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Showbiz Tonight
Possible Jail Time For Possibly Pregnant Nicole Richie; The Woes of Katie Couric
Aired July 09, 2007 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Will Nicole Richie`s reported pregnancy save her from going to jail? I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: And an "American Idol" favorite beaten up on an airplane? I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news hour starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the blackmailed beauty. The mysterious pictures that could cost a beauty queen her crown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoever this is, I think they`re a very miserable person, and I really feel bad for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, the startling demands and the disturbing threats if she doesn`t step down. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates the bizarre and ugly beauty queen mystery.
Tonight, who will be the most controversial celebrity of the year? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT kicks off an exclusive showdown between Britney, Lindsay, Paris, and more. Who is the most scandalous, the most provocative, the most outrageous? The controversial top five countdown right here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood, and tonight we have a confession from Katie Couric about her CBS News gig that has left everybody shocked. And is there really a Katie Couric curse? That`s coming up.
HAMMER: But, first, the blackmailed beauty queen. Tonight, someone is trying to rattle the winner of the Miss New Jersey Beauty Contest in a very ugly way. For the first time, Miss New Jersey spoke openly today about the blackmail threats against her, all centering around some very mysterious photos. But the big question is tonight, what do those pictures show. And why is someone trying to knock the tiara off the beauty queen`s head?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMY POLUMBO, MISS NEW JERSEY: I`m presently the victim of blackmail and possible extortion.
HAMMER (voice-over): It`s probably fair to say blackmail isn`t what Amy Polumbo had in mind when she was being crowned Miss New Jersey three weeks ago, a title that allows her to compete in the Miss America pageant. The 22 year old beauty queen claims someone wants her to give up her crown, or else.
She says over the last two weeks two anonymous packages were sent to Miss America and Miss New Jersey officials. The packages, she says, contain threatening type written letters and private pictures.
POLUMBO: The photos have not all been authenticated at this time, but the ones I do recall were meant to be private and could only be viewed by my close friends and family.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that the pictures came from Polumbo`s Facebook web page. They contain graphic captions and a demand that Polumbo either step down as Miss New Jersey or face humiliation when the photos go public. The problem is, only a handful of people know what the pictures look like. Miss New Jersey is one of those people.
POLUMBO: I`m not doing anything illegal. Like we said, no nudity.
HAMMER: Polumbo didn`t describe the pictures when she appeared on "The Today Show." She would only say that they don`t show nudity or illegal activity.
POLUMBO: With Facebook, you`re not allowed to show any nudity. So, obviously, there`s no nudity, and they`re not that bad. I`m a normal college girl.
MATT LAUER, "THE TODAY SHOW": So these are not sexual photos?
POLUMBO: No.
LAUER: These are not pornographic photos in any way?
HAMMER: So if they`re not that bad, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking the tough questions. What`s the big fuss? Why not just release them to the public?
JAMI FLOYD, COURT TV ANCHOR: The pageant`s character clause is broader than just illegality or nudity. It can be anything that reflects poorly on the pageant, and whatever is in these photographs, though they may not contain nudity or illegality, clearly is something that she`s somewhat concerned about.
HAMMER: The pictures were taken from Polumbo`s own Facebook account, meaning only her friends and family had access to them. Miss New Jersey told Matt Lauer she couldn`t imagine anyone close to her doing something like this.
POLUMBO: I really don`t think any of my family members or friends would do this to me. I have a great support system at home and at school. I really don`t know. Whoever this is, I think they`re a very miserable person, and I really feel bad for them.
HAMMER: Pageant and state authorities are looking into who may have sent the packages and whether they have doctored the photos. Miss New Jersey says she is looking forward to the outcome of the investigation.
LAUER: Do you think it`s another contestant?
POLUMBO: I don`t know. It really could be anyone. And it`s really disheartening to think it would be a contestant.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the pageant first runner-up has already said she had nothing to do with it. Now, this isn`t the first time a beauty queen has been embroiled in scandal.
TARA CONNER, MISS USA: I plan on walking out of this the Best Miss USA that you have ever seen.
HAMMER: Tara Connor nearly lost her Miss USA title last December after reports of underaged drinking and drug use came to light.
DONALD TRUMP, "THE APPRENTICE": Tara is going to be given a second chance.
HAMMER: Tara went to rehab. She kept her tiara. But former Miss Nevada, Katie Reese, wasn`t so lucky. Reese was forced to step down after racy pictures of her and some female friends made their way to websites like TMZ.com.
FLOYD: It`s not good news for the pageants when all the news about the pageants has nothing to do with the pageants themselves.
HAMMER: In her quest to become Miss New Jersey, Amy Polumbo, ironically, based her platform on Internet safety. She says this experience has empowered her to fight online crimes.
POLUMBO: I could resign and allow this intruder into my life to prevail, but that will not happen. Not now. Not ever.
HAMMER: And as Miss New Jersey fights online crime, pageant authorities are hunkering down and deciding whether Amy Polumbo deserves to keep her crown.
