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Showbiz Tonight
More Paris Hilton Details
Aired June 11, 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: Should we feel sorry for Paris Hilton? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And the man accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman`s son escapes from prison. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Paris speaks. Run for your lives. Tonight, the inside story of what Paris Hilton is really going through, straight from Paris herself. Is she in danger? Is she losing her mind?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: She really has to prove herself to people that this is the real deal, and it`s not an act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the down and dirty story of Paris in lockup. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares to ask, does anyone out there really feel sorry for her?
Lessons for Paris from Hollywood`s good girls. They`re young, rich, successful, and beautiful without the bad girl reputation. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with lessons for Paris from the good girls.
And, yo, Lindsay, Britney, Nicole, you pay attention too.
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Paris Hilton is not dumb and dumber. Don`t believe me? Go ask her yourself.
HAMMER: Now, Brooke, that might be a little tough, given that she is locked up and not really taking calls these days. But, yes, it`s true. Paris Hilton is speaking out for the first time since she got tossed in the clink, got let out and then tossed back in again. And Paris wants the world to know that whole dumb thing, it was all an act.
And hey, get this, Paris says she`s also become spiritual. Funny how jail will do that to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What looks good tonight?
JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: I don`t know.
HAMMER (voice-over): You thought Tony not getting whacked on "The Sopranos" was a surprise, listen to the words we heard from Paris Hilton by way of "The View`s" Barbara Walters.
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": I used to act dumb. It was an act, and that act is no longer cute.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you Paris Hilton is losing her dumb girl act.
WALTERS: It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me.
HAMMER: And finding god.
WALTERS: She said I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tells you how Paris Hilton`s traumatic in and out and back in jail ordeal may force us to say good-bye to the air head heiress we know from the "Simple Life."
PARIS HILTON, "THE SIMPLE LIFE": I like my hair better on this side. Can I point this way. Hold on. Actually, no, I like this.
HAMMER: And hello to Saint Paris, or maybe Paris the scholar.
WALTERS: I am not that superficial girl. I haven`t looked in a mirror since I got here.
HAMMER: On "The View" Walters, a Hilton family friend, shared the details of her weekend telephone chat with the locked up heiress, Paris Hilton`s interview since she was sent to jail for driving on a suspended license in a DUI case, released by the Sheriff`s Department for an unspecified medical reason --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police now are driving her back to the courthouse.
HAMMER: And to much media attention, carted back to jail the next day by the judge who originally sentenced her.
WALTERS: She did not complain when she was talking to me, and she did not wine.
HAMMER: Paris told Walters she`s done fighting her sentence and will serve the rest of her term, which is now set to end on June 25th. Then the bombshells started.
WALTERS: She said I`m not the same person I was. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I want to do different things when I`m out of here. She said she would like to help perhaps in the field of breast cancer. Her grandmother had breast cancer. Or multiple sclerosis; her father`s mother suffered from that disease. She said I feel my purpose in life is to be where I am.
HAMMER: The new Paris was unveiled in a statement she released over the weekend. It said, quote, "being in jail is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. During the past several days, I have had a lot of time to think, and I believe that I`m learning and growing from this experience." Not everyone is taking the new Paris too seriously, especially on "The View."
WALTERS: God, she said, has released me. She said she --
JOY BEHAR, "THE VIEW": The judge hasn`t.
LEVIN: A lot of people are really cynical about Paris Hilton, and she really has to prove herself to people that this is the real deal, and it`s not an act.
HAMMER: One thing isn`t disputed; Paris was having a rough time in jail. She confirmed that in her chat with Walters.
WALTERS: She said I was not eating or sleeping. I was severely depressed. I felt as if I was in a cage. I was not myself. It was a horrible experience.
HAMMER: And Patrick Heugenin of "The New York Daily News" tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT jail officials may have actually moved Paris because, well, we`ll let him say it.
PATRICK HUGUENNIN, "THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": "The New York Daily News" found out through inside sources that Paris was actually starving herself and dehydrating herself because she was afraid to use the bathroom in prison. Our impression is that Paris was so afraid that she would be photographed using the open toilet in her jail cell.
HAMMER: But in the medical ward, where she`s now locked up, she is doing better.
HUGUENNIN: Reports have said that she is actually managing to eat cereal and bread, and she`s crying less, and she`s feeling a little better.
LEVIN: She is taking her medicine, which is really important in terms of evening her out. So all in all, it`s still not fun, but she is emotionally handling it.
