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Showbiz Tonight

Dannielynn Set For One Year Birthday; Lindsay Lohan Prepares For Court

Aired August 21, 2007 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Controversy over Dannielynn`s blow out first birthday party. And is Jessica Simpson acting like a major diva on her film set? The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT truth squad is on the case. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, why sex sells. The startling string of Britney Spears topless photos that made our jaws drop. Tonight, why Britney has plenty of company. How some of the bigger stars in the world turn it on by taking it all off. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals the naked truth about why sex sells.

Inside the wild, whacky, and sometimes scandalous world of celebrity blogs. Come on, admit it, you go to these sites. The shocking star gossip, the revealing rumors, but how do they know this stuff. And do they sometimes go too far? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT pulls back the curtain as we blow the lid off the secrets celebrities bloggers.

Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. AJ is off tonight. It`s almost hard to believe things, but Anna Nicole Smith`s baby girl Dannielynn is about to turn one year old, and tonight startling details about what`s being done to mark her birthday. That`s coming up in just a few minutes.

First tonight, is there any doubt that sex sells? Of course not. Well, on the heels of Britney Spears` topless magazine parade, along comes Mariah Carey, half naked herself. What the heck is going on here? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that when the clothes come off, the sales go up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): She used to shake it off. Now it`s take it off. Mariah Carey is nude on this steaming hot cover of "Interview Magazine." While also on newsstands we`re seeing a sultry Britney Spears, this time only half naked on the cover of "Allure Magazine." We also see a topless Brit in the mores spontaneous pics on the covers of "US Weekly" and "OK! Magazine."

Yes, these stars are getting naked, and for good reason.

JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": For a lot of celebrities, especially female celebrities, their defining moments are sexual in nature.

ANDERSON: Sure, as Justin Timberlake shows, guys can bring sexy back, but their most memorable moments seem to come when their clothes are on. But when Justin tore off a piece of Janet Jackson`s Super Bowl costume, we saw that for female stars, their most memorable moments are often their sexiest. Just ask Britney.

DAVID CAPLAN, 24SIZZLER.COM: With Britney Spears a lot of the defining moments with her are always so sexually charged.

ANDERSON: Lately Britney Spears has been naked, or partially naked on more magazine covers and paparazzi photos that we can count. 24Sizzler`s David Caplan tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it`s what she`s becoming known for.

CAPLAN: In the past it was always her sexual activity on the stage. Now it`s her lounging around in pools naked with her former assistant, with some guy she meets. There`s always something with her that is very controversial, very sexual.

ANDERSON: It`s almost become a joke.

FRANGELA: We`re all at the point that, you know, you are walking down the street. You are, like, oh, there`s a yogurt shop. There`s a car, Britney naked.

ANDERSON: From Marilyn Monroe`s skirt blowing up into the air to Madonna`s vamping it up in the "Justify My Love" video, many starlets don`t seem to mind having their sexuality burned into the national consciousness.

PIAZZA: Madonna was really able to build a career on these really tacky sexual moments.

ANDERSON: Sometimes it`s not sexiness that does the job for these starlets. It`s actual hard core sex.

PARIS HILTON, "THE SIMPLE LIFE": I would never do that.

ANDERSON: It was Paris Hilton`s sex tape that helped make her a national household name. And when most people think of Pamela Anderson, they don`t think of "Baywatch." They think of her sex tape with then husband Tommy Lee.

CAPLAN: A lot of setbacks for a celebrity to be known simply based on their sexual an ticks.

ANDERSON: True, their sexy exploits may have won them attention, but no one is saying that Paris Hilton, Janet Jackson and other starlets helped their long-term prospects by getting naked. Britney Spears may want to take heed.

PIAZZA: The issue I have with Britney`s nude pictures is they`re a little tack-tastic. If she wants to keep going down the road to celebrity, she`s going to have to class it up a little bit.

ANDERSON: After all, classing it up worked for Madonna, who is now an international pop icon who rarely takes her clothes off. Fortunately, Britney, Mariah and all the others can take up the slack.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: The "Interview Magazine" with the nude Mariah on the cover hits newsstands on August 28th.

It is countdown to D-Day for Lindsay Lohan. Right now Lindsay is sticking it out in rehab, but come this Friday she has not one, but two court dates. Lohan was arrested twice for DUI, once back in May and again just last month after her second stint in rehab. During the second arrest, police say they found cocaine in Lohan`s pocket. And she was driving on a suspended license. What a mess.

