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Showbiz Tonight
SHOWBIZ Weight Watch
Aired August 22, 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: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a SHOWBIZ special event, the SHOWBIZ weight watch. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT covers Hollywood`s obsession with body image like no other entertainment news show. A revealing look at stars who keep flip-flopping their weight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a woman in her 40s who went from fat to fabulous in 90 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Also, a startling and controversial question; is there a double standard when it comes to men and women and the pressure to keep the pounds off?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMERICA FERRERA, "UGLY BETTY": I wouldn`t be looking to Hollywood for my role models.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Plus, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT makes an explosive demand. We dare Hollywood to change its ways and stop being so obsessed with staying skinny. Tonight, a provocative and passionate SHOWBIZ special event that you just can`t miss, the SHOWBIZ weight watch.
Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. AJ is off tonight. And this is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the SHOWBIZ weight watch. Tonight we`ve got a message for Hollywood. Enough already with this ridiculous and sometimes dangerous obsession with weight and body image. Right here, right now we are daring everyone to get over it and start making a change.
Let`s face it. We`ve seen stars go to extremes to stay competitive in Hollywood, and the results are scary. It`s high time somebody stepped up and said enough is enough. Tonight we are taking a stand for real beauty in all shapes and sizes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RACHEL HUNTER, FORMER SUPERMODEL: You know, over the years there`s been times when I have been heavier. And I have gotten ridiculed in the press, and they said that I looked frumpy and fat, and the rest of it. And it hurts.
ANDERSON (voice-over): As SHOWBIZ TONIGHT talked to stars across Hollywood.
TYRA BANKS, TALK SHOW HOST: At 5`10, because I am so curvy, and they were like, that`s just too much. We want less. But it`s just more extreme now.
ANDERSON: We heard the same thing over and over again.
RAVEN SYMONE, ACTRESS/SINGER: I have my own pressures in Hollywood because of the size that I am. And it`s not even a bad size. I`m not obese, and I`m not major skinny.
ANDERSON: The pressure to be thin is ridiculous.
CAMERON DIAZ, ACTRESS: It doesn`t help that we`re bombarded with imagery constantly that says that there`s a certain standard you have to live up to.
JESSICA WEINER, AUTHOR, "DO I LOOK FAT IN THIS": I mean, the standards for Hollywood beauty are really unrealistic.
ANDERSON: Jessica Weiner, author of "Do I Look Fat in This," says most women struggle with body image, but the harsh Hollywood spotlight only makes it tougher.
WEINER: For women who are curvier in Hollywood, sometimes it is harder to stand by their independence and their empowerment, because the pressure is really severe.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that pressure goes well beyond Hollywood.
WEINER: Right now we`re in an extreme mode, and we have to really be cautious of that, and especially how that`s affecting our kids.
ANDERSON: We`ve seen stars literally shrink before our eyes. Oprah Winfrey, Kate Bosworth, Angelina Jolie, Janet Jackson. Even curvy stars like Scarlett Johannson, Beyonce and Salma Hayek are all much smaller than the average American woman.
WEINER: We have a generous diversity in this country that isn`t seen in Hollywood. I don`t know that we should always expect it to be seen, but I do think it shouldn`t stop us from asking these questions and, when appropriate, really challenging Hollywood to step up to the plate and send a more clear and empowering message to women out there.
ANDERSON: Challenging Hollywood. Now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is taking up that challenge because right here, right now, we are daring Hollywood to make a change.
WEINER: You have to break down who Hollywood is really that we`re talking about, because I think sometimes we throw that word around and most people wonder, you know, who is Hollywood? Hollywood are casting directors and writers and producers and actors and agents and managers, and everybody that co-create and contribute to a celebrity`s rise to fame or a project getting off the ground or an image being sent to the public.
ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ did just that. We went straight to Hollywood casting director Lisa Beach to get some answers.
LISA BEACH, CASTING DIRECTOR: What I look for is the perfect fit. An actor who is the perfect actor for that particular role, or an actress who is the perfect actress for that particular role. No matter how small, no matter how large, if they are perfectly fit into that role, then the jig saw puzzle of the cast comes together, and it`s a proud moment.