HAMMER: And Paris Hilton`s famous sister, Nicki, visited her over the weekend.
NICKI HILTON, SISTER OF PARIS HILTON: She`s being strong.
HAMMER: According to Barbara Walters, Paris is telling another family member she has learned a lesson.
WALTERS: Her mother had told me that Paris said to her I will never again have a drink and drive.
HAMMER: So now we`re left to see which Paris we`ll get when she comes out of jail.
LEVIN: It may change in ways that she doesn`t know now, or it may not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So has Paris really changed? Has she seen the light? Is she really not so dumb after all? With me tonight from Los Angeles investigative journalist Pat Lalama and in New York David Caplan, senior correspondent at VH1. OK guys, you know, out of all the things that Paris said today, the one thing that really made everyone`s ears perk up is when she claimed that the whole dumb persona is all an act.
Let`s take another listen to what Barbara Walters said about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: I used to act dumb. It was an act, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Pat, do you buy it? Is it all an act?
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, I`ll tell you what, this is a young woman who dropped out of high school, OK? it doesn`t make her dumb. She probably had other things going on at the time, and she did ultimately get her degree -- or her diploma, I should say. But, you know what? This is a woman whose famous quote was, I really feel like Barbie is my hero because she does nothing but looks great doing it.
She is going to have to prove herself to me and let me tell you something, Brooke, if she does anything for children when she gets out, I forgive her for anything. So let`s just see what happens.
ANDERSON: If she is sincere and really does turn her life around, I think a lot of people will forgive her. David, your thoughts on Paris dropping this whole air head act?
DAVID CAPLAN, VH1: I think Paris is not as dumb as she looks. I have interviewed her before, and she`s smart, because she knows how to play the media and play everyone around her. So in that sense, she`s absolutely not dumb. But the fact that even today she said, oh, that was all an act; I think even her acknowledging that she plays a sort of dumb girl act is more of her P.R. spin, and that she`s proving how smart she is, because she`s playing us all over again. It`s this weird cycle of Paris.
ANDERSON: Very good point. And David, I have interviewed her numerous times, and I have actually seen her turn it on and off when she knows the camera is turned on, she knows the tapes are rolling. Her voice changes. Her demeanor changes. And then it`s air head Paris. Pat, you know, that was her gig. That was what she built her career on. What does she have left if she doesn`t have the dumb act?
LALAMA: You know what, we said the same thing about Anna Nicole and the same thing about Marilyn Monroe. There is a certain -- if you look at how she presents herself, not as an intellect, not as really a businesswoman, although she likes to say that she`s into being a businesswoman, it`s really just about how I look.
And, you know, that`s all part of it, because if you are going to buy the I`m so fabulous kind of persona, then it`s hard to imagine that she is intellectual as well. But, you know, I`m not putting it past her. I`m just saying I also agree with David. The whole spin thing is now finally happening. Her people around her are doing what they should have been doing all along but probably couldn`t, and now they`re writing the letters, saying let`s all focus now on our troops in Iraq and I`ve found God, just like Bill Clinton did during Monica Lewinsky.
Remember he went to church, and he always had the Bible in front of the camera? You know, I`m not buying all this stuff completely.
ANDERSON: Right, speaking about her talking about focus on the troops in Iraq, as part of the publicity and what she plans to do, Paris did release a statement over the weekend saying she wasn`t going to appeal her sentence. Then she said this, quote, I would hope going forward that the public and the media will focus on more important things, like the men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places around the world."
OK, beside the absurdity, in my opinion, of Paris suddenly caring for the troops, right after she said that, she -- right after she said that she doesn`t want the media to focus on her, who does she get on the phone with? One of the most famous interviewers in the world, Barbara Walters. David, explain this to me.
CAPLAN: I think why Paris Hilton did this is because essentially it legitimatizes her argument as being the victim, and it also helps get her message across. People listen to Barbara Walters more than they do Paris directly, so for Paris essentially to impart the world of her words of wisdom through Barbara Walters is very smart. We`re all listening. We`re like, OK, it`s Barbara Walters. She`s a voice of reason.
If Paris Hilton issued another statement saying, oh, I want to open up a hospital for sick kids, no one would have believed it. So she`s manipulating Barbara Walter as well, and the whole notion that Barbara Walters on the phone with Cathy Hilton; Paris just happened to call at the same time, it all sounds very suspect.