So what`s a Lindsay to do? With us tonight in Hollywood Jane Velez- Mitchell, investigative journalist and author of this book, "Secrets Can Be Murder." Also with us tonight from Atlanta is B.J. Bernstein, defense attorney and founder of MyFifth.org.

Ladies, I would have to think that as Lindsay sits in rehab tonight, Friday is the day that she`s absolutely dreading. Jane, what should she do? Just plead guilty and get it over with?

JANE VELEZ MITCHELL, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Yes, and hopefully for her sake, her attorneys are trying to come up with some kind of plea deal, even if it means jail time. It`s better than fighting it. If she fights it, she could be finished. Remember, there are approximately a half a dozen people who claim and have claimed publicly that she terrorized them that night.

One guy says she drove over his foot. Another says she commandeered his car and took him and a friend on a terror ride on PCH at horrific speeds against their will. And then two other women say she terrorized them by going up to their SUV and chasing them right into a police station.

Frankly, I`m shocked that she`s not facing assault and kidnapping charges.

ANDERSON: Yes, a number of people said they were scared for their lives, positively thought they could die that night. B.J., you are a defense attorney. If Lindsay were your client, what would you tell her to do? Just plead guilty? Admit her wrong doing? Or should she request a trial and fight this?

B.J. BERNSTEIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think Jane has it right. She`s got to go into court and resolve it quickly, because the truth is the judge is also going too be influenced. Not just her career, but the judge that she`s gone to rehab, that she has a serious problem and that she recognizes it and acts on it now by showing contrition and true contrition to the judge.

ANDERSON: Well, in a way, you know, I think Lindsay is lucky because maybe she can learn some lessons from Paris Hilton, from Nicole Richie, who have gone through similar things before her. Let`s listen to what Paris told Larry King after serving 23 days in jail for violating probation after her DUI conviction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Did you think, Paris, that you didn`t deserve to be there?

HILTON: You know, I think the crime did not fit the punishment. I did my time, and it was really horrible. I don`t feel like I deserved to go to jail for it.

KING: You never felt you were a criminal?

HILTON: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Paris got a whole lot of heat for saying that, that she was basically still in denial that she did anything wrong. Jane, is this an example of what Lindsay should not do?

MITCHELL: She should not imitate Paris. Brooke, you are absolutely right. First of all, nobody feels sorry for a rich, famous, and beautiful celebrity. So it`s never going to be a winning hand. Secondly, as far as Lindsay is concerned, it was no ordinary DUI, where maybe she had a little bit too much and was pulled over. I mean, this was a terror ride, according to those who say they were there.

She could have killed not just one person, but a lot of people going through red lights in a highly crowded area of Santa Monica. No, she should not try to talk her way out of this.

ANDERSON: Yes, very serious allegations. And now, by contrast, Nicole Richie told Diane Sawyer after she pleaded guilty to DUI and got sentenced to four days in jail that she takes full responsibility as an adult. She was very apologetic. BJ, like so many other people, I was impressed by what Nicole said, how she acted. Should Lindsay just take the punishment?

Is there any upside whatsoever to fighting something like this?

BERNSTEIN: You know, for Lindsay, she really should follow the example of Nicole Richie, because you just said it. You believed her. You knew that she wanted to change and that it`s real. And by doing -- going into court, immediately pleading guilty, the same thing potentially is for Lindsay.

You know, the likelihood of it working -- remember, there was this comment she made, like the cocaine came from somebody else and was put in my pocket. That sounds more like what Paris Hilton did, where I didn`t know I was driving. It was my publicist who told me I could drive.

ANDERSON: Blaming other people.

BERNSTEIN: Blaming other people is not what a judge wants to hear. Where Lindsay has a shot is if she goes in and blames herself and says I really need help and I`m trying to get it, judge.

ANDERSON: We`ve seen Lindsay spending time at her third rehab facility this year. This time in Utah. Will the fact -- and B.J. spoke about this -- what do you think, Jane? Will the fact that she checked into rehab right after her second DUI play a role in what the judge decides on Friday?

MITCHELL: Absolutely. She can`t say, judge, I`m going to check into rehab. She`s already done that three times, and she`s in rehab right now. So she`s going to kind of leave their temporarily to see the judge and then hopefully go back again. What she can say is, hey, this time it took. I get it now. I realize that I am an addict and/or an alcoholic, and I have hit bottom. And I`m going to change.