FLOYD: Think about your image. Think about some modesty, if you want to compete in a pageant. If you just want to be a bad girl, fine. It works for Paris Hilton. But if you want to be Miss America, you need to behave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: Well, the New Jersey attorney general`s office is looking into all this. So are Miss America pageant officials. Later this week, Amy Polumbo hopes to get the pageant`s clearance and continue her quest for the Miss America crown.
ANDERSON: Tonight, the countdown to a possible jail sentence for Paris Hilton`s co-star Nicole Richie. On Wednesday, the trial of "The Simple Life" star could begin. She was pulled over in December and charged with DUI for driving the wrong way on a California highway, and then telling police she had smoked pot and popped the pain killer vicodin.
But here`s the big X factor; Richie is reportedly pregnant. So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask, could a baby be her get out of jail free card? With me tonight from New York, Lauren Lake, a criminal defense attorney and TV host. Good to see you, Lauren.
All right, if Richie is found guilty, this would be her second DUI conviction, which would basically make jail time mandatory, Lauren. So if she is indeed pregnant, do you think the judge will have more sympathy for her?
LAUREN LAKE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, let`s be honest. That will be a consideration, Brooke. But that is not going to save her, by any means, from jail. There are plenty of babies born in jail and in prison every day. They have excellent pre-nadal care. The baby, we must remember, is not a prisoner, so it will be cared for and Nicole needs to be careful, because this is not going to be her get out of jail free card.
ANDERSON: Doesn`t sound like it is. I spoke to Richie recently, and -- Richie recently, rather, and I asked her if she was worried about what could happen to her, especially after what happened to Paris. Listen to what she told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE RICHIE, "THE SIMPLE LIFE": I don`t have any specific concerns. Just, you know, I really hope for the best in my case, just like anybody would. At the same time, I take responsibility for anything that I have done. And I`m willing to face whatever consequences come my way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. And we`re watching video from after she was pulled over. Lauren, she drove on the wrong side of the freeway. And, as we mentioned, police say she admitted she smoked pot and took Vicodin. Wouldn`t the smartest move here be to say, hey, I`m sorry. I did it. Just own up to it.
LAKE: Well, she`s obviously said that already. I mean, she`s made incriminating statements to the police. She`s also on air basically saying, hey, I have got to own up to and take responsibility for what I did. So it`s looking like here her lawyers will probably go in and try to negotiate the best deal they can for her. And she will likely plead guilty. But understand, she still has the right to fight the charges and go to trial, if she wishes.
However, I think under these circumstances, I don`t know if they want to play with the court`s time and make the judge feel like you`re wasting the court`s time, since you pretty much already admitted that you have done something wrong. I think a deal here is in order, and it possibly could include her serving any potential jail time after the baby is born.
ANDERSON: OK, after what happened with Nicole`s good friend, Paris Hilton, the spotlight is on these girls. And you are a criminal defense attorney, so if Nicole were your client, what would you tell her to do that`s in her best interest at this point? First of all, she needs to show up to considerate on time, right?
LAKE: Well, absolutely.
ANDERSON: Unlike Paris.
LAKE: And I think what she`s done thus far is really good, Brooke, in the sense that she`s saying I take responsibility. She`s not saying my publicist, my mother didn`t tell me, somebody told me I could drive. We`re not hearing that from her, and I like that. Now what I would do is begin to talk with prosecutors and see what kind of deal I could negotiate for my client. Because, remember, all those negotiations are kept secret even if we decide ultimately to go to trial.
And if I could negotiate something that I felt like was in her interest and now in her child`s best interest, I would advise her, you know what, it`s time to own up to this. You were going down the wrong side of the highway. Let`s not forget. You know? And now it`s time to own up to it in the court of law.
ANDERSON: Exactly. And, you know, just the other day, Lauren, Nicole`s father, Lionel Richie, was asked about his daughter`s situation, and take a look at what he said. He said, "she keeps apologizing to me. I told her, you are doing exactly what you`re supposed to be doing to your father at this age. She`s just in an unfortunate situation."
All right, when Paris was sentenced, her mother was criticized for not saying that, hey, my daughter screwed up, needs to pay the price. Should the parents here be offering a little bit more tough love?
LAKE: You see, Brooke, this is the part that gets me. I think we`re waiting for these parents, Paris` parents, Nicole`s dad, to start sounding like our parents. I wish when I was in my late teens, early 20s, every time I came home with something crazy I had done, my parents were like, you`re doing what you are supposed to do at this age. I didn`t ever hear that.
You know what I heard? You know what, your a young lady and we expect you -- we raised you a certain way, and we expect certain behavior from you. This is what we want to hear these parents say, that your behavior is unacceptable.
ANDERSON: Parents need to be parents. Good way to end it there. Lauren Lake, thanks so much for joining us.