ANDERSON: Right, it could be seen as a little bit hypocritical, yes. And, you know, this is a girl who walked the red carpet the night before her first trip behind bars. Do you really believe that she doesn`t want the attention in the future, or is the spotlight like a drug for her?
LALAMA: Is that a rhetorical question? OK, I mean, the fact of the matter is, of course, she loves the attention. I`ll tell you something, I agree with David that the whole thing with Barbara Walters was smart because, A, Barbara is like everybody`s aunt. OK, you go to Barbara; you`re not going to a tabloid. You`re not, you know, in front of the paparazzi with no underwear.
You are going to Barbara and that really increases her credibility of all the females in the audience, going that could have been my daughter. You know, it`s like all of that stuff. It was absolutely perfect. Really the joke is on us, because we`re the ones who can`t get enough. She`s walking around, going don`t pay attention to me, and we`re like when can we talk about her next? When can we talk about her next?
ANDERSON: I can get enough. I can. Ten seconds left, David. Could she turn into the next Angelina Jolie?
CAPLAN: Of course. It`s Paris Hilton. She can turn herself into anything. She`s a Chameleon. .
LALAMA: Angelina`s got talent.
ANDERSON: That`s a big difference. You`re right. Pat Lalama, David Caplan, thanks to you both.
HAMMER: Well now we would like to hear from you for our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Tonight here`s what we`re asking you: Paris Hilton, do you feel sorry for her? You can vote at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. You can also email us at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
And you can now stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories. You can also find out what we`re working on simply by signing up for our most excellent SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Go to the web site CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Look at the left hand side of the page. There you will see the button that says newsletter. Click there. Sign up. We will email you the newsletter, that SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter, every single day.
You know, here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Brooke Anderson, I strive for honesty, so I`ve got to tell you, in that interest, it`s very hard for me to work up any kind of sympathy for Paris. I am willing to consider it however, Brooke. Our coverage of the storm over Paris continues. It`s a SHOWBIZ special report, and that`s coming up at 30 past the hour. Is she really in danger? We`ll be looking into that. We`ll also have this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not trying to get the reputation of miss party thing 2007.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Lessons for Paris from Hollywood`s good girls. Yes, and Lindsay and Britney, you might want to listen up too. Straight ahead, what the bad girls can learn from Hollywood stars who managed to stay out of trouble.
HAMMER: And David Letterman has been warned. The guy who allegedly plotted to kidnap his son has escaped from prison. We`re going to tell you what happened. That is still ahead. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: I used to act dumb. It was an act. That act is no longer cute. It is not who I am. Nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Barbara Walters on "The View" today talking about her phone call from Paris from the lockup. Is Paris giving up the dumb act? Well, only time will tell. And a reminder that the coverage of the storm over Paris continues. It`s a SHOWBIZ special report at 30 past the hour, when we dare to ask, should we actually be feeling sorry for Paris?
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. With Paris locked up, Nicole Richie possibly facing jail for her DUI arrest, Lindsay Lohan in rehab, Britney just out of rehab, the not so fantastic four have become known as the bad girls of Hollywood.
But if you think all hope is lost, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is here to tell you that there are actually good girls in Hollywood, and they can definitely teach the bad girls a thing or two.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): If the good girls of Hollywood were looking for a theme song, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT could tell you it could well, Kelly Clarkson`s "Miss Independent," because for good girls like Kelly, it`s not just a song, it`s how she lives her life.
JESSICA WEINER, AUTHOR AND SELF ESTEEM EXPERT: Kelly Clarkson has proven to be a strong and independent good girl for women to look up to in this industry. I think she was the first big winner of "American Idol" and she could have gone in a lot of different directions, but she`s really stayed true to herself, and you can see it.
ANDERSON: Unlike Kelly, so many young stars turn into the bad girls of Hollywood, Paris, Lindsay, Britney. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is here to reveal what they need to do to get on the good girl path. And the number one thing good girls do right is they get serious about the work.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PR: They work really hard is the first thing. They take their craft seriously.
HILARY DUFF, ACTRESS: I am really not good in front of crowds. I won`t even let my mom hear me sing in the shower.
ANDERSON: Take Hillary Duff, for example. TV`s Lizzie McGuire grew up on television making kids laugh. The one-time child star, along with her older sister Haley, both know that being serious about their work and not the trappings of fame is the ultimate reward.
DUFF: You know what I think is we take things really seriously and we work hard and we get a lot in return.