ANDERSON: Beach admits she`s not so proud that Hollywood beauty standards have become more unreachable than ever before.
BEACH: I don`t think that Hollywood consciously tries to say, if you`re not a size zero, you`re never going to be a movie star. But I do think that it`s still a man`s world in a lot of ways, certainly in this town.
ANDERSON: But she says fans aren`t exactly protesting Hollywood`s beauty standards, because through stars like Angelina Jolie they live out their fantasies.
BEACH: Sometimes I think that people actually want to have that fantasy that they can look like Angelina Jolie walking down a red carpet with Brad Pitt. I frankly want that fantasy myself. I have that fantasy.
ANDERSON: But wanting it and having it are two different things.
WEINER: There are 60 million American women in this country who wear above a size 14. They are mothers, lovers, activists, valued employees. They`re out there in the world living their life, and they`re not worried all the time about their waist line.
ANDERSON: And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you there may already be signs of progress with stars like America Ferrera in the hit TV show "Ugly Betty."
BEACH: I think certainly in independent features, smaller budget movies, even some television shows -- I think that "Ugly Betty," for example, is a fantastic example of -- you know what, she`s not your classic beauty, and she`s the star of the show.
ANDERSON: America Ferrera probably says it best.
FERRERA: There`s too much weight put on Hollywood to define what our real life standards should be. And I 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 models. Let`s just put it that way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Great perspective there from America Ferrera. So here`s what we want to know: what else can be done to change things? With us tonight in New York, Ann Shoket, the new editor in chief of "Seventeen Magazine." "Seventeen Magazine" is doing something great, launching a body peace project in the fall, encouraging teenage girls to stop obsessing over and start respecting their bodies. And with us in Hollywood tonight, Jessica Weiner, whom you just saw in our piece. Jessica is a self-esteem expert and author of the fabulous book "Do I Look Fat in This?"
Welcome to you both. Good so see you, ladies.
Jessica, daring Hollywood to change. Big deal, big deal, I know. I hate to be cynical about this. But nothing has really changed, and, sadly, I don`t know, will anything ever change?
WEINER: You know, Brooke, I have to believe that things are going to change, because I think, as we`re talking about right now in this program, Hollywood needs to be defined and Hollywood is made up of human beings. And we are all capable of change as human beings. And I think there needs to be a couple of different conversations happening.
I think we have to talk on the industry level. I think we have to talk on the consumer level and on the audience level, which is what "Seventeen`s" going to be doing with that project and what I do as a self- esteem expert, and what you guys do as a media program. We all have to come together and have these conversations and not stop until these human beings actually start to institute some change.
ANDERSON: That optimism is uplifting. I`m going to stop being a cynic for a moment. And we just heard in the piece some big stars, Ann, saying that they feel pressure and they feel overwhelmed when they think about weight and how they feel they should look. What do you hear from the readers of "Seventeen Magazine?" Are they feeling these ridiculous pressures?
ANN SHOKET, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE": Body image is crucially important to the readers of "Seventeen Magazine." We did a poll, and it`s one of the biggest issues on their minds. You can`t underestimate the power of celebrities in influencing teenagers, but you can`t underestimate the smarts of teenage girls. These girls are very dialed in and very smart. And they know the difference between someone that`s worth looking up to and inspirational to them and someone that isn`t.
ANDERSON: Well, somebody who has been a big inspiration and role model for a long time and hopefully will for a long time to come is Beyonce. And we love her. We love her curves, her approach to her body, and listen to what she told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT when we asked her if she feels pressures to look a certain way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE KNOWLES, SINGER: I don`t really think about it. I just try to eat healthy, and I don`t all the time, because I love bad food, like everyone else. But I do know that I am a role model for people that are not the, you know, perception of what beautiful is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Jessica, do we dare hope that Beyonce`s words and her approach and her perspective changes people`s minds?
WEINER: Well, you know what I appreciate about Beyonce, Brooke, is that her authenticity seems to be consistent in her message. Every time we hear Beyonce speak, she`s speaking about her real life struggles to find her balance in Hollywood and in real life. And I do think we dare to keep asking these celebrities to be as consistently real as possible. Again, because we need to remember we have to humanize Hollywood.