LAKE: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Well, I think Nicole Richie is so provocative, so controversial, but I don`t know; is she one of the most controversial celebrities of the year?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANGELINA, COMEDIAN: Something must be in the water because these celebrities cannot act right this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I`m kicking off an exclusive showdown, who is the most scandalous, most outrageous star? The controversial top five countdown right here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And from a countdown to a smack down. Why "American Idol" superstar Clay Aiken is aching tonight from a beat down he got on a plane. No friendly skies here. I`ve got that coming up.
HAMMER: Brooke, you know, Katie Couric is just hurting from her jump from Today to the "CBS Evening News." It`s really been a disaster. It`s just not working at all. Now Katie herself is saying her decision may have been a mistake. I`m on that coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And it`s time now for a story that made us say, that`s ridiculous. OK, some scary moments at Sunday`s baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies in Denver. Workers were putting down the tarp on the field during a rain delay when wind lifted it up and swallowed three grounds crew members.
Another guy was dragged across field. The visiting Phillies rushed out of the dugout, lifted it up. Fortunately, the guys got out OK, but they were shaken up, of course. The Colorado crowd gave the out of towners a standing ovation. By the way, the Phillies won 8-4. But an out of control baseball tarp, that`s ridiculous.
HAMMER: All right, so talk about striking out. It seems no matter what Katie Couric and her CBS news team does, her nightly news cast just can`t get out of last place. Things are terrible. The ratings are the lowest they`ve been in decades. And now in this week`s "New York Magazine" a startling Katie confession.
Katie sat down with contributing editor Joe Hagan for an explosive one-on-one interview. Joe joins me now in New York. And joining us from Washington tonight, host of CNN`s "Reliable Sources" and media critic Howard Kurtz. Joe, Howard, it`s good to see you both.
Joe, I want to take a look at one of the many startling things that Katie told you when you had a chance to sit down. She said, quote, I`m human. I`m not going around dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. I have days when I`m like, oh, my god, what I did do. Joe, do you think she`s now finally realizing that leaving "The Today Show" was possibly the biggest mistake of her life?
JOE HAGAN, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": I think that she`s considering the possibility. Let`s put it that way. I think one of the things you have to understand is this is the first time that she`s really been this candid, I think, maybe ever about her career. And she`s definitely letting, you know, people within her own company know how she feels right now, and why she`s doing that is really the 64,000 dollar question.
HAMMER: It`s interesting, because she has played it very close to the vest. And a lot of that also is in maintaining that belief in the future of your program. And, of course, the move to CBS was certainly huge for CBS, but huge for Katie. She was the first female to anchor a solo nightly news cast as a result of it. Howard, where do you think Katie went wrong?
HOWARD KURTZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, you described it before the break as a disaster, and I wouldn`t agree with that. I think the "CBS Evening News" now, as opposed to when Katie took over, is a pretty solid newscast. By Katie`s own admission, and she repeated this to Joe, they made a lot of mistakes. They changed too many things too quickly. They turned off the traditional audience.
Now they`ve dialed back and are putting on a much more traditional news cast. The problem is that more traditional newscast, without the longer interviews and some of the softer features that she liked to do, doesn`t play to her strengths. It doesn`t allow her to show the personality that made her the queen of morning television when she was at "The Today Show."
HAMMER: Yes, I guess by disaster, what I really mean is where they are versus where they hoped to be, with the investment that they made. As you mentioned, they really were unsuccessful with the new format that she tried when she first came over. Here`s another quote from this article. She said, quote, "people are very unforgiving and very resistant to change. The biggest mistake we made is we tried new things."
So she`s owning up to that. But, Joe, did she give you any sense when you spoke with her that she identifies herself in any way as a part of the ratings problem? Or does she basically feel it`s all about the show and what the show did?
HAGAN: Well, it`s funny. She kind of distributes the blame, as it were, in part to CBS, you know, things about the institution that she -- that surprised her when she arrived there. She`s -- if you look at that quote, she`s actually kind of blaming the audience. She is saying they were resistant to change. She tried to bring change.
She was a change agent. This is what Les Muenvez (ph), the CEO of CBS hired her to do, and the audience resisted. And that`s why we have this new, much more traditional, old-fashioned newscast that she`s doing now. And she`s sort of saying, you know, if she had been offered this newscast she`s doing now, this more straight forward one, she might have thought twice about taking this job.
HAMMER: It`s interesting too because -- I think Howard would probably agree -- anybody who is getting involved with this newscast at the front knows that people are resistant to change. And I want to just take a look back at what unfolded as a result of this move, because it almost seems like there`s this Katie Couric curse. If you think about it, she leaves "The Today Show." Meredith Vieira takes over on that.
Rosie then takes over for Meredith at "The View." Katie`s ratings are at an all-time low. "The Today Show`s" ratings are at the lowest in a long time. And, of course, as we all know, "The View" will never be quite the same. Howard, do you think everybody should have just stayed where they were?