ANDERSON: And working hard doesn`t only mean learning lines for a movie role. You hear that, Lindsay? Or showing up on every red carpet you can get to. Hear that, Paris? A career means making good moves.
BRAGMAN: It means making good decisions. It means your private life is conducted behind curtains and not out at bars, and you are not trying to get the reputation of miss party thing 2007.
ANDERSON: Yes, miss party thing 2007. If there were ever an award for this dubious distinction, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT bets there would be a three- way tie between Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. Britney, in and out of rehab. Same with Lindsay. And then there`s Paris.
(on camera): I have to tell you, this day has been surreal. Just one day after Paris Hilton was released from jail, just three days into her sentence, she was dragged back into court nearly kick and screaming.
(voice-over): The spectacle of Paris Hilton came after she made a career out of being famous for virtually nothing. Amazingly, a rather successful career that she may have never thought would be endangered by doing something stupid.
BRAGMAN: A lot of people take this for granted that they think they`re so talented that it`s just going to happen. I know a lot of talented people who have really miserable careers. You have to be grateful. You have to work on your career. And you have to keep your eye on the prize.
ANDERSON: And keeping both eyes on the prize is just what Hollywood good girl Jennifer Love Hewitt has been doing for years.
BRAGMAN: I have known Jennifer almost two decades, and she is one of the hardest working young actors I have ever met. She`s got a great TV show. She has got commercial endorsements. She goes out with nice people. She has a family who loves her. These are the rewards you get for playing it right.
HARDEN PANETIERRE, "HEROES": I have busted every bone in my body, stabbed myself in the chest. I put a two foot steel rod through my neck, and I don`t have a scratch on me.
ANDERSON: The young star of TV`s "Heroes," Hayden Panetierre, is also a Hollywood good girl who knows that a big part of who you are is ultimately who you surround yourself with.
PANETIERRE: The people who you are around impacts who you are, and when there are people that you are around who are on the same track, will keep you on that track, then you are good to go.
ANDERSON: And when you stray from that track, as Paris, Britney and Lindsay have done too many times, you set herself up for a crash. So ladies, take a good look at the Hollywood good girls. You might learn a thing or two.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is also impressed with another good girl in Hollywood, Ann Hathaway, who recently charmed audience with her turn in the film "The Devil Wears Prada."
HAMMER: What do you think? Is Paris really in peril? Could she be losing her mind in there, or maybe she just needs to bare down, stop her wining, and just serve the time. Our coverage of the storm over Paris continues. It`s a SHOWBIZ special report at 30 past the hour. Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She deserves it. She puts herself in the limelight, so she has to suffer the consequences. If she stayed at home all the time and was a good girl, she wouldn`t be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I find it kind of hard to feel sorry for Paris Hilton, but some people do. Still ahead, does this woman deserve our sympathy? We`ll look into it.
HAMMER: And David Letterman has been warned; the guy who allegedly plotted to kidnap his son has escaped from prison. What happened? We`ll tell you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Listen to this, the man who was accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman`s son has escaped from prison. Letterman`s security team has been warned that the man is on the loose and may be armed. Kelly Frank (ph) was arrested in 2005 in connection with a plot to kidnap Letterman`s son Harry, who is now three and a half years old.
The kidnapping related charge was later dropped in a plea bargain, and Frank was sentenced to ten years in prison in Montana on other charges. He and another inmate escaped Friday from the prison. They were on a work crew just outside prison walls, and apparently stole a work truck. The local sheriff`s office is keeping in close contact with Letterman`s staff until Frank is caught.
Letterman has a ranch in Montana where Frank worked as a painter. Frank allegedly plotted to hold Harry and a nanny ransom for five million dollars. David Letterman`s spokesman says Letterman has no comment on Frank`s escape.
HAMMER: So a lot of people are wondering is Paris Hilton really in peril? Could she be losing her mind while doing her time? Does she basically need to shut up and serve the time? Our coverage of the storm over Paris continues. A SHOWBIZ special report is coming up next.
ANDERSON: Plus, I find it kind of hard to feel sorry for Paris, but some people do. Still ahead, does this woman deserve our sympathy? We`re going to look into it. Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: She violated probation how many times? That`s what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Samuel L. Jackson seems to be having trouble working up any pity for Paris. I have to say, I`m with you, Sam. What Samuel L. Jackson had to say about the beleaguered heiress coming up. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is coming right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: For the first time Paris Hilton speaks from jail. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with her startling words as she places a cell phone call to Barbara Walters, and says:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": "I used to act dumb. It was an act, and that act is no longer cute."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Could it be? Does Paris actually want to repent? Is she really sick? And, OK, we`ll go there, should we -- at all -- feel sorry for her? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got this covered like no other entertainment news show. Our special report, "The Storm Over Paris" continues now.
