, but what`s your take on her parents?
FIELDS: Here`s my message to you, Lindsey`s father and mother: shut up and get help yourself. You want to send a message to your daughter? There are ways of doing it without the media. This is such an example, Brooke, of when I do an intervention -- when I start reading the background on family members, I sometimes know before I even get to the intervention that the hardest work is going to be with those people that say they love the person that`s the addict.
ANDERSON: It is so disturbing, and we all have to remember, she is just 20 years old. Hopefully she can turn her life around and not self- destruct, literally. Dr. Tara Fields, thank you for your insight.
FIELDS: My pleasure, Brooke.
ANDERSON: And by the way, we contacted Lindsay`s spokesperson, who would not comment on who was in the photos with Lindsay with the knife. She said, quote, I`m not commenting. You do what you gotta do. The pictures are obviously stolen. I`m not commenting.
HAMMER: Brooke, if you look at what`s going on here, we have Lindsay in rehab, the latest stuff with these knives, Paris Hilton in jail. When is all of this going to end?
ANDERSON: Hopefully soon, but maybe something good can come out of this. Maybe it will set an example for others as to what people shouldn`t do.
HAMMER: And there are so many controversial questions about Paris. How is she going to make it? Will she profit from being in jail? A SHOWBIZ special report at 31 past the hour. Plus this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just do your time. Don`t act like you`re better than anyone else because people don`t like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Paris only gets about an hour a day to watch TV in jail. Hope she doesn`t miss this. I have got some very special advice on exactly how she can serve her time and come out in one piece.
ANDERSON: And judging by some of the stuff Rosie O`Donnell has been saying, it almost seems she thinks her time on "The View" might as well have been spent behind bars. Up next, why Rosie is now comparing fame to crystal meth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. So I thought with Rosie O`Donnell off "The View," she would lay low, take some time off, not say much. Right? Well, I`m wrong. Tonight I can tell you that she`s not keeping quiet at all. In fact, Rosie`s working on a tell all book. And she says fame is a drug, that it changes and scars people so much it reminds her of crystal meth users.
Pretty strong stuff, right? Rosie`s book, out in the fall, will be called "Celebrity Detox." And her former "View" co-hosts don`t have anything to worry about, or so Rosie says. That`s because she says it won`t be, quote, mean spirited or vindictive.
Also, at the Book America Expo in New York this weekend, Rosie joked she`s also going to be trying out for "The Apprentice." That the Donald Trump show, which actually hasn`t been picked up for the fall season. But I do know we will all be waiting at the book store to pick up a copy of "Celebrity Detox."
HAMMER: Brooke, I wonder if Paris Hilton is actually going to write a tell all book when she gets out of the slammer. I don`t see her actually doing any writing. But coming up next you are not going to want to miss this SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, Paris in Jail. I`ve got so many questions, so I go digging for answers. Will she get special treatment? How will she survive? It`s coming up next.
Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a valuable lesson. You know what I mean? You can`t be doing the drinking and the driving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And I have no doubt she will try to capitalize on this experience, A.J. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tracks down some good advice for Paris from the biggest names in the biz. The stars speak out about Paris and what she`s going through straight ahead.
HAMMER: So maybe she`ll write a book. Maybe she`ll make a video, hopefully a non-X rated one, but who knows. I`ve got to know, will Paris profit from jail and how will she do it? That and more in our SHOWBIZ special report coming up next. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Monday night is coming right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS HILTON: I`m definitely scared, but I`m ready to face my sentence, and even though this is a really hard time, I have my friends and family, and fans who support me, and it`s just been really helpful in this really scary time.
HAMMER: Ladies and gentlemen, the streets are finally safe. Paris Hilton has checked into jail.
It is very special half hour of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. We have all the angles covered. How will she adjust to life behind bars? Will she make some money off of all this? A show biz special report, "Paris In Jail", starts right now.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
HAMMER: Brooke, I can actually say it because it has actually happened. Tonight, Paris Hilton is in jail. Here`s the latest: It was late last night, when Paris surrendered to sheriff`s deputies in downtown Los Angeles. She was booked, she was fingerprinted, photographed, and issued an orange top and pants. After that she was transferred to her home for an expected 23 days, the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California.
Now this was just hours after Paris walked the red carpet at the MTV movie awards. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with all the stars at the awards, to get their take on Paris` impending jail time. Take a look at what some of them had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wish her luck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, wish her luck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope that she -- yeah, nothing horrible happens to her.