ANDERSON: I sincerely hope she`s getting the help she needs. Jane Velez Mitchell, B.J. Bernstein, thank you both.

BERNSTEIN: Thanks, Brooke.

ANDERSON: Now we want to hear from you. It`s our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Young Hollywood out of control; are the parents to blame? Vote CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us an email, SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.

Dannielynn about to turn one, and Larry Birkhead has big plans for her party. And trust me, it`s not going to be clown making balloon animals in the backyard. But is throwing a big glitzy party the best way to make sure Dannielynn has a normal life? I have all the over the top details of Dannielynn`s first birthday coming up next.

And has Jessica Simpson been acting like a major diva on the set of her new film? I have heard all the stories that she`s alone in her trailer, that she refuses to talk to people, but are those stories true? Coming up, her co-star sets the record straight once and for all. You don`t want to miss what she said about that. We`ll also have this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have an opportunity to shine the light on celebrities behaving badly, and I have an opportunity to shine the light on those that get it right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That was Perez Hilton (ph). OK, I admit it. I go to his site occasionally. There are some pretty scandalous stuff about the stars on there. But how do he and the other bloggers get their information? And do they ever take if too far? That`s coming up in a special report. We`re taking you inside the world of celebrity blogs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. O.J. Simpson`s book, "If I Did It," is coming out in October. But it won`t be on the shelves at one of the biggest bookstore chains in the country. Today Barnes & Noble said it won`t stock the book in stores. The company says it doesn`t think there will be enough of a demand for it, but you will be able to special order it or buy it on the Barnes & Noble web site.

Borders says it will stock the book, but doesn`t plan to promote or market it in any way. The book is described as Simpson`s fictionalized accounts of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The Goldman family won rights to proceeds of the book to help satisfy the wrongful death judgment against Simpson.

New developments tonight with the world`s most famous baby. I`m talking about the late Anna Nicole Smith`s daughter Dannielynn. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that her father, Larry Birkhead, is planning a huge one year birthday blowout in Kentucky, put together by the woman known for had he celebrity packed Kentucky Derby galas.

Even more surprising, Howard K. Stern is on the guest list. Yes, that Howard K. Stern right there, the one who fought tooth and nail to prove he was really the daddy. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to know is this party really the right thing to do? Joining us tonight from Hollywood "Access Hollywood" correspondent Tony Potts. Good to see you, Tony.

TONY POTTS, "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD": Hi, Brooke.

ANDERSON: We all know you are probably the best person to ask about Larry Birkhead and Dannielynn, because you had exclusive access to them during that whole baby battle. It`s inevitable, Tony. This little girl, doomed to be in the spotlight. Do you think it`s a good idea to throw these kinds of extravagant parties that will really only attract more attention?

POTTS: That`s a good question. You know, it`s got to be a yes and no answer. From a father`s standpoint, what do you do for her sweet 16 birthday if you are doing this for her first one. When you turn 16, you have to send her to the moon, I guess.

ANDERSON: Don`t do what they do on MTV, right?

POTTS: Exactly, yes. That`s the wrong way to go. Those are shows to show you how not to do it. But I think one of the things is the gals have been doing this for years, as you mentioned, almost 20 years now throwing a pre-Kentucky Derby gala. They have raised almost 15 million dollars for diabetes research and what have you. They know how to throw a party.

The question is, did Larry sell these photographs of the party? I kind of think that`s what`s going to happen, much in the way the first photos you saw of Larry with Dannielynn came in "OK! Magazine." That was a brokered deal. Money was paid to Larry for those exclusive photos.

I would tend to think that since he is not working that much -- it`s kind of tough to work in the first year after all this notoriety -- that he has probably made some sort of deal.

ANDERSON: Is that a good idea though, Tony, to sell pictures of your baby? Especially after the circus that everything was, the battle over the body, the battle over the baby?

POTTS: Well, he has already done it once, and I`m sure he will do it again. If it`s -- I would tend to think if it`s a controlled situation -- it will be at a private home -- a controlled situation then what that does is that stops the paparazzi from following him. I know that was his concern he told me about. If he gets the photos out there, the paparazzi is saying well, somebody else already has the photo and there are 15 pages in "OK! Magazine." It may kind of hinder that sort of chasing of the baby.