I know it`s all about fantasy, and I know it`s all about perception, but when somebody like Beyonce can powerfully make a statement that says I`m not perfect. This is my body. I work hard at it because it`s my career; I think girls are very smart, and they need to hear it consistently and not just always see it consistently.
ANDERSON: So the kids can relate to it -- the teenage girls can relate to these stars in a certain way. And, you know, other big star we spoke to is Kimberly Locke. She was a finalist on "American Idol." And Judge Simon Cowell really criticized her for how she looks. But she told us she`s OK with her body. This seems like the kind of message you at "Seventeen Magazine" with the body peace project, you`re trying to project.
SHOKET: One of the most important things that "Seventeen Magazine" does is show a diversity of body type, a diversity of skin color, so that when girls open the magazine, they feel validated by what they see inside. The body peace project comes from this idea that it`s so hard as a teenage girl to imagine loving your body. It`s like one step too far.
But all we`re asking is just for girls to make peace with it. To appreciate it for what it can do, to vow not to criticize it with your friends, to say if you eat a slice of pizza and a bowl of ice cream, it`s not the end of the world. It`s really such an important message, and we have a peace treaty that we`re asking a million girls to sign.
ANDERSON: It`s about inspiring confidence, building that self-esteem. Anne Shoket, Jessica Weiner, you are both doing excellent work. Thank you both for your insight.
Now we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day; SHOWBIZ weight watch, do looks mean more than talent in Hollywood? Vote CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us an email, SHOWBIZTONIGHT@CNN.com.
OK, so what about stars who dramatically drop the pounds so that their fame picks up? I mean, what kind of message does that send? Coming up at 30 past the hour, a startling look at celebrities who lose weight to gain fame. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a woman in her 40s, and she just went from fat to fabulous in 90 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Janet Jackson has had a long battle with her weight. Up and down. Up and down. She`s not the only star who has flip-flopped. Straight ahead, a provocative look at Hollywood stars whose weight is like a yo-yo.
And here`s something that really gets me angry. Why is it that when stars like Valerie Bertonelli or Kirsti Ally put on the pounds everybody is shocked? The tabloids go nuts. But when that happens to a male star, well, nobody really says much. Tonight I`m asking the startling question, is there a double standard?
This special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the SHOWBIZ weight watch, is back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the SHOWBIZ weight watch. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is taking a stand, daring Hollywood to dramatically change its obsession with body image. I mean, we`ve all packed on the pounds at one time or another, right? But imagine how much harder it is when the whole world is watching.
Now we look at flip-flopping stars, stars whose weight goes up and down and how they have to deal with that in front of millions. Here`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s AJ Hammer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR (voice over): They`re up and they`re down. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you when it comes to weight, the stars are just like us.
DAVID CAPLAN, VH1`S 24SIZZLER.COM: What we`re seeing in Hollywood really mirrors what the rest of the country is battling right now, and that is weight problems.
TIA BROWN, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": I think celebrities in Hollywood have the same struggles as regular people with their weight, you know, but the pressure is intensified because everyone is watching.
HAMMER: No one knows that better than Oprah Winfrey. At 50, she`s now fit and fab, but that hasn`t always been the case. Over the last 20 years Oprah has battled the bulge in front of millions of Americans.
BROWN: You`ve seen her weight fluctuate. She`s been in the high twos and even in the low ones. I think Oprah has been very honest and saying I`m not going to be a size six, but she looks great between like a size eight and 12, and that`s where we`ve seen her kind of moderately stay at for the last few years.
CAPLAN: Oprah`s weight loss, essentially, has become a cottage industry for her. We all know her fitness trainer Bob Greene. We all know the food Oprah loves to cook. She talks about it on the TV show. So for Oprah her fluctuating weight loss is actually good for her because it just continues to garner more admiration among her fans because her fans are battling the same issue that she is. They all want to lose weight.
HAMMER (on camera): Do you mind my asking what your weight was, at its peak?
RICKI LAKE, ACTRESS, TALK SHOW HOST: Yes. I have been very candid about it.
HAMMER: You don`t mind?