DANE COOK: You know what, she`ll be fine. And I`m sure that it`s a valuable lesson. You know, can`t be doing the drinking and the driving.
TYRESE: It`s going to be a very long 23 days because she knows how to busy herself up, while she`s out having fun. You know, she stays busy. And 23 days of standing still is going to be a lot.
KEVIN JAMES: I just keep saying the same thing. Just wide grip pull ups and get a lot of back tattoos. Just go bad on it. Just go hard, you know?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I can`t even comment on that one. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has it covered tonight in this very special half hour. With so many questions to ask now that Paris is in jail, how will she deal with her new life for the next 23 days?
Is Paris getting special treatment while she`s in jail? Will Paris profit from her time in the slammer? Can we expect jail to really change her as she claims it`s going to?
We are coast-to-coast tonight. Joining us in New York VH-1 Senior Correspondent David Caplan; also in New York, Jane Valez-Mitchell, investigative journalist. Joining us tonight from Hollywood, author and self-esteem expert, Jessica Weiner, also from Hollywood tonight, investigative journalist Pat Lalama.
Our expert panel, I appreciate you all being here with us tonight. And let`s fire this baby up by talking about Paris` life in jail, because usually on a night like this, even though it`s Monday, she would probably be primping and put on the makeup and getting set for a night in the clubs. Instead, she`s probably sitting on her little cot in her tiny little cell, and just not doing much of anything.
David, do you think right about now Paris Hilton is just freaking out?
DAVID CAPLAN, CELEBRITY JOURNALIST: Yeah, right now I think she`s climbing the walls wishing she were at High, or one of those other clubs, or Teddy`s, but she is in her little, little cell right there, by herself. She`s no cell mate there. She must be wonder what all the girls are doing right now, but she`s by herself, and reading or writing her memoirs right now.
HAMMER: This is certainly a far cry from what she was doing last night at this time. I have to tell you, I was incensed when I saw her walking the red carpet at the MTV movie awards, something only Paris could do, I guess. And she told us what she was going through when she was about to get into jail. Let`s take a look at what she told her -- told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: I`m trying to be strong right now. I`m definitely scared. But I`m ready to face my sentence. And even though this is a really hard time, I have my friends and family, and my fans who support me, and it`s just been really helpful in this really scary time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Pat Lalama, I want to go to you because I need you to give me some sense of perhaps what is echoing through her cavernous brain right now. This is so not hot. This is so not hot.
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Here`s the deal. I really believe that she`s trying. Trying to sound intelligent, to sound concerned. And I think she did a pretty good job of it. This is about the best thing I heard come out of her mouth since I started covering this woman.
But A.J., can I just tell you something. Here`s the real issue. The issue is not so much Paris anymore. The issue is why we, as a society, are spending blood, sweat, tears, and money to cover this. And then today I read that a production company is casting, they`re looking for young women who are rude, arrogant party girls, and the whole point of this new reality show is to help them out, turn them around, and whoever does the best job wins. So, this is a society that is obsessed with really someone who hasn`t contributed that much to society as a whole. I don`t get it.
HAMMER: I don`t either, and I don`t think many of our panel members would get it either. You know, last night we had the opportunity to speak with someone right outside the jail, who had just done a little time there, in the same type of cell. I don`t think boredom is something Paris would do well with. Let`s listen to what this former inmate told our Sibila Vargas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA GAUILAR, FORMER INMATE: I`ve been behind one of those cells, so I know, by experience, it`s very boring. And for somebody like her that is used to doing things, doing things, doing things, keeping on the go all the time and behind closed doors, she`s just not going to like it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Theresa, you don`t think she`s going to like it? Is that possibly true? Here`s a woman whose whole life, as we all know, revolves around designer clothes and always looking picture perfect. Charles, do we have that fantastic mug shot? We have to take a look at this beautiful mug shot. This beats Nick Nolte by a mile. Is that the best freaking mug shot you guys have ever seen?
Now, Jessica?
JESSICA WEINER, AUTHOR, SELF-ESTEEM EXPERT: Yes.
HAMMER: I have to get your take on this, because she is certainly going to be experiencing some depravity.
WEINER: Right.
HAMMER: You`re the self-esteem expert on our panel. Can she possibly survive being without so many things that she deems important?
WEINER: Well, I tell you, it`s only Paris that would get her hair and makeup done before she checked in for jail. I love that. I think that, unfortunately, she`s not really sincere, and she is very calculating. And I think that if she was really sincere, she would have checked in a day early without the cameras there, and done her time. I think that really speaks to her character and what it takes to rehabilitate.