ANDERSON: Yes, not putting the baby in danger in that regard. Maybe that is a good idea. You know, we can`t forget the messy custody battle between Birkhead and Howard K. Stern. And I want to rewind the clock for a minute. Take a look at Stern back in February testifying that it was indisputable that Anna Nicole was the mother of his child.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD K. STERN, ATTORNEY FOR ANNA NICOLE SMITH: She was my best friend, my lover, mother of my daughter, everything to me. Literally everything, my whole world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: All right Tony, given how nasty their fight was, isn`t it a little naive of Birkhead -- I know he is a great nice guy -- to allow somebody like Stern to his daughter`s first birthday party. Is he just too trusting?

POTTS: He may be. I would tend to think -- I hope he is not as naive as he was a year or so ago today. I find it funny. I have had conversations with Larry that I have said to him I think you have to get as far away from Howard K. Stern as possible. Much for what you just showed there and other things that have happened to -- that Howard and Larry have fought about over time. And to me, if it were me, I would never invite the guy who tried to keep me from my daughter, keep me from proving that I was the father, anywhere within 100 miles of my child.

You know, I did ask and say -- I did ask Larry, why is he still around? He had some deals he did with Anna before she died, and I need to know what`s going on there. I said you have a lawyer. Have a lawyer talk to him. But, you know, maybe there`s some sort of thing where Larry feels like he has to keep him involved. If it were me, I would cut him out straight away.

ANDERSON: Yes, exactly. It be a very difficult thing to do. Speaking of Larry and finally getting his daughter, we all remember the triumph and emotional speech he gave when he was able to prove through a DNA test that he was her father. Who can forget this? Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY BIRKHEAD, FATHER OF DANNIELYNN: I hate to be the one that told you this, but I told you so. My baby is going to be coming home pretty soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Defining moment for him. Tony, since then how has he settled into parenthood?

POTTS: Very well. You know, I think the reality of trying to be a parent -- you can read books. People can tell you about it. But until you actually have the baby in your arms and you are dad, nobody can prepare you for that. He`s done quite well. I talked to him over time and also sent texts back and forth. He has a very strong nanny, which is a good thing. So I think he is doing well, settling in quite well.

ANDERSON: We wish him the best, and happy birthday, Dannielynn. Tony Potts, thanks so much. Good to see you.

POTTS: Always a pleasure.

ANDERSON: All right, Star Jones back on TV. What a year it has been for her, from leaving "The View" to coming clean about her weight loss surgery, to getting her own talk show. So much to talk about with her. Stars Jones is right here 30 minutes past the hour. We`ll also have this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMERICA FERRERA, ACTRESS: I wouldn`t be looking to Hollywood for my role models. Let`s just put it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Good idea, America. I have to tell you, I love this actress, America Ferrera, and her show "Ugly Betty." They send such a terrific message about real beauty. She really sounds off about Hollywood and beauty standards. That is straight ahead.

And has Jessica Simpson been acting like a major diva on the set of her new film? I have heard all the stories. She`s alone in her trailer. She refuses to talk to people, but are they true? Coming up her co-star sets the record straight once and for all, and you do not want to miss what she said. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT for a Tuesday night is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Tonight we are talking beauty with the star of "Ugly Betty." I just love this show and that it`s not afraid to be different. America Ferrera`s character sends such a great message about what kind of beauty is important. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was right there at a launch party for "Ugly Betty" on DVD, and we asked America if she thought the standard of beauty was changing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERRERA: Hollywood is about trends, and the pendulum swings. It goes in one way and then it goes in another way, and then we act badly, and then we learn our lessons, and then we kind of get sobered and then maybe go into the other direction too much. I don`t know. I think that Hollywood, you know, there`s too much weight put on Hollywood to define what our real life standards should be.

And I think that Hollywood is just going to go with what sells, you know. And I think that as people in our real lives, we just have to stay grounded about, you know, what`s fake and what`s real. And so I wouldn`t be looking to Hollywood for my role modelled. Let`s just put it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well said. Season one of "Ugly Betty" is out on DVD today.

Star Jones back on TV. She has a new show and a whole new look. From leaving "The View" to starting anew, Star Jones is right here. That is next.

Has Jessica Simpson been acting like a major diva on the set of her new movie? Straight ahead, her co-star sets the record straight.