KURTZ: I`m not a superstitious guy, so I`m not going to endorse the curse theory. But so many of us have been writing for so many years that the evening news is a dinosaur. It`s dying. People are getting their news online. Younger people aren`t watching. And so one of the things that Couric and Les Muenves tried to do was to do some tinkering to try to reach a audience.
Unfortunately, they tinkered too much too quickly. And the other part of it is Katie Couric, because she`s such a mega celebrity, much more so than the other network news anchors, has been a bit of a lightning rod. That was true when she was at NBC. It`s true now. And so a lot of this falls on her shoulders, when, obviously, it`s a team effort and they all bear the responsibility.
HAMMER: Sure does. Joe, I only have ten seconds. But how is Katie doing? Did you get the sense sitting there with her that she`s totally stressed out?
HAGAN: You know, she`s always optimistic. That part of her seems to never go away. That`s the core of her, that she`s trying to figure out how she can get out of this.
HAMMER: That`s good to hear, because we always knew her as perky Katie. Thank you very much Howard Kurtz and Joe Hagan. You can find Joe`s article on Katie Couric in this week`s "New York Magazine." It is out on newsstands right now.
Now we want to know what you think. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Katie Couric, did she make a big mistake by going over there to CBS? Let us know what you think by voting at CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT or you can email us at SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
You can also stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories simply by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. You do that by going to CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Click on the newsletter button on the left-hand side of the page, and we will send it off via email to you every day.
ANDERSON: I think Katie Couric is pretty controversial, but sorry Katie, you are not on our list of the most controversial celebrities of the year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANGELINA: Something must be in the water because these celebrities cannot act right this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tonight I`m kicking off an exclusive showdown. Who is the most scandalous, most outrageous star? The controversial top five countdown right here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And aches on a plane. Why Clay Aiken could be aching tonight? I can`t believe this. Did somebody beat up this "American Idol" star on an airplane? That shocking story coming up next.
HAMMER: And holy Hogwarts Brooke. Harry Potter fans are going to be flying high when they hear this news I have coming up. Author J.K. Rawling had said she`s not writing any more Potter books. But tonight I can tell you -- well, stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Clay Aiken was apparently aching for a fight this weekend. The "Tulsa World Newspaper" says the "American Idol" star got into a fight on a Continental flight to Tulsa. Clay, who you remember came in second to Ruben Studdard on season two of the show, apparently put his foot on a woman`s arm rest. It got to the point where she gave Clay, quote, a minor shove.
The crew got things under control. Maybe they gave everybody an extra bag of pretzels. The FBI even got involved though, but no charges were filed. Now, all you Clay-mates out there, don`t you worry. He is fine. In fact, I hear Clay joked about being beaten up by a girl at his Tulsa show.
HAMMER: Now on Friday, as part of our very special controversial interview with fired "Grey`s Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington, we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. We wanted to know Isaiah Washington, did he deserve to be fired from "Grey`s Anatomy?" Only 27 percent of you say yes, he did; 73 percent of you said no, he did not.
A couple of emails. Ingrid from Guatemala is livid; "It is outrageous that a great actor such as Isaiah Washington has been fired. He plays a very important role in the series."
But Eric from California thinks Isaiah got what Isaiah deserved; "big deal, he got fired. Quit crying about it and learn something from this whole ordeal."
ANDERSON: A.j., that whole Isaiah Washington story, whether or not he called co-star T.R. Knight a gay slur, so controversial. But did Isaiah make our list of the year`s most controversial celebrities?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANGELINA: Something must be in the water because these celebrities cannot act right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Who will be the most controversial celebrity of 2007? The top five countdown right here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, straight ahead.
HAMMER: And former N`Syncer and "Dancing With the Stars" star Joey Fatone. I`ve got to tell you, he is a smart guy. He has lots of great advice for all these controversial celebrities on how they can clean up their act and move on with their careers. You don`t want to miss my one- on-one with Joey Fatone. That`s coming up.
And holy Hogwarts; Harry Potter fans will be flying high when they hear this. Now, author J.K. Rawling has said she is not writing any more Harry Potter books, but tonight I can tell you -- well, stick around. You`ll find out coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, who will be the most controversial celebrity of the year?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANGELA, COMEDY DUO: Something must be in the water, because these celebrities cannot act right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight we are kicking off an exclusive showdown between Britney, Lindsey, and Paris -- and a whole bunch of others. I got to ask, who is the most scandalous, the most provocative, the most outrageous? The controversial top five countdown right here only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for Monday night. It is 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. Well, A.J., we usually wait until the end of the year to crown the year`s most controversial celebrities, but tonight just seven months into the year so many celebrities have been acting up. We thought we would give you our midyear score card to tell you who is already leading the race to be named -- ready? -- SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most controversial celebrity of 2007.
Let`s, first, see, though, who won the prize last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice over): SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most controversial celebrity of 2006 is -- Britney Spears.