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
Tonight a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report. "The Storm Over Paris Hilton". We`ve got a very special panel that`s all fired up over this, but, first, the latest.
Paris is speaking out for the very first time since being thrown in, out, then back into jail. She actually called Barbara Walters collect over the weekend, and says she was severely depressed at first and wasn`t eating or sleeping, but this experience has changed her. Here`s what she told Barbara.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: "I used to act dumb. It was an act. And that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am. Nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me."
Paris also said she wants to set up a Paris Hilton play house for sick children after she gets out.
And Paris is costing the good people of Los Angeles County a pretty penny. TMZ.com reports that to keep Paris in jail $1,100 a day. If she were still on house arrest, it would cost nothing. That is because inmates pick up the tab when they do time at home.
HAMMER: Now, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report on "The Storm Over Paris". We have got a lot of questions to ask tonight.
Paris says that she is dropping the whole dumb act. She was really just playing dumb all this time. Do we buy that, though? We`re also asking is Paris really in peril? How serious are these psychological problems? And is there a new wave of sympathy for Paris? Are people kind of changing their minds and feeling sorry for her at this point?
Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is going coast-to-coast with this special report. Joining us from Hollywood tonight, "Access Hollywood" Correspondent Tony Potts, Judge Greg Mathis, from "The Judge Mathis Show" and TV news anchor and TV talent coach Terry Anzur. In New York tonight, clinical psychologist Doctor Judy Kuriansky and "Cosmo Girl" editor-in-chief Susan Schulz. I would like to thank our expert panel for joining us tonight.
And we just heard it. Paris Hilton saying the whole dumb thing, just an act. She`s absolutely done with it. "Access Hollywood`s" Tony Potts, I want to start with you. Do you buy it?
TONY POTTS, "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD": Oh, a little bit. I mean, if that was all an act, it was a pretty good actress. I have been saying for a long time, A.J., that she`s actually very smart from a business standpoint.
Every time she goes out, three or four times a night, and stands this front of those -- all those photographers and behind her maybe the Sky Vodka, or what have you, she gets $100,000 for each appearance. That`s $300,000 a night. You know, Sky Vodka couldn`t by that kind of advertising. But that`s going to be in every magazine across the country -- and the world. It would cost them five, six times that.
So, on a professional level, business-wise, she`s very smart. In her personal life, obviously, because she violated the law a couple of times, she`s kind of stupid.
HAMMER: I think nobody has ever really disputed the fact that from a business standpoint, she has a certain acumen.
Susan Schulz, "Cosmo Girl" has certainly had Paris Hilton in the pages of your magazine a couple of times. What do you think? Is that whole persona of the dumb girl really something she was just putting on all this time?
Well, you know what, I agree that she is really kind of brilliant in a business perspective. And I think that nobody in Hollywood is really that stupid because at least they know how to work the system. And this is a girl who kind of came out of nowhere when she was 16 year old going to parties, got herself photographed. Here she is a few years later, and super famous. Everybody has been talking about her, so she can`t be all dumb.
I think that, you know, there is had sort of obsession with stuff that I think that she`s captured. And that`s really why teen girls like to look at her. They like to see what she`s wearing, like to see what the new gadget is that she has. She`s almost like a personal shopper in a way. Like when you see what Paris has, that`s kind of what you want, and I think that`s what she serves -- that`s the purpose she serves for teen girls.
HAMMER: Sad as that may sound. And I guess sometimes, when somebody is so overly superficial that dumb girl routine can easily go along with it.
I want to go to Terry Anzur. Because, Terry, you are a talent coach. I`m pretty sure that you can tell when people are faking it. What do you think? Was Paris faking it all this time, or is she really that dumb?
TERRY ANZUR, FMR. TV ANCHOR, TV TALENT COACH: I think she couldn`t be where she is without having some smarts.
But the problem here, A.J., is that she`s lost control of her own story. The media is all about story telling. And now she`s trying to tell the story that she`s found God, she`s wanting to change her life, and we don`t know what to believe. Are we supposed to believe that act up to now was just an act, and we can believe what comes next? For us to believe anything about Paris Hilton, she has to get back control of her own story.