This time away, I hope it does give her some time to think about things. I hope it does give her some perspective. But, unfortunately, we know, and as Pat mentioned, our media culture is set up to profit off of this. And she will most certainly be looking at how to make some money through this jail term, and after the jail term. So I, unfortunately, don`t feel like she`s as committed to her own recovery and rehabilitation as we`d all wish for her to be.
HAMMER: No, I think, as you pointed out, the fact that she made her jail entry, her perp walk, so to speak, a photo op. That pretty much says it all. She is going to be in virtual isolation. She`s in special attention area. A lot of people say Paris is getting special treatment. I want you guys to listen to what one woman, Christina Gomez told us yesterday. Her mother is locked up in that very jail for not paying traffic tickets, and is with the general population of this jail. Here`s what she told Sibila Vargas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA GOMEZ, MOTHER IS INMATE: Put her with everybody else. You know, people don`t -- just because she has a star behind her name, she`s just a regular human being. If she really had a star behind her name, she wouldn`t be doing the stuff she has been doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Jane Valez-Mitchell, I want to go to you to on this. What do you think about that woman, Christina, had to say? Paris be getting a big reality check if she was with that general population right now?
JANE VALEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes, A.J. If she had been treated special throughout this whole process and even the way she checked herself in. A motorcade to the men`s central jail, then transferred to the woman`s facility so she could avoid the paparazzi circus outside. Then she goes to a special needs unit, where at the most there will be 22 other women there. Probably a lot less. Then she has her own cell without a roommate.
So, not only is she not in the general population with the 2,000 other women, she`s in her own little hotel room, so to speak, without a roommate. The only time she`s really going to be interacting with other women will be that one hour a day when she`s able to go out into the common area and there may be a few women out there that she will interact with, but that`s it. It`s a very different experience than the average Joe or Jane gets when they go to jail.
HAMMER: VH-1`s David Caplan, do you think right now Paris is thanking her lucky stars that she is in that isolated situation, and not on the there with the general population?
CAPLAN: Oh, yeah, I`m sure she`s thrilled she`s not really rubbing elbows with sort of what she would consider to be peons and sort of riff- raff and stuff. I`m sure she has nothing to do right now, and she`s bored out of her mind. She is so glad she`s not mingling with people from neighborhoods she would never go to herself.
HAMMER: What about that, Jessica Weiner? Should she be mingling? She only has a small amount of time, but would it be in her best interest if she really wants to show everybody that she is trying to be like everybody else? Shouldn`t she be hanging out and trying to establish some normal relationships with these people?
WEINER: I think the best gift that Paris Hilton could give to herself would be to really take this time to look within. Again, that`s sort of a high hope right now. I don`t know why we`re all so surprised this has been a media circus. I think she`s enjoying it. I think that`s who she is and how she has been raised to be.
Unfortunately, if she wants to change, she really has to look around and hear the applause last night at the awards show, and listen to everybody`s commentary today. She is creating a really inauthentic space in our society. She`s a horrible role model for young women, no matter what her spin on it is. If she really was focused on her self-esteem, yes, she would be in general population and would have done her time early, swiftly, concisely. And she would stop with the spin, but, again, that`s what built Paris Hilton. We shouldn`t be so surprised.
HAMMER: Inauthentic space in our society. You know what -- go ahead, Pat.
LALAMA: I was just going to say, real quickly, I think it`s a real safety issue. They have to cloister the celebrities. The sheriff`s department does not want a law suit. While I completely agree with what the other guests are saying about that, they have to keep her isolated. I really believe that.
HAMMER: Yeah, because she would get her butt kicked, right, Pat?
LALAMA: Probably, yeah.
HAMMER: Exactly. All right.
Guys, I want to you all hang out. Don`t go anywhere. We`re going to come back to our panel of experts in just a moment because there is so much more to get to here. Including a nagging question that I have had since this whole Paris saga began: Will Paris actually profit from her time behind bars? Which I think that would be absolutely sick. Our panel will have a lot to say about that. They`re coming back as the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Paris In Jail" continues.
ANDERSON: And now that she has traded in hair and makeup and high fashion outfits for a jail uniform, I wonder what Paris looks like. Coming up, your first glimpse of Paris, the jail bird.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
This is a SHOWBIZ special report: "Paris In Jail". Paris Hilton is now spending what is expected to be the first of 23 days in jail for violating probation. A lot of people are saying she`s going to be making some big bucks off all this.