We will also have this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just shows you that people have an insatiable almost appetite for celebrity news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That was Perez Hilton. I admit it. I go to his site occasionally. There is some pretty scandalous stuff about the stars on there. But how do he and the other bloggers get all of that information, and do they ever go too far? It can get really nasty. Coming up in a special report, we are taking you inside the world of celebrity blogs. Stay with us.

(NEWS BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT inside celebrity blogs. You know they`re full of shocking scandals, wild hookups and break-ups, but just who are the mysterious people behind the blogs?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ HILTON, CELEBRITY BLOGGER: I have an opportunity to shine the light on celebrities behaving badly, and I have an opportunity to shine the light on those that get it right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: The gossip, the rumors. How do they find all this stuff out? And do these bloggers go too far? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT digs deep online to reveal the secrets of celebrity blogs.

Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It`s is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. A.J. has the night off.

Tonight, the return of Star Jones. She`s back and, boy, is she different. Not only is she slimmer than you have ever seen her before, she looks great. She`s also hosting her very own brand new talk show on Court TV. Star Jones is with me tonight here in New York.

Great to see you.

STAR JONES, TALK SHOW HOST: Great to see you, also.

ANDERSON: Here we are, what, just days into your new show.

JONES: This is just days in, first week of the new show. I have to do my own plug. I`m learning to do that since I now host my own show. At 3 o`clock, every single day on Court TV.

ANDERSON: On Court TV, live. And this is just one year after you were fired from "The View."

JONES: Absolutely.

ANDERSON: So, do you feel like you are in a different place now, both professionally and personally?

JONES: Oh, absolutely. A whole new chapter started in my life on the day I got a pink slip, if you really think about it. But that`s what happens to anyone who is either asked to leave a job, or fired from a job, or resigns from a job. You really only have a couple of choices. You can sit around and mope about what happened, what didn`t happen, what should have been said, what didn`t get said. Or you can pick yourself up and figure out where you want to go next.

I was very lucky. I had a law degree in my back pocket. I call it my ultimate trump card. That`s something I always tell young people. Honey, your education can get you out of any situation. And it`s interesting that Court TV really indeed allowed me to trump it, because I am returning to my roots. I get to be a lawyer again combined with a talk show host and a journalist.

ANDERSON: A very smart lady. You definitely picked yourself up, and here you are with this brand new show, and it`s a mix of everything really -- current events, celebrities, legal stories, and something very personal that you call "Open Letter". I want to take a listen to one of your "Open Letter" segments where you talk about mistakes in the past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: The bottom line is this, everyone makes mistakes, but if you are lucky and blessed enough to get a second chance, embrace it, and be thankful for it. Then turn the page.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Talking about second chances there. You were referring to being fired from "The View" as we mentioned. What mistakes specifically?

JONES: Actually, I was referring to a second chance to come back into people`s homes. The firing was the catalyst to make me want to change, but the opportunity, the second chance, is to really treat it like a privilege when people allow you back into their homes. I think that is the biggest mistake.

If you ever get too absorbed with the bright lights and the red carpet, you will lose a connection with the audience, and that was my mistake. I always liked to say -- I use the phrase "intoxicating, celebrity can be intoxicating". It makes you feel special. It makes you feel good. You know what, you are special. God`s placed you in a very special position. And that specialness requires responsibility, and I had to remember that.

That`s why I got into television. So God will either fix you publicly or privately. I got a public fixing. It`s all right. Because it allowed me to change. It allowed me to evaluate myself, to be more open, more honest, and to earn the trust of the audience, and I`m grad to be back.

ANDERSON: You have a great perspective, and such a positive outlook on it. You know, people talked about your leaving "The View" a lot, and they also talked about your medical intervention that for years you said was a medical intervention, and you wouldn`t -- kind of danced around it.

JONES: Not kinda, did dance around it.

ANDERSON: You admit it.

JONES: You are being very, very kind. I was evasive just as I could be. Absolutely.

ANDERSON: It was a choice that you made, and that`s understandable. And recently you did come out and say publicly, hey, I had gastric bypass surgery. That`s what it was.

JONES: Yes.

ANDERSON: Why did you wait so long? Why not in the beginning? Just come out and say it.

JONES: I really wish I had the courage to do it. I was very angry with myself. I was humiliated that I had lost the control of my own health. You know, I had a picture of myself as a little smart know-it-all, and I didn`t know the basics about my own health. And I didn`t pay attention to it. And I just found it very difficult to forgive myself, and I think it had more to do with me being a controlling person.