I did a little research before I came in, and back when her movie "House of Wax" came out in 2005, she gave an interview in which she said she was very active on behalf of worthy causes, such as breast cancer and multiple sclerosis research and had actually lost family members to those ailments. But the media never wanted to talk about that. They wanted to talk about her being a party girl. They wanted to talk about the "Cosmo Girl" stuff. What stuff does she have?
And so she needs to get back in control of that story and that`s going to take any smarts that she has, because the media has been bound and determined to tell a different story about Paris Hilton.
HAMMER: Yeah, I guess that`s what she attempting to do now by this sort of declaration of her transformation, but let`s not forget the whole idea of being punished by the criminal justice system is to reform people and to make them change.
I want to go to you Judge Mathis. Do you really believe that being locked up for just a few days has really actually changed this young woman, or is she just kind of in shock and is that sort of a knee-jerk reaction for people when they get thrown into those situations.
JUDGE GREG MATHIS, "JUDGE MATHIS SHOW": Well, let me first say that I think that she was dumb when she went before the judge and tried to manipulate him. Came to court late, was dismissive and otherwise contemptuous in that court hearing. Whether those three days were enough for her to feel that that was an urgency to be released from jail, I do not believe it was.
You have folks who have been in jail for one day who would like to get out under the excuse of pressure and depression, if you will. Everybody in jail, quite frankly, is a little depressed when they go in behind that little cage, as they call it.
HAMMER: Yeah, for sure. I have a feeling that, you know, she is doing what she can, right now, to just kind of maintain. We`ve certainly heard a lot about these so-called psychological problems that we`re talking about. How Paris was reportedly wigging out. Let`s take a listen to what Barbara Walters said that Paris told her about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTERS: "I was not eating nor sleeping. I was severely depressed. I felt as if I was in a cage. I was not myself. It was a horrible experience."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Clinical psychologist Doctor Judy Kuriansky, from what you have heard, should we all be worried that Paris is going to crack?
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Absolutely, A.J. I think that Paris is going through what we call a spiritual emergency. And that is her identity crisis. Who is Paris now? She doesn`t know herself who she is.
And she admits she`s depressed. We just heard she told Barbara Walters that. She was crying hysterical because she doesn`t know her identity. How is she going to define herself? Who is she in her soul? She even sought spiritual counseling. And the spiritual advisers supposedly told her that her soul didn`t like the way she was being seen, and so she has to find a new Paris. That`s the spiritual emergency.
POTTS: Well, A.J., can I jump in here real quick?
HAMMER: Yeah, go ahead, Tony. Because you have certainly covered her for a long time. I don`t know, we`ve never seen this fragility in her, before, have we?
POTTS: Well, here`s the deal. I seek spiritual counseling when I get pulled over by the CHP, because I`m thinking. Good Lord, just get me out of this.
I mean, everything Barbara Walters talked about today, we would all feel if we went into jail. So, it`s nothing new. It`s not like she`s some special person who is feeling this for the first time. There are women out there in the penal system out here, who feel that every day when they go in. I don`t want to go into a female prison for three days, and I`m a guy that`s six feet tall and 190 pounds.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Hold on a second, guys.
OK, go ahead. Judge Mathis, why don`t you hop in there.
MATHIS: First of all, having been a lawyer for decades and a judge for over a decade, I have never met one criminal that does not become a Christian or some other religious practice --
POTTS: Thank you!
MATHIS: And so this is part of every criminal`s routine. You want to get out of jai you find God. Quite frankly, God has never been lost. It`s been Paris that has been lost.
POTTS: Exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A.J., it`s jail. It`s supposed to be scary. It`s not supposed to be like a night of clubbing. It`s supposed to be punishment.
HAMMER: That`s exactly right.
I think that is what is being lost on people. And that`s what is going to lead us right into what we`re going to talk about when we come back from the break, guys, so don`t go anywhere because we are not done.
In fact, I got to grab my tissues as I prepare for this next segment. Might need them for what we have coming up.
Should we actually have any sympathy for Paris Hilton?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She deserves it. She puts herself in the limelight, so she has to suffer the consequences. If she stayed at home all the time and was a good girl, she wouldn`t be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: There are actually some people out there, from what I hear and read, there is more and more of them, who are actually feeling a bit sorry for Paris. Should we feel sorry for her too? I can`t say that I do, but you know that`s just me. I will find out if our special panel will go boo-hoo for Paris, next.