Let`s get back to our coast-to-coast panel of experts and let`s take a look at a choice piece of videotape that has arrived here at the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT headquarters tonight. It is Paris Hilton arriving at jail. Can we roll this tape, Charles?
This is Paris showing up with the windows rolled down. It is a prime photo op. It is her last photo op for a few weeks, anyway. I got to figure, Jane Valez-Mitchell, she is already thinking -- well, she`s probably been thinking for some time -- about how she can make money off of this.
MITHCELL: She may, but I do have to say in her defense, that the reports are she was trembling and fighting back tears as she was processed and brought into jail. This is a very scary experience for her. And I do believe it`s already changed her, that she`s becoming more authentic by the second.
But she is a very smart, charismatic woman who knows how to leverage any situation, so it wouldn`t surprise me if right now, as we speak, she is working on that diary behind bars with a pencil and paper, that they say could sell for up to a million dollars.
She could also use this as a promotional gimmick to launch a whole new line of jail-related clothing or accessories. Imagine the orange look suddenly taking over Hollywood.
HAMMER: Hold on a second. I think I hear the sound of investigative journalist Pat Lalama getting sick at the thought of all this -- Pat.
(LAUGHTER, MOCK WRECHING)
LALAMMA: Oh, I get it. Wait. Hold on. Eau de Jail. Her new scent? How about that?
I mean, Jane is absolutely right. We were talking about this over the weekend. Paparazzi will make a lot of money. She`s going to make a lot of money. The fact that people are talking about her street cred going up, for heaven`s sakes. I`m going to go back to my original premise. This is the sickest society when we are so enjoying this situation.
You talk about what is she going to do in prison? She`s going to sit there and be bored -- or in jail, I should say. You know what she should be doing, A.J., how about taking a class while she`s there? How about maybe talking to families who have been victimized by drunk drivers? How about talking to young people? How about taking classes about improving her own behavior and her own attitude about society? Sitting in that cell is not going to help her. She needs some real one-on-one kick in the butt.
HAMMER: What I don`t understand is who the heck is going to buy all of this stuff? VH-1`s David Caplan, help me out. Diaries? Perfume? Are you going to run out and buy it?
CAPLAN: I personally won`t be running out to get Eau de Paris, but she has so many fans out there. And you know what, all of her past brand extensions have proven that. Her fragrances, her record album, her movie. They`re never huge blockbusters, but they still amass millions of dollars. And people all over the world, you know, buy these products. It`s a testament to her fan base. We saw that when they started all these online petitions. So, unfortunately, A.J., there is a market for this, and, of course, the photo agencies will make millions of dollars off their photos.
HAMMER: Well, as we see here she was on the red carpet last night. She was there for the MTV movie awards. I want you all to listen to what she told us about being a role model to others -- Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: I have received thousands of letters from people all around the world of support, and just really been inspirational and really helped me. And I`m really scared, but I`m ready to do this. And I hope that I`m an example to other young people when they make decisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Jessica Weiner, self-esteem expert and guru, I`m really scared, right now. Paris considering herself a role model?
WEINER: Of, course, that`s going to be part of her new rebuilt image. We should prepare ourselves for that now. She`s going to come out bigger, better, stronger than ever, and we have to navigate our children, our teens, our young adults through that process. So, they really see, listen, this is about truth and consequences. She broke the law, she put all of our lives in danger, by the way.
We can`t really forget that. There is a seriousness to the crime that she committed. It is something that she needs to really reckon with and deal with. As far as being a role model, she has to do more than just talk the talk. She has to walk the walk, and we will all be the judges of that as she comes out. She has to really be that person. It`s just not about what she`s doing or what she`s saying. She is, again, the master of spin and manipulation, and so is her team.
HAMMER: JVM, don`t we have to look at her as a role model of what not to do?
MITCHELL: Yes, but I think that everybody, including Paris Hilton, should be given the opportunity to change. It looks like she`s already changing. The sheriff`s spokesman gave her very high marks during the processing, calling her cooperative, helpful, and focused.
And that`s the moment where she went from heiress to inmate, so to speak, where her status dropped with that one second when she walked behind bars and was fingerprinted, and medically screened. I don`t even want to know what that entailed. Then had to turnover her clothes and get into an orange outfit and go into this little cell.
The fact that she handled that with maturity is a good sign. And I believe that everybody, including Paris Hilton, should be given the opportunity to change. This story is as old as time itself. The story of Buddha is a story of a cloistered prince who leaves his palace and sees the outside world for the first time, and it opens his eyes and it changes him.