And so I needed someone to help unlock the key to that, and I used therapy. I used prayer. I used friends and family to lean on. Thank God they allowed me to come to it on my own. It would have been much easier if I had the courage right from the beginning, to just --

ANDERSON: A lot of people criticized, and you weren`t deceitful because you did say medical intervention.

JONES: Definitely, well, I was never going to lie, ever.

ANDERSON: But some people were saying, oh, she`s lying. Did you think maybe if people thought you lied about that that you would lie about other things? Is that one of the reasons why you wanted to come forward?

JONES: No, absolutely -- to be honest with you, the real reason is it`s a new chapter. Turn the page.

ANDERSON: Start at the beginning.

JONES: Why would I want to take the baggage of the old Star into the wonderful opportunity of the new Star? I know that I left my audience behind when I did not give them the full story. You know, I -- let`s be honest. I have taken the audience on so many of my personal journeys. They really had a right to say wait a minute. Our girl just lost 150 pounds in front of us. What in the world? If I was not prepared to talk about it, to be straight enough to say I`m going through some emotional turmoil right now, can you be patient with me until I can figure it out?

I wasn`t strong enough to do it. And I`m strong enough now, absolutely strong enough. I love the fact that I see pictures, all the time, from what I looked like over the last 10 years because it reminds people that this is a lifetime struggle. And you know what, Brooke, I didn`t lose weight in a relatively short amount of time. My fourth anniversary of the surgery was this past weekend. It has been four years.

ANDERSON: Wow.

JONES: I am very proud that I am healthier than I have ever been in my entire adult life, so this is a good time.

ANDERSON: Well, you seem very healthy, very happy. Congratulations.

JONES: Thank you very much.

ANDERSON: On this new beginning, this new show. Star Jones, a pleasure.

JONES: It`s really such a wonderful mixture of everything I want to do. It`s the things that we talk about in our own homes every single day.

ANDERSON: Well, if you want to check it out, you can catch that new show, Star Jones, 3:00 p.m. Eastern on our sister network, Court TV.

OK, I have breaking news. Some of your favorite movies, "Back to the Future", "Ghost Busters", "The Lion King", have been erased, gone. But have no fear, Jack Black to the rescue. He`s going to recreate all of them, by himself, coming up.

Also this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ HILTON: It just shows you that people have an enormous almost appetite for celebrity news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: All right. I`ll admit it. I have checked out the blogs, celebrity blogs from time to time. Love it get those juicy bits of celebrity hook-ups and break-ups. Do you ever wonder who these bloggers are and how do they get their startling scoops? Straight ahead, I`m blowing the lid off the secrets of celebrity blogs.

And there`s always stuff about Jessica Simpson on blogs, like this. Jessica has been a raging, well, you know, on the set of her new film. Totally diva-ed out. Well, that makes you think what happened to sweet, innocent Jessica? We have the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT truth squad on the case. Is it the truth?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson.

Tonight, a SHOWBIZ special report, "Inside The Wild World of Celebrity Blogs". There are web sites that track stars` every move. They`re racy, controversial, and sometimes down right nasty. They are very popular, and getting more so by the minute. How do they get their information, and do they go too far? Right here, right now, I`m blowing the lid off the secrets of celebrity blogs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice over): Perez Hilton, defamer and gawker. They are the star blog sites that have turned entertainment gossip into an extreme sport, where the stakes are high and the rules are hard to define.

PEREZ HILTON, CELEBRITY BLOGGER: It just shows you that people have an insatiable, almost, appetite for celebrity news.

ANDERSON: And Perez Hilton feeds that appetite around the clock with his take-no-prisoners approach to star gossip. A photo filled feast, marked with biting comments that leaves no one unscathed. Perez tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT people know exactly what they`re getting when they go to his site, a raw and often nasty take on what`s happening in Hollywood.

HILTON: I don`t look down upon my readers. My readers are smart. You know, people throw the word power. I don`t have any power. I have an opportunity. I have an opportunity to shine the light on celebrities behaving badly, and I have an opportunity to shine the light on those that get it right.

ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, sites like his live on star scandals, and these days there`s no shortage of them.

HILTON: Celebrities love to behave badly.