ANDERSON: A.J., I know somebody who is definitely not shedding any tears for Paris. Samuel L. Jackson has coming out swinging against her. I have that on as our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "The Storm Over Paris", continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELISABETH AHSSELLBECK, "THE VIEW": I have to admit at first I was anti-Paris. Like I had to sort of venom inside about her situation. I thought she did a dangerous thing, in the first place, driving under the influence, and too many die because of that.
But then I felt, when she was set free and then, you know, reassigned to her home and then they brought her back, I actually felt -- I felt a lot of compassion for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: OK, "The View`s" Elizabeth Hasselbeck today, one of the growing number of people, who apparently even if it`s only a tiny, little piece of their hearts kind of feel bad about what`s happened to Paris Hilton.
I`d like to welcome you back to this SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "The Storm Over Paris". I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
So, with Paris Hilton crying and seeming to almost have a nervous breakdown while locked up, tonight we are asking should we actually have a little bit of sympathy Paris or maybe a whole lot? Should anyone feel sorry for her?
We are now back with our coast-to-coast passionate panel. I want to start with you. Terry Anzur, former TV news anchor and TV talent coach, what do you think? Paris is pledging today to drop the dumb act, and she says she wants to work for charitable causes. Obviously, she`s going through a hard time being locked up. That`s the point, I think, but is the tide turning? Are people actually going to feel sorry for her?
ANZUR: A.J., it`s almost like somebody else is writing Paris` script now. She says don`t focus on me, focus on the troops, when before it was all about her. Yet, here`s somebody who, as far as I can tell, has never donated money to provide body armor for the troops, hasn`t gone on a USO tour. What has she done for the troops?
She needs to think seriously not so much about her time in jail, but what she`s going to do after she gets out of jail? Will she celebrate by going out for a night of wild partying, or will she find some way to change her image to do kind of a Princess Diana or Angelina Jolie thing, where we see an incredibly beautiful woman who is using her status and celebrity to call attention to, say, worthy cause.
For right now, I mean, if I had a dollar for everybody who found God in jail, I would be as rich as Paris Hilton.
HAMMER: Yes, I think we`re going to be very closely watching Paris Hilton, A.J., if I may, after jail. The thing is, a lot of people have sympathy, it seems, because of the crime that she did relative to the punishment that she got.
Judge Mathis, I want to go to you on this one because you see people go to jail all the time. In fact, I know you did a little time yourself when you were a teenager. People do change in jail, finding God, or not. Should very start having sympathy for her plight?
MATHIS: Well, perhaps you should if under my opinion she wasn`t so manipulative. You know, I said she was dumb in court, but she`s been brilliant ever since then. She is manipulating the public. She manipulated the sheriff to get out of jail. She is now manipulating the public to win their sympathies.
Yes, you refer to my jail experience. I spent eight months in jail. And, yes, as a result of being victimized by the sicker, slicker, bigger guys they put me in the sick ward. They didn`t let me out. That`s where she should have went in the first place, to the sick ward. I promise you, I was depressed, upset, traumatized, and everything else. They sent me to the sick ward, not home.
HAMMER: Well, people are talking about what`s going with Paris Hilton. All over the world. I want you guys to take a listen to this one man from London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
She deserves it. She puts herself in the limelight. She has to face the consequences. If she stayed at home all the time, and was a good girl, she wouldn`t be here. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Oh, what do you think, Doctor Judy Kuriansky?
KURIANSKY: Well I think that the only way for her to really get over this is to become the humanitarian, like Angelina Jolie, or Oprah Winfrey, whom I heard when she was accepting the Elie Weisel Humanitarian Award, and Oprah said, "I love my shoes. I love my private plane. But what I learned throughout my whole life and career," as successful as she`s become, "is that I have to do things for others, and that`s what really feeds my soul, and makes me feel solid inside."
HAMMER: She`s still liking it when people are thinking about her and talking about her. Tony Potts from "Access Hollywood," you know, I have to say I don`t feel like we`re hearing a lot of sympathy in terms of an outcry from the Hollywood set. What are you hearing? Because it seems like they`re running the other direction.
POTTS: I agree. I mean, at the MTV Movie Awards, the other night, on Sunday before she went in, there were people noticeably staying away from her, B and C list stars were staying away from her on the red carpet, as well.