HAMMER: Oh, you`re so positive, Jane Valez-Mitchell.
(CROSS TALK)
Hold on, a second. Hold on. Pat, I wanted to get you. I want to play one more choice piece of videotape. We were so happy we had the opportunity to talk to Paris Hilton last night. She claimed she had a choice as to where she could have gone to jail. She could have gone to a so-called pay jail. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: Well, I did have the choice to go to a pay jail, but I declined because I feel like the media portrays me in a way that I`m not. That`s why I wanted to go to county and show that you can do it, and I want to be treated like everyone else. And I`m going to do the time. I`m going to do it right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. All right. less than 30 seconds, Pat Lalama. Have at it.
LALAMA: Oh, boloney. She didn`t have an option to go to the, what do they call it? The glamour slammer, as far as I know. You was told she didn`t have that choice at all.
HAMMER: The glamour slammer. I love that.
LALAMA: It`s L.A., baby!
HAMMER: David Caplan, Jane Valez-Mitchell, Jessica Weiner, Pat Lalama, man, it was a lot of ground to cover, but I think we handled it. Thanks for being with us tonight.
ANDERSON: And we`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It is about Paris, she`s in jail. Do you think it will change her? Keep voting at cnn.com/showbiztonight. And write us at showbiztonht@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts tomorrow.
Listen to this, you can now stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories and find out what we`re working on everyday, by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter! It`s really easy. Go to our website, cnn.com/showbizxonight. Look on the left hand side of the page, where it says "newsletter." Just click to sign up and we`ll e- mail you the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter every day. You don`t want to miss out on that.
All right, now that Paris has traded in hair and makeup and high- fashion outfits for a jail uniform, orange top and pants, I just can`t help but wonder what she looks like now in that jail!
Well, stay right where you are, because SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has your first glimpse of Paris the jailbird, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: So the big news tonight -- Paris Hilton in jail! And of course, it was the number one hot topic on "The View" today. Barbara Walters and Paris` mom, Kathy Hilton, spoke on the phone last night. And Kathy told Barbara some of the details of how Paris went to jail without too many people noticing.
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": She was taken to an underground -- like a tunnel, I guess. The only ones who saw were smart enough to be there, or who just happened to be there, was TMZ. And this was -- I talked to her last night --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s like the French Resistance, isn`t it? An underground tunnel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. I had no idea this even existed.
WALTERS: I guess they didn`t want this huge thing, so she went --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s the point of going to jail unless there`s paparazzi?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: When the ladies were talking about Paris getting to watch TV and having visitors in jail, Joy Behar said she should have to scrub some toilets.
You may not get to visit Paris in jail, but you can get an idea of what she might look like in there. At Madame Tussaud`s Wax Museum in New York, the Paris statue has been updated. Here it is, dressed in a black and white striped jail suit. Now, to be fair, Paris was issued an orange top and pants, when she reported to jail. But the black and white is a very good look for her.
HAMMER: I don`t think that`s Prada, though.
It`s been about a year now since, Katie Couric left the "Today Show" to get ready to anchor the CBS Evening News. Well, on Friday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. This was the question: Katie Couric, should she have stayed on the "Today Show"? One-sided vote over the weekend, 85 percent of you say, yes. And 15 percent of you say, no. Got a lot of e-mail, too.
We heard from Jenny in Florida. She writes: "I don`t think Katie Couric does a good job as a serious news anchor. She was much better on the `Today Show`.
Also heard from Dawn in Virginia, who has an interesting suggestion. She writes: "Katie should try out for Rosie`s spot on `The View`."
Somehow I don`t think that is going to be taking place.
It is time now to find out what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Well, tomorrow, Paris of course now sees the inside of a jail cell, but will she also see dollar signs? There are rumors flying around that Paris will try to sell her jail diary. What else does she have up her orange sleeve? Will Paris actually profit from her time in jail? We`ll get into that tomorrow.
Also, you know this man, the one, the only, Jerry Springer is here! The king of sleazy daytime TV will be right here. He will be talking about
UNIDENTIFIED MALES, CHANTING: Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
HAMMER: Jerry, Jerry, Springer, joining us tomorrow in the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Could have kept going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALES, CHANTING: Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
HAMMER: I have more time. That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Thanks to the peanut gallery. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. "Glenn Beck" coming up next after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News." Keep it right here.
END