With great fanfare and a giant belch, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT named Britney Spears the most controversial celebrity of 2006. But for 2007 she`s facing some heavy competition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANGELA: Something must be in the water, because these celebrities cannot act right this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now with 2007 more than half over, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that so far this year enough celebrities have freaked out, zoned out, spoken out, checked out, and then prematurely let out, to turn the contest for our most controversial celebrity of 2007 into a real race.
First up, who can forget Paris? Her in and out, and back in again, jail term for driving on a suspended license remains one of the most talked about stories of the year. It sparked endless news coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paris Hilton`s sentence has not only been cut short, but, yes, she is already out of jail.
FRANGELA: Well, media coverage of Paris, in and out of jail, was bigger than when Mandela got out of jail.
ANDERSON: And it led to protests from those who say she got special treatment behind bars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We see two standards of justice; one for the rich and famous, and one for the poor.
DAPHNE BROGDON, TV GUIDE CHANNEL: These weren`t just like tabloid people that were interested in this. This was law enforcement.
ANDERSON: Lindsey Lohann is also in the running.
FRANGELA: She can`t keep her butt in rehab for an afternoon. I can stand on one foot longer than she can stay in rehab.
ANDERSON: At one time Lindsay`s part-time approach to rehab, plus her continued denial of substance abuse issues made it nearly impossible to listen to one of the coolest songs of the year --
SINGER: They tried to make me go to rehab, I said no, no, no --
ANDERSON: Without thinking of little Lindsey.
FRANGELA: Whenever I heard about rehab, I have heard numbers like 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. Never two and a half --
FRANGELA: -- or three hours. Like you should drive through, get you a little 12 step, and keep on steppin`.
FRANGELA: Yeah.
ANDERSON: But then came a wild Memorial Day weekend when Lindsey wrecked her car in a possible DUI case and was later photographed looking, um, out of it.
FRANGELA: Yeah, this is her -- just like --
ANDERSON: Lindsey went back do rehab, presumably for real this time.
But in the race to be named this year`s most controversial celeb Britney Spears seems hell bent on keeping her title.
FRANGELA: Yeah, she went full-tilt crazy.
ANDERSON: Brittney is returning to the bizarre ways that made her last year`s most controversial celeb.
BROGDON: She just seems to make such a spectacle of herself, such a public spectacle of herself, as she goes through her total meltdowns.
ANDERSON: Earlier in the year she inexplicably shaved her head as cameras clicked away.
FRANGELA: That`s a classic sign of a white girl in distress.
FRANGELA: Yes.
ANDERSON: She later attacked a photographer`s car with an umbrella.
FRANGELA: She used it as a weapon, and apparently that is no weapon.
FRANGELA: The car didn`t animate and try to hurt her, did it?
ANDERSON: There`s no word if the car Brittney attacked was really a transformer, but Brittney says she just got too wrapped up in a movie role. Ah, excuse us.
But in the most controversial race, don`t count out Anna Nicole Smith.
FRANGELA: Anna Nicole`s situation was just topsy-turvy.
ANDERSON: She began the year with a battle between her companion, Howard Stern, and ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead over the paternity of her baby daughter.
FRANGELA: Usually you`ve got men running from the scene of a baby. Just running, like, that is not my baby.
FRANGELA: Yeah. Really.
FRANGELA: But on this baby, everybody was, like that, really could be my baby.
ANDERSON: But her death by an accidental overdose in February, turned everything on it`s ear, sparking the most watched court case of the year over where she would be buried.
BROGDON: It`s not so much Anna Nicole. It`s all the freaks that were around her. You know, the weird mom, you know, who is trying to get her dead body, and it`s like, oh, come on.
ANDERSON: And then there`s Rosie. "The View`s" new moderator began 2007 taking the morning chat show to new ratings heights, and to the heights of controversy.
FRANGELA: I never understood why people get to mad that she expressed her view on the show called "The View."
ANDERSON: Rosie`s frequent Bush Bashing --
ROSIE O`DONNELL, COMEDIAN: Someone, I believe, should call for the impeachment of George Bush.
ANDERSON: And 9/11 conspiracy theories --
O`DONNELL: It is impossible for a building to fall the way it fell without explosives being involved.
ANDERSON: -- had conservatives gunning for her.
TOM DELAY, FMR. CONGRESSMAN: I`m calling for conservatives to take on Rosie O`Donnell.
ANDERSON: But as she approached the end of her one-year contract, which she already announced she would not be renewing, she had one of the most spectacular flame-outs in TV history.
O`DONNELL: Do you believe I think our troops are terrorists, Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH HASSELLBECK, "THE VIEW": I don`t think that you --
O`DONNELL: Don`t say no.
HASSELLBECK: I don`t think that --
O`DONNELL: Do you believe that, yes or no?
HASSELLBECK: Excuse me. Let me speak.
ANDERSON: Her on air spat with Elizabeth Hasselbeck sent tongues wagging and turned out to be her last day on "The View".