In addition, remember, she`s never wanted to be treated as an Average Joe, except for when she got thrown in jail. She wanted the Average Joe, of 2.3 days, in the jail and out the back door and going home. Now she`s being made an example.
By the way, if they`re trying to paint her as this new saint coming out, what have you -- all you have to do, A.J., is go on the Internet, and you`ll find a video of her that she takes part in -- not the famous one, but another one where she has racial slurs, and she`s homophobic and all that stuff as well. So, we can`t put her anywhere near Angelina Jolie or Princess Diana. Because first off, those women had jobs, those women did things. Oprah Winfrey has had a job for a number of years. Paris has not really had a job. She`s been in a couple of movies and she parades out in front of the paparazzi at night.
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: Hang on. We have highlighted that video on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT as a reason not to look up to her.
And Susan Schulz, I want to go to you, because I know you have been inundated with e-mails there at "Cosmo Girl".
SCHULZ: Yeah.
HAMMER: And I`m curious if you are hearing at all from your readers that there is some level of sympathy that has developed.
SCHULZ: Well, there is a little bit. On Cosmogirl.com, we posted some blogs and of course, the girls are all commenting on what they think. Some girls do feel a little bit of sympathy her, only because they feel like, well, she was put in, taken out, put back in, and they feel a little bad for her like it`s a tease. And that`s kind of mean and kind of pulling at her emotions.
But for the most part girls aren`t sympathetic, and I think it`s because when you think about it teenage girls get grounded for three weeks at a time or even for a month at a time, they don`t get out of the house early. They kind of -- I think they feel a little let down by her because it was, like, Paris, go in, stick it out, do your time.
HAMMER: I have to wrap you up there, Susan, because I`m out of time. Notice my tissue box stay put during the whole thing.
SCHULZ: Yeah.
HAMMER: Our expert panel, I thank you all.
So is there any part of you, even a teensy-weensy little bit, that has some sympathy for Paris? We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Paris Hilton, who do you feel sorry for her? Keep voting CNN.com/showbiztonight. And write to us Showbiztonight@cnn.com. We`ll read your e-mails tomorrow.
Well, what the do stars think? Do they have any sympathy for Paris?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: She violated her probation how many times? That`s what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, judging from that, I would say that`s a negative for Samuel L. Jackson. Coming up, I have his fired-up lesson for Paris. Our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "The Storm Over Paris" continues, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.
So many people with so many opinions about Paris Hilton. I think most still think she deserves what she`s getting, but some there`s a growing group that feels she`s getting shafted. That her celebrity is now working against her and that she`s being punished too harshly to set an example.
Well, actor Samuel L. Jackson isn`t buying that. When SHOWBIZ TONIGHT caught up with him during a chat for his movie "1408" he didn`t have any pity for Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACKSON: She violated probation how many times? That`s what happens. People do it. Happens to other kids every day. You know, she was fortunate. First time, she went, they said, OK, you don`t have to do 45 days. You get to do 23. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
JACKSON: Cool. Goes in. Twelve hours later was, like, I can`t take it. All right. Well, go home. Now the judge is like now you have to do all 45. Lesson is, do the 23.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jackson also said he doesn`t understand why the media is so into the story. But, Sam, I bet a lot of people out there, who say they don`t care, are watching, maybe peeking out of one eye, doing one of these.
All right, on Friday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Paris Hilton: Does she belong back in jail? It really looks like most of you think throwing her back in the slammer was the right move. Tons of you writing in, 92 percent say yes, she does long back in jail. Only 8 percent of you say no, she doesn`t. The emails:
Pat from North Carolina says: "God bless the judge who renewed my faith in our justice system. Paris Hilton deserves to spend time in jail like anybody else."
Crystal from Canada says: "No way. I 100 percent disagree with sending Paris back to jail; 45 days in solitary, for a misdemeanor is ridiculous."
HAMMER: It is time now to find what is coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And tomorrow we have more SHOWBIZ schooling for Paris Hilton. There is hope, Paris. Even for your bad buddy, Nicole Richie, as well. Other Hollywood bad girls have certainly gone good and turned their lives around. Talk about Drew, Angelina, Courtney. We say Paris can to if she watches SHOWBIZ TONIGHT tomorrow.
And we`ve all had crushes, but, you know, sometimes those crushes become your soul mate. That`s what happened to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and even Tori Spelling. Celebrity crushes that becoming soulmates, tomorrow.
And 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. 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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