LAKE: Not at all, no, no, I don`t mind, 260 pounds. I was a size 24. I was very young when I was heavy. I was in my early 20s. It was after I did a show called "China Beach." after that kind of the work for me dried up. You know, I had gained a lot of weight between "Hairspray" and that time.
HAMMER: Talk show host Ricki Lake knows all about the ups and downs of dieting. She`s been struggling with her weight for nearly 20 years.
LAKE: I went on a big diet. It wasn`t healthy at that time for me, because I starved myself, and didn`t know what to do. I didn`t know what to do. You know, had no money. It was when I reinvented myself that the talk show opportunity came up, and it was a great fit for me, and I did it for a long time.
HAMMER: After dropping 100 pounds the wrong way for her TV show in the 1990s, Ricki decided to go about her weight loss in a healthy way telling SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she`s now down to a size six by exercising and eating delivered meals.
BROWN: Celebrities use all types of diets to gain and lose weight, but specifically when they`re gearing up for a project they also often have trainers and very strict diets, with like no carbs, no starches, no meat. They do all types of weird things to get into character, so sometimes it`s not just for personal appearances. It is for work.
HAMMER: Example, Janet Jackson.
CAPLAN: Janet Jackson is another yo-yo dieter. Her weight goes up and down, up and down.
HAMMER: Back in the 1990s everyone was looking at Janet`s complete body transformation. She went from pleasantly plump during her "Nasty" years.
JANET JACKSON, SINGER: Nasty boy!
HAMMER: To buff and beautiful for the release of her "Janet" album and concert tour. Her six-pack abs became her calling card.
BROWN: I think Janet Jackson is famous for her abs. She always has like the great stomach muscles when she`s touring. Her body is in tip top shape. But when she`s not touring she says she`s an emotional eater.
HAMMER: Fast forward to 2006. Janet off tour, and 60 pounds heavier. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you those 60 pounds didn`t last long. Ms. Jackson said she stopped eating carbs and started working out, religiously. Three months later right in time for to promote a new album, you saw this.
JACKSON: If I can get this off, and that`s 60 pounds, that`s a lot. Then other people can, too. That they know that there is hope, especially when you feel hopeless.
BROWN: This is a woman in her 40s, and she just went from fat to fabulous in 90 days, but Janet is very regimented about her diet, very regimented about her exercise, when it`s time to work. And she had a goal in mind, and she attained it.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you not all stars pulled the reigns in when the weight comes on.
KELLY CLARKSON, SINGER: But since you`ve been gone --
HAMMER: Case in point, Kelli Clarkson. Kelly was fit and trim when she won "American Idol". Now with the solo career in full swing, she`s a little more curvy.
CAPLAN: Kelly Clarkson is another person in Hollywood whose weight keeps fluctuating. It`s not as extreme. You`ve never seen Kelly be really skinny or really rail thin. The refreshing thing about Kelly Clarkson is that, unlike so many of these other girls in Hollywood, she doesn`t seem to really care when she gains a little bit of weight. In young Hollywood right now that`s a huge change.
BROWN: There`s been a lot of debate over whether or not she is too thick to be a superstar. And she said, Hey, I`m comfortable in my body. I`m not a size two. I`m happy. I`m healthy. It is what it is. She said that, you know, when she was in high school she actually battled bulimia. And she never wants to be that obsessed with what she eats and how she looks again.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you when stars like Kelly or Oprah or Janet battle their weight publicly, it only makes us love them more.
CAPLAN: We get what they`re going through. We understand it, and many times many of the same things they`re doing to lose the weight, we also do. Whether it`s diet, even a fad diet, or exercise. So they`re just so relatable. For a minute we`re like, OK, they`re a celebrity, but at the same time they`re just like us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s AJ Hammer reporting.
OK, there are stars whose weight goes up and down. Then incredibly there are stars who lose weight to gain fame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what we`re seeing is a real formula for a comeback in Hollywood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, But I have to ask, is this formula the right one? And what kind of message is this sending that you should take off the pounds so your career takes off? We`re investigating this very controversial trend straight ahead.