ANDERSON: And their bad behavior is also what keeps defamer.com going day after day, night after night. Same for gawker.com; reporting on the paparazzi photos of Nick Leche and Vanessa Minnillo, stark naked while vacationing in Mexico, the headline read, "Vanessa Minnillo Topless, Poorly Augmented". Ouch!

HILTON: What`s great about a lot of celebrity blogs that a lot of the stories and information you see in them would never land up in a celebrity news magazine, in a TV show, just because the information is too scandalous, and it would just ruin a relationship for an established media outlet. Whereas, a blogger can usually get away posting anything they want on a web site.

ANDERSON: Yep. Anything. Stars in often unflattering positions and content that sometimes leads to lawsuits.

HILTON: That`s sad.

ANDERSON: Perez Hilton is facing multiple lawsuits over his use of paparazzi photos, pictures that agencies say he posts without owning the rights to them.

HILTON: You know, I have had people sue me. You know, I have had a lot of things happen, but it`s OK. I dish it. I can take it. It would be very hypocritical of me not to be able to.

MATT DAMON, ACTOR: It`s like a giant world of, like, an unending op- ed page.

ANDERSON: "Bourne Ultimatum" star Matt Damon tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he`s not a big gossip guy himself, he likes political and sports blogs. But hey, read what you like.

DAMON: That`s the great thing about the Internet. You take -- you go where your taste steers you.

ANDERSON: Damon`s "Bourne" co-star Julia Stiles says she avoids star blogs altogether.

JULIA STILES, ACTRESS: I can`t even go there. I have a favorite blogger who is not like a gossip blogger. If they insult you it can only be hurtful. If they`re complementary, you have to believe the insults, too, you know?

HILTON: I had Nicole Richie come up to me in the coffee shop that I work at sometimes, and come straight to my face and say, "Hey, call me anorexic to my face." you know, I had Tara Reid threaten to throw me in a pool at a party once. I had Jesse Metcalf say he fantasized about killing me, twice. He repeated it, as if I didn`t hear him the first time.

ANDERSON: So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to know, where does Perez get this stuff?

HILTON: Thankfully, I have a lot of people in my address book. I know a lot of people. I have a lot of friends. They`re every one from people that work at studios or people that are publicists, agents, managers, assistants, celebrities themselves, neighbors, dog walkers, people at clubs, bartenders, waiters, relatives -- random readers that happen to take a picture, that were at a club, and saw something.

ANDERSON: Bloggers like Perez have changed the rules of the news game. Making the need for immediate information more urgent that ever, and even forcing legitimate news operations to change the way they do business.

DAVID CAPLAN, VH1`S PAGESIZZLER.COM: To compete with these blogs a lot of these magazines now are adding video components to their web sites. A lot more web cam aspects, because they really have to compete with the technological advantages that a lot of these blogs are doing. Some of them are doing a lot more than just merely posting a story.

ANDERSON: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has to ask, are there any real standards in the blog world?

MOLLY GOODSON, POPSUGAR.COM: There`s room for everybody in the celebrity blogging world. I don`t have any problem with any of the competition.

ANDERSON: Molly Goodson of popsugar.com, which is big on celebs, but short on nastiness, tells us their most popular content isn`t always scandalous.

GOODSON: People love to se a happy family, which is great. We love posting about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner and their baby, Violet, and Will Smith and Jada, and their kid. People love to see them.

ANDERSON: Still, bloggers everywhere admit today`s celebrity train wrecks, like Lindsay, Britney, Paris, and Nicole aren`t hurting business.

GOODSON: I think there is a number of reasons why they`re so fascinating to watch. I think that part of it is, of course, that they`re so young and beautiful and rich and have everything at their fingertips, but seem to -- in some ways -- kind of waste it, or what people think is wasting it.

HILTON: The day that Lindsay Lohan was arrested, I must have posted almost 60 times on my web site, you know. In the wake of that, PerezHilton.com got the highest traffic we`ve ever had. I had 8.8 million page views in one day. That`s kind of crazy.

ANDERSON: Definitely crazy. And as Perez will tell you, there is no downside. Well, maybe one.

HILTON: The only downside I can see to celebrity blogs is maybe people are being a little less productive at work.

(LAUGHTER)

But I love it! And I thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And Perez is especially thankful these days. He is trying to take his on-line success to television. His new show "What Perez Says" launches this fall on VH1.