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because she was always such a big mouth and put down a lot of people, that some people were watching says it like, oh, look who dishes it out and can`t take it.
ANDERSON: So there you have it. The leading candidates for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT most controversial celebrity of 2007. Fortunately for us, the year is still young.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So the big question is can anybody overtake our top five most controversial stars this year? Who is leading the way? Will Brittney retain her title? Or have other stars steal her controversial thunder?
Joining me from New York, David Caplan, senior correspondent for VH1`s 24sizzler.com. Here in Hollywood, investigative journalist Pat Lalama.
I want to start with Brittney, Pat. What do you think?
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: OK.
ANDERSON: Can she clean up her act, or do you think we will see her keep staying near the front of this controversial group?
LALAMA: I think she has too much fame and too much wealth too fast. I think her brain is not yet completely formed. I think she`s made a lot of decisions. I think her music stinks, and I`m sorry this is a country that likes that crap. But the worst part of it all is that she`s given birth, and I`m worried for those children. I give her a four on a scale of 10.
ANDERSON: Yes, she has two young children. And you know, as we just saw, there`s that infamous photo of Brittney attacking the car of a paparazzi. And as if that weren`t weird enough, get a load of this bizarre apology and explanation that Brittney just posted on her web site saying:
"I was preparing my character for a roll in a movie," and, yes, she spells role here, R-O-L-L. "where the husband never plays his part, so they switch places, accidentally. I take all my rolls", again misspelled, "very seriously, and got a little carried away. Unfortunately, I didn`t get the part."
David, don`t statements like these only give people more ammunition to say, hey, Brittney is whacked?
DAVID CAPLAN, SR. CORRESPONDENT, VH-1`S 24SIZZLE.COM: Yeah, they absolutely give more ammunition. Plus, you`re supposed to do it, give such a statement the day after you do such a thing, when you start hitting cars. This is classic Brittney. I almost think there`s no rhyme or reason as to the timing of this message or how she wrote it.
She`s so erratic. And I think with her, she just gets something in her head, and she`s, like, oh, my God, I have to post something on my web site. There`s no thinking, like oh, I should have timed this better. People are going to think it`s weird.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CAPLAN: She just does it. And look at the video we see of her. She looks nuts. She does nuts things.
ANDERSON: Yes, think before you blog. And one of the saddest things is she can`t spell a word that third or fourth graders can spell. It really blows my mind.
Then we`ve got Paris Hilton. People.com just reporting she`s back on the party scene after she told Larry King she was turning over a new leaf. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS HILTON: You know, I realize that there is a lot more important things in life, and there`s a lot more things to do. And I`m frankly sick of it. I have been going out for a long time now. And, yeah, it`s fun, but it`s not going to be the mainstay of my life anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. I`m going cut her a little bit of slack. It was one night of carrying on, but, Pat, do you think we will see -- be seeing more of the same from Paris that will certainly keep her a frontrunner to be named SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most controversial celebrity of the year?
LALAMA: People can change, and people can grow. But essentially when it comes to Paris, the tiger doesn`t change its stripes. I do not think this woman is going to reinstate the Peace Corps, as I mentioned on another one of your shows. She is what she is -- but, Brooke, what is the most scandalous about this woman is that we, the people, of the United States of America, care so much. This is what troubles me. So I give we, the people, a zero. OK?
ANDERSON: I agree with you. It is baffling to me the amount of attention this woman gets.
LALAMA: Unbelievable.
ANDERSON: I do have to -- speaking about -- let`s move on from her, why don`t we?
Let`s move now to Rosie O`Donnell. She has sparked more feuds than we have time to name, but whatever she winds up doing next, David, is it fair to expect she will breed controversy again, because it`s not like Rosie can just lay low anymore, is it?
CAPLAN: No, absolutely not. She really always breeds controversy. And the thing that`s interesting with her, as opposed to other actresses we`ve mentioned, or stars, is it`s not that she herself is controversial, like someone like Paris. She -- you know, Rosie really addresses controversy. Whether it`s the war, whether it`s homophobia, whether it`s something about Clay Aiken, and she envelopes so many people around her, the scandal doesn`t just involve her, that doesn`t make it controversial, but Barbara Walters, Donald Trump. That`s why she`s so scandal-prone, because she just knows to have this snowball effect with controversy in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: I don`t mean to put you guys the spot. Well, yes, I do. What the heck. I want you to predict who SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will name the most controversial celebrity of the year. Think about it for a moment. We`re going to come right back.
HAMMER: Also, I absolutely loved what former InSyncer and "Dancing With The Stars" finalist, Joey Fatone, told me today about her old pal Britney Spears. I can only hope Brittney is watching and listening very carefully. You will hear what Joey had to say coming up next.