Another controversial Hollywood trend, stars who drop their baby weight very quickly. I just don`t get it. There is nothing wrong with putting on baby weight. That`s part of motherhood, right. But how do these stars lose it so quickly? Is it dangerous? We are looking into that coming up.
And Catherine Zeta-Jones is a gorgeous mom who is totally comfortable with her curves. She`s got a lot to say about super skinny Hollywood. Catherine is really fired up about this, and that is next. You are watching a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the SHOWBIZ weight watch. Don`t go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the SHOWBIZ weight watch. OK, so Catherine Zeta-Jones, one of the most beautiful women in the world. And what`s really great about her, she embraces her curves. Catherine really opened up to me about Hollywood`s obsession with body image when I asked her about another big star who has totally had it with the super skinny look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Actress Linda Carter recently went on a tyrade about Hollywood`s obsession with thinness, saying, quote, I`m so sick of seeing these anorexic actresses. These people are crazy. Any place else in the country besides New York and LA, they would be in a hospital. Do you ever feel that pressure to look a certain way?
CATHERINE ZETA JONES, ACTRESS: No. No. I don`t feel that pressure because I have never been like that. No. I don`t know. It`s just -- I think it goes in phases. Remember that whole kind of like druggy look, where everyone had to look like they were strung out?
ANDERSON: Heroine chic?
JONES: Oh, that -- no. I think it goes in phases. And I think, you know, good old bods are great. And I think we have all those -- of all the skinny ones, we have some great fantastic singers and actors who have just got great bods. And I think we should focus on that, as opposed to looking at the negative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I could not agree with her more. And, you know, Catherine Zeta-Jones has had two kids, so she knows about putting on baby weight. But what about stars who insist on shedding that weight super fast?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When people see celebrities lose weight very quickly, it is so unrealistic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I don`t know. Is it a good idea? Couldn`t it be dangerous? Coming up, a startling look at stars who shed their baby weight really quickly.
Also, another way stars could be sending a dangerous message when they lose weight to gain fame. It`s a very disturbing trend, and celebrity dieting to rebuild their careers. We`re investigating this controversy straight ahead.
All right. Something else that really bugs me about Hollywood and weight. It seems there`s a double standard. Think about it; when a female star puts on the pounds, everybody is shocked. The tabloids go nuts. But when that happens to a guy, no one really says anything. Well, I want to know why. And that is coming up as the special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, SHOWBIZ weight watch, continues. Stay with us.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, stars who "Lose Weight and Gain Fame".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA WEINER, AUTHOR, "DO I LOOK FAT IN THIS?": I think what we`re seeing is a real formula for a comeback in Hollywood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: These stars slimmed down and saw their careers come back to life, but is it a formula for success, or a recipe for disaster? That`s tonight as the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special event, "Showbiz Weight Watch", continues.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. Our special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Showbiz Weight Watch", continues now with a shocking message being sent in Hollywood. The price of fame may include a dramatic diet.
Now SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is asking what kind of message does that send, which stars are making it work for them, and are some people actually saying there`s a silver lining behind all of this madness? A.J Hammer takes a look at a new Hollywood truism, lose weight, gain fame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTRESS: Jenny, look, I`m not fat anymore but my friend Valerie Bertinelli is.
VALERIE BERTINELLI, ACTRES: Hello, standing right here.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT (voice over): Whether it is Kirstie Alley and Valerie Bertinelli for Jenny Craig --
ANNOUNCER: Eight chubby celebrities fighting to get down to their perfect weight --
HAMMER: Or an in your face reality show, like "Celebrity Fit Club," the message is clear, lose weight and you can regain long, lost fame.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Glad you`re having a real good time in here.
JESSICA WEINER, AUTHOR, "DO I LOOK FAT IN THIS?": I think what we`re seeing is a formula for a comeback in Hollywood.
HAMMER: Jessica Weiner, author of "Do I Look Fat In This?", tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT this is a trend washed up stars have been praying for.
WEINER: If you go ahead and repent for your sins of overeating and being larger than the average bear in Hollywood, then you get a chance at redemption and a new career.