Be kind, rewind. You know that sign you see in your local video store. It`s also the title of Jack Black`s new movie. Really interesting story here. A guy becomes magnetized, which erases all the tapes in his friend`s store, so in order to fix it, they refilm some big movies like "Back To The Future", "Ghost Busters", "The Lion King." Here`s your "First Look".

(BEGIN MOVIE TRAILER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I rewound this tape all over, and it`s blank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This video don`t work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yours looks like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, look, look. All the tapes are blank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the TV, Mike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is it doing that? Does that happen when you do it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is wrong with you? Why is it doing that when you do that? You`re magnetized! You erased these tapes. It`s you.

We got to buy new tapes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a better idea. Follow me.

When you`re walking down the street and you see a little ghost, what you going to do about ghostas (ph)!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? What is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s the "Ghost Busters" theme song.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m pretty sure it is.

(MALE SINGER): Something strange in the neighborhood, who you going to call Ghost Busters

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got slimed. Yeah, yeah, yeah

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wasn`t bad. What else you all got?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will shoot you and I know robot karate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are not just simple remakes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s happening to our art?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our version is better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our version is only 20 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re celebrities now. People recognize me in the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead with the kiss. Go now, kiss`em now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do I have to kiss him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to keep her from blowing your head off --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amateurs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People want to see these movies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a warrant to destroy all your tapes. The FBI warning, it`s at the beginning of the tape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But we erased that.

CROWD: We want more movies!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Damn, they`re good. They can shoot any style.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You name it, we shoot it. Be Kind, Rewind Videos, a la carte.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For movies with heart and soul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Driving Miss Daisy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK? OK, are you deaf?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Knock it off. Don`t you talk to me like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go like the wind! Run, Run. OK!

(END MOVIE TRAILER)

ANDERSON: Jack Black is a total nut. The director of "Be Kind, Rewind" is the guy who did "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which was terrific. And this one is out early next year.

Jessica Simpson hard at work on her new movie, but she`s reportedly not making nice with her co-stars. She demands to be driven around the set, apparently. Jessica, say it ain`t so. Have you become a total diva?

I`m sending the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT truth squad out to find out if Jessica has gone from singing a public affair, to public nightmare. You don`t want to miss this. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.

OK, time now to call out the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT truth squad where we get to the bottom of Hollywood`s biggest mysteries and juiciest rumors.

Tonight, was Jessica Simpson a major diva on the set of her new movie "Major Movie Star?" There`s been all kinds of talk that Simpson has been a brat, refusing to walk from one place to another without a driver, eating alone in her trailer, and barely speaking with her co-stars.

Well, tonight I can tell you Jessica is no jerk. Jessica`s co-star Vivica A. Fox confirms to us those stories are, quote, "vicious lies". And that Jessica has been a team player and really down to earth. Vivica also tells "People" magazine that Simpson really sacrificed her body for the film. She sucked it up while getting hurt doing stunts. Jessica hit herself in the nose with a prop gun that didn`t complain one bit.

By the way, "Major Movie Star" is about an actress whose career tanks and enlists in the Army to shape up. We love you, Jess, but if your next album doesn`t sell, you may want to consider enlisting yourself.

But tonight the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT truth squad says at ease, everybody. Jessica is no diva. What a relief.

Yesterday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Britney Spears` photographed naked, not wearing underwear, now posing topless in "Allure" magazine. So, Britney`s naked ambition. Is her posing topless a cry for help? And 57 percent of you say yes, it is; 43 percent of you say no, it`s not a cry for help. Here are some of the emails that we received.

Jillian from Tennessee says, "I think Britney`s precious boys are the only ones crying for help!"

Julie from Iowa thinks, "Everything Britney Spears does is a cry for help! Perhaps she needs to join a nudist colony."

There`s an idea. Thanks so much for your e-mails. Keep them coming.

All right. It`s time now to see what`s coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Tomorrow a very controversial SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report on one of the most talked about issues out there, The SHOWBIZ TONIGHT weight watch. We cover Hollywood`s obsess session with body image like no other entertainment news show. Tomorrow an entire hour on this heated topic, pregnant stars who lose weight too fast. Is there a double standard when it comes to men and women?

Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT dares Hollywood to change its standards once and for all. You don`t want to miss this SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "The Hollywood Weight Watch". That is tomorrow.

That is a wrap for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks so much for watching. Have a great night. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.

"Glenn Beck" is coming up next, right after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News." Take care.

END