ANDERSON: And imagine my surprise when I heard today that the next Harry Potter book may not be the last one after all. Straight ahead, a bombshell from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling that nobody saw coming when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: I was walking in there assuming I was just going to get community service. That`s what my lawyers said at the time. So, when he sentenced me to that much time in jail it was shocking, because that just doesn`t happen, ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was Paris Hilton talking to Larry King just after her release from jail. Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Paris may have been shocked she went to jail, but it`s not the he first time she raised eyebrows, and somehow we doubt it will be the last. That`s why Paris is one of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s top five finalists for most controversial celebrity of the year.
Let`s go back to VH-1`s David Caplan in New York and investigative journalist Pat Lalama in Hollywood. I want to do a quick recap of our top five finalists for most controversial celebrity 2007. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, Rosie O`Donnell, and Lindsay Lohan.
All right, Pat, time for predictions. When it`s all said and done, who will take home the dubious title?
LALAMA: I`m going to say this with a sad heart. I think it will be Lindsay Lohann. Here`s why. She`s such a young woman. She does have some talent. And I do believe, and I think she`s admitted there is a 12-step issue here, and a 12-step issue for a young person is a difficult, difficult thing to battle, especially when you got a bunch of yes people around you, not really helping you out. I worry for her. I hope she combats it and comes back, you know, high and on top.
ANDERSON: Yes. We all hope that she can really recover from this.
And David, your prediction? What do you think?
CAPLAN: Rosie O`Donnell. She always attracts scandal. She never disappoints, and with her, unlike so many of these other people, the scandal is always different. It`s not the same theme. It`s something different. And she has so many mediums, if it`s the TV show, or her blog, she knows how to create scandal. My vote is Rosie for this year.
ANDERSON: Interesting. She hasn`t been to rehab. Nor has she served time, but she is controversial. All right David Caplan, of VH-1`s 24Sizzler.com, investigative journalist Pat Lalama, thank you both.
LALAMA: Thanks.
HAMMER: Well, we talk about some of Hollywood`s young talent self- destructing, but let me tell you about one Hollywood star who has certainly walked through the fire of being young, rich, and famous, Joey Fatone. I`ve got to tell you, this guy keeps his eye on the prize in Hollywood. Since he started in the business at the tender age of 18. Of course, he was a member of In` Sync.
All the money, fame, temptations were all there, but since In` Sync, Joey has successfully reinvented himself. Joey Fatone is now hosting the new NBC show, "The Singing Bee." Now when I sat down with him earlier today, he offered up some great advice to one star who has been trying to reinvent herself, Britney Spears. Wait until you hear what Joey says Brittany needs to do in order to get herself back on track.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER (on camera): After In` Sync, you got into acting. You, of course, did "Dancing With The Stars." You have hosted a couple of TV shows, now with "The Singing Bee." Is that just essential in surviving in a career in the entertainment industry?
JOEY FATONE, "THE SINGING BEE": For me it was just, you know, something to come back and get my feet wet again, I think. For me, I was with my wife and my kids, spending some time away from the entertainment businesses, just to be a little able to be a family. And then when I got a called from "Dancing with the Stars," I`m like this is going to be a great, you know, kick in the butt to go out there and maybe possibly get some other jobs.
HAMMER: You look around at some stars, whether they`re music and acting. I think they could really stand to take a cue from you, because whether or not you are doing it for the intent of furthering your career, the reinventing themselves.
You and I talked about Britney Spears the last time you were here. She really is at that -- no pun intended -- crossroads, right now, where she has to figure something out. What would you have her do? Because she obviously has talent.
FATONE: Yeah, you know, I mean, just the same thing in the idea of what I did. Take a break. Get away from everything. Go something someplace where nobody possibly -- well, for her it`s a hard thing, to know her. Be with her family. Be with her kid and everything. Just find a way -- where your priorities are. And possibly even if she`s away, record an album, but make sure it`s something intimate, something small, nothing major, and I`m sure good things will come.
You want to see her succeed again and not keep messing up as far as going in the wrong direction.
HAMMER: I think that`s true. I think that`s terrific advice, particularly when you start so young, and you started when you were 18. There obviously were different pressures on you back then, but now you look at young stars, and it seems like the meltdown rate is a whole heck of a lot faster.
FATONE: It`s crazy. It really is. I have talked to a lot of younger celebrities when I was out in L.A., and some of them, I`ve said, hey, listen, have a great time. Enjoy the ride, but be careful what you do, because it can backfire." You know, a lot of things happen like that. Like going out drinking and stuff like that. You know, moderation. Don`t kill yourself.
I mean, you`ve got a job. I can understand being young and having everything handed to you. There`s never a lot of people around to say no to you. And that`s what makes it easy and that`s when people get addicted to that lifestyle of people just saying yes.
HAMMER: Speaking of moderation, you know, coming off of "Dancing With The Stars" you and I sat here, and you had lost all that weight. How is that going? Because obviously, you are still out there dancing with the tour.
FATONE: Right.
HAMMER: Has it been tough to kind of maintain, or you off the program?