HAMMER: Of course, dramatic weight loss in Hollywood isn`t new. From flip-flopping stars like Janet Jackson and Renee Zellweger, to Oprah Winfrey, who practically made dieting a national past time.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, I`m so excited.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you what is new is this unapologetic weight loss fast-track to fame. Besides Kirstie Alley and Valerie Bertinelli there is Maureen "Marcia Brady" McCormick, just to name a few.
But Kirstie definitely set the standard for riding the weight loss train back into the spotlight.
CORI MURRAY, "ESSENCE" MAGAZINE: She had this great career before with "Cheers" and a great actress. Now she put on a lot of weight, they totally trashed her in the tabloids.
HAMMER: "Essence" magazine`s Cori Murray tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Kirstie`s comeback had everything to do with weight loss and she may not have much choice.
MURRAY: Sometimes you hear about off the record conversations where a casting director is like if you would lose 15 pounds, you`ll get it, or whatever the case may be. And like, no, stop that. Just embrace the stars who have fuller size, give them opportunities, and put the work out there. And we`ll come and support it.
HAMMER: Kirstie is getting a lot of support now. She`s still curvy, but she`s also 75 pounds lighter.
ALLEY: I`m not trying to lose more weight. I`m in what`s called maintenance, for Jenny Craig.
HAMMER: And thanks to Jenny, Kirstie has reached a whole new level of stardom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got to call Kirstie, tell her I lost 26 pounds. Nice girl, little chatty though.
HAMMER: "One Day At A Time" sit-com star Valerie Bertinelli went from "where are they now" to "right here, right now". She is sharing the Jenny Craig stage with Kirstie, who tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT she doesn`t mind.
ALLEY: I`m having a great time with Valerie. We realize that, you know, the fun thing about watching these commercials is watching the evolution of someone losing weight. We wanted to take somebody else on a journey, so that we could watch them
(LAUGHTER)
-- humiliate themselves.
HAMMER: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has to ask, is there a downside to bargaining your waistline for a punch line? Best-selling author Jessica Weiner.
WEINER: What I wish we wouldn`t see is a woman feeling good about herself only because she`s losing weight. A applaud somebody like Kirstie or Valerie if they`re really taking back their life in the full and total sense of being in control, and feeling empowered.
But weight loss and changing your body shape and size should only be a very small part of it, if that`s your choice. It shouldn`t be the predominant reason why women feel valued in this country.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you the battle with weight combined with fame can equal disaster. Take Anna Nicole Smith, for example.
MURRAY: In Anna Nicole`s case, thinner did not mean happier. I think thinner brought her a lot more pain.
HAMMER: "Essence" magazine`s Cori Murray says despite Anna Nicole`s success with the TrimSpa diet plan, weight problems only added to the many demons that plagued the late starlet.
MURRAY: She was probably someone probably never meant to be a thin woman. So she had to deal with that and she never found that balance.
HAMMER: And even though Anna Nicole briefly reclaimed the spotlight, critics say Hollywood big wigs don`t acknowledge the dangers caused by unrealistic industry standards.
MURRAY: Just think it sends the wrong message that we don`t like you when you`re big, and that`s kind of painful.
HAMMER: "Brady Bunch" star Maureen McCormick went through her own painful battle but says weight gain was only part of the problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First up was Maureen "Marcia Brady" McCormack.
MAUREEN MCCORMICK, ACTRESS: My mother died. I think I`ve just been eating out of depression.
HAMMER: The "Brady Bunch" star drifted far from the Hollywood spotlight and fell into addiction and depression. Fast-forward more than 20 years and she`s back. This time she`s found fame by losing weight. On VH-1 "Celebrity Fit Club" and fans were happy to see her come back.
WEINER: Everybody loved Marcia Brady. Watching her succeed, whether losing her weight or battling her addiction, or some things she has been public about, what breaks my heart when I see a lot of these celebrities, though, go on shows like "Celebrity Fit Club" or kind of redeem themselves by losing weight publicly, is that they were stars a long time ago when they were younger and had a different body shape and size.
HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you, Kirstie, Valerie and Maureen reflect the weight loss struggle that goes beyond Hollywood. And there is a lesson in it for all of us.
WEINER: I think now is the time for them to really change that dynamic and begin to love themselves from the inside out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s A.J. Hammer.
And you know, this trend may be tough to shake. Stars can make a lot of money through diet endorsements. One example, according to "Ad Week", Jenny Craig spent $40 million on its celebrity ad campaign in just one year. Just want everybody to be healthy.
We`ve been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ question of the day. "Showbiz Weight Watch", do looks mean more than talent in Hollywood? Keep voting, cnn.com/showbiztonight, and write to us showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Here`s something to think about. Remember how Matthew Perry`s weight went up and down during "Friends"? What if that was Jennifer Aniston or Courtney Cox? What is it with the double standard in Hollywood where men are allowed to gain weight, but women aren`t. What`s up with that? We`re getting into it, next. We`ll also have this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When people see celebrities lose weight very quickly, it is so unrealistic.
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ANDERSON: Famous women who lose their baby weight super fast. I always wonder how do they get into red carpet shape so quickly after having a baby, and what kind of message does it send to the rest of us? That is still ahead.
And former super model Rachel Hunter says no, we`re not crazy. It`s true. The models keep getting skinnier and skinnier. What does she think about the ban in some countries on super skinny models? You don`t want to miss this. That`s still to come on this special edition, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the "Showbiz Weight Watch", continues.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Showbiz Weight Watch". I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
You know, when we talk about Hollywood`s skewed body image issues, we aren`t only talking about skinny celebrities who walk the red carpet. There are also the celebrity mommies who drop their baby weight like nobody`s business in record time. So tonight we are asking when stars drop the weight so fast, is it sending a bad message to the rest of us regular women out there? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s A.J. Hammer investigates that.
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REBECCA ODES, AUTHOR, "FROM THE HIPS": We live in a celebrity- obsessed culture, and the idea of celebrity pregnancy and motherhood has suddenly become hot.
HAMMER (voice over): Hot, indeed. Just look at the red carpet moments that some celebrities have become famous for, and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you it`s not because of the dress they were wearing, but how good they looked in it so soon after having a baby. Like supermodel Heidi Klum, whose red carpet moments sizzle right after the last two of her three pregnancies.
FELICIA STOLER, HOST, TLC`S "HONEY WE`RE KILLING THE KIDS": When Heidi Klum was on the red carpet after having her baby, she looked great.
HAMMER: So great Heidi made it seem if losing the baby weight was a piece of cake. In this picture, taken at the Golden Globes, just two months, that`s eight weeks after the birth of her third child, Heidi doesn`t even look like she`s just had a baby. But getting back her bodacious body after child birth isn`t something new for the super model. Klum strutted herself down a different red carpet, even more quickly after she delivered her second bundle of joy.
JILL DOBSON, CELEBRITY JOURNALIST: Just seven weeks after it was born, she walked the runway for Victoria Secret in lingerie and looked amazing.
HAMMER: Judge for yourself. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the video, and it`s no secret, Klum shed the pounds fast. But Klum isn`t the only star whose body bounced back quicker than her baby could say ga-ga. In fact, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can show you these pictures of Angelina Jolie, who many say looks even thinner than before she had Baby Shiloh.
DOBSON: Angelina Jolie after giving birth to Baby Shiloh, actually looks thinner than ever before. And, of course, she`s chasing around four kids. She`s busy with her career and her world traveling.
HAMMER: And traveling the world with fiance Tom Cruise, new mommy Katie Holmes shed all her baby weight in just seven months, just in time for her big day, the celebrity wedding of the century.
DOBSON: Katie Holmes had one of the biggest celebrity weddings ever. Exactly seven months after giving birth to Baby Suri so, she had real motivation. She knew she was going to be wearing that wedding dress in front of the whole world.
HAMMER: Just seven months for Katie, just seven weeks for Heidi. It`s got us asking, are celebrities who lose baby weight this quickly sending a bad message to regular women out there? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT went right to nutrition expert Felicia Stoler.
STOLER: When people see celebrities lose weight very quickly, it`s very difficult for them to comprehend that they could even lose weight that quickly. It is so unrealistic for most people to lose weight that fast after pregnancy.
HAMMER: So what`s the secret? Well, let`s face it, celebrities have a team of people who are ready, willing, and able to whip them right back into shape.