FATONE: It is a little tough right now to maintain. I`m actually going to be going back on NutriSystem just to maintain that. I have been eating right, but right after the tour I went on a cruise, and I did not care what -- I drank. I ate everything. It didn`t bother me. I went on a cruise to Italy, France, and Spain with my wife and my kids for Disney Cruise line. And t was fun. It was really cool. After that I`m, like, OK, now I have do get back on track now. I think, I probably gained like 10 pounds.
HAMMER: You said it yourself, work hard, play hard.
FATONE: Exactly.
HAMMER: Now coming off "Dancing With The Stars," it`s "The Singing Bee", and there`s a great amount of buzz about this particular show.
FATONE: Yeah.
HAMMER: You are supposed to laugh. That was a terrible pun.
FATONE: It was okay. I got you, though. The buzz, bee, be there.
HAMMER: The idea is -- and I think the reason it`s getting a lot of buzz, contestants are supposed to show that they know the words to songs that everybody thinks they know the words to, but they really don`t. It`s a lot harder than people think.
FATONE: Yeah, it is. We taped a couple of shows, and you see the confidence on these people`s faces. They`re, like, OK. They start singing.
Someone one time they did "Sweet Home Alabama" and they said, well, Lord, I`m coming home to you, and there`s no "well" in that sentence. That`s wrong.
HAMMER: You miss one word on "The Singing Bee" you`re done.
FATONE: One word, the "well".
HAMMER: That`s it.
And so as the host of the show, even when you are standing on the sidelines, while they`re quote/unquote, performing, and you are probably singing along in your mind, are you messing the words up yourself?
FATONE: Oh, yeah. I`m tearing it up. It`s not good at all. I`m going I don`t even know this song, or I don`t even know that that`s exactly what they say. It`s really bizarre how you really think you know these words to these songs, and you have no idea.
HAMMER: So it`s educational for you as well.
FATONE: Educational for myself. Educational for the audience, and for the people that don`t do so well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: The show definitely looks like a lot of fun. You can catch Joey Fatone hosting "The Singing Bee", tomorrow night on NBC.
You know that the next Harry Potter book will be the last Harry Potter book, right? That`s what I thought, too. After all, that`s exactly what Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been saying all along. She said, "I`m done!"
Well, imagine my surprise when I heard what Rowling is saying now. I have a feeling particularly if you are really into Potter, you will be surprised, too. We`ll let you know what the news is when SHOWBIZ TONIGHT returns in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: If you take note of the calendar today, you know, it`s July 9th. Which for a lot of people means nothing, other than, there are two days and counting until "Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix" finally arrives in theaters. And just as the fifth Harry Potter movie is finally being released, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has big Potter news for you.
I got word tonight that J.K. Rowling, of course, the author of the billion-dollar book empire, isn`t ruling out writing yet another book. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Rowling told British television that while she put the pen down after seven books in 17 years, she wouldn`t say never to writing another one, which everybody thought she was done.
So just so you know, the Potter books have made $3 billion. That`s with a B in sales and merchandise. The news that Rowling may just one day come back to writing another Potter book has certainly led thousands to get on-line so they can sign this on-line petition at SaveHarryPotter.co.uk, to have Harry Potter come back.
The stars of "The Order of the Phoenix" previewed the film over the weekend. I have already seen the movie. Got to tell you, it is the darkest one yet, which was which we said the last time around, too. Harry Potter, himself, Daniel Radcliffe says there`s nothing wrong with that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL RADCLIFFE, ACTOR: He goes through a much deeper emotional journey in this film, certainly. So, yeah --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scary, too. It`s scary.
RADCLIFFE: Oh, it`s terrifying. Yeah. It`s great. I mean, the kids -- everyone says won`t kids be scared? Kids love to be scared. I remember being eight years old. I loved -- when I saw "Jumanji" I was terrified, but I loved every second of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Well, Radcliffe may have been terrified by "Jumanji." But that`s nothing compared to another scene that just might terrify children everywhere. In this film -- a kiss. If you are a parent, don`t worry. You won`t have to cover your kid`s eyes. It`s not that big a deal.
You`ll hear more from Daniel Radcliffe, when he joins me Wednesday night. In the interview, you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Brooke, I know you are fan of the Harry Potter film series.
ANDERSON: I am, indeed. You saw the film.
HAMMER: I did. I saw it just today. You will not be disappointed. They talk about it being darker, but just as the characters have grown up in real life, the actors who play them, the films grow up as well. I think it`s going to be a terrific hit.
ANDERSON: I`m looking forward to checking it out, A.J.
OK, moving now to our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It is this: Katie Couric, did she make a big mistake going to CBS? Keep voting. CNN.com/showbiztonight. Write to us showbiz tonight@cnn.com. We`ll read some of your thoughts tomorrow.
Stay on top of the latest and most provocative entertainment news stories by signing up for the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsletter. Go to cnn.com/showbiz tonight. Click on newsletter. Left hand side of the page. We`ll e-mail it to you every day.
HAMMER: That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. "Glenn Beck" coming up next right after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News".
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