STOLER: They have trainers. They have people cooking for them. There`s probably a nanny and a baby nurse taking care of the kids so they can get good rest that most of us don`t have the luxury to do.
HAMMER: Celebrities sure do live lives of luxury, but they also need to work to support those lives. So, when the casting call comes, they need to be ready.
DOBSON: Part of the reasons celebrities lose the weight so quickly is because they want to send a message to al of Hollywood that they`re ready to get back to work.
HAMMER: But there are stars like Jennifer Garner who say making play time with the baby she had with hubby Ben Affleck is just as important as looking good. Garner tells "In Style" magazine she was in no rush to shed the baby weight saying, quote, "You`re supposed to look a certain way when you`re a celebrity, but I want to take care of my baby, and those two things don`t mesh very well."
And once in a while Hollywood stars and their baby weight do mesh when the part calls for it. Actress Kristy Swanson tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT her agent called her soon after she delivered her baby boy to say, hey, don`t lose all that baby weight so quickly because there`s this part.
KRISTY SWANSON, ACTRESS: Well, I mean, the phone call came in, and my agent said that "Criminal Intent" called, and said we know Kristy just had a baby, but how does she look? You know, that`s how Hollywood is.
HAMMER: And the "Law & Order" episode Kristy was cast for playing the part of the late Anna Nicole Smith, soon after she gave birth to her own baby, Dannielynn.
SWANSON: This is Eva`s big TV debut. Let her shine.
HAMMER: Kristy tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that she is determined to shed the weight, but she`ll do it at a healthy pace.
SWANSON: It`s sort of my job so stay in shape, you know, but right now I have the excuse that I just had a baby, so, you know.
HAMMER: Kristy, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you having a baby is good enough reason for gaining weight, and if somebody gives you lip about not shedding it fast enough, you can use what nutrition expert Felicia Stoler says is a healthy guideline for taking the baby weight off.
STOLER: Well, it takes nine to 10 months to put on all that weight. It should take about that amount of time to take it all off afterwards.
HAMMER: Because, after all, having a baby is hard work. And while losing the baby weight is also hard, doing it right is the right way to go.
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ANDERSON: Another celebrity who lost her baby weight quickly, "Access Hollywood" host Nancy Odell told People.com she lost 24 of the 30 pounds she gained just nine weeks after giving birth.
All right. So we talk about all these body image issues and the pressure to be thin in Hollywood. Let me tell you about another SHOWBIZ TONIGHT hot topic. What`s with the double standards in Hollywood? How come it`s OK when men gain weight, but when a woman puts on a few pounds, it`s the end of the world?
Joining us again tonight, in Hollywood, Jessica Weiner, self-esteem expert and author of "Do I Look Fat in This?" and here in New York, TV personality and super model Emme.
OK, ladies, I`m going to make the case here. I present exhibit A, a side-by-side photo of Spiderman star Tobey Maguire. Take a look at this. He has gained weight and lost weight for roles and in real life, but we never hear anything about it affecting his career.
But Jessica, if this were a woman, the tabloids would be going nuts.
JESSICA WEINER, SELF-ESTEEM EXPERT: They would be all over her, and, you know what, Brooke, you are right to be asking these questions. If we really want to get to the bottom of this answer well, have to lay it on the line.
A majority of the decision that is are made in Hollywood, from writing to directing, to casting and producing, are made by men. This isn`t a blame or shame men. This is to really point out the fact that the power in Hollywood around the image of women is not in the hands of women.
So we`re having to lake-effect through this issue of the double standard through a mirror of what it looks like out in the rest of the world, and in society women are still not paid the same as men, they`re still not looked at as the same as men. Why do we expect it to be different in Hollywood?
ANDERSON: Emme, jump in.
EMME, SUPER MODEL: It`s very, very hard. Hi, Jessica.
WEINER: Hi, Em.
EMME: It`s very, very hard for women to step up, though, because if they say and the actresses say I am not going to lose weight like I have been asked to, OK -- next.
WEINER: Right, you don`t get the job.
ANDERSON: Not the same pressure.
EMME: Then you have to feed your family, you have to pay the mortgage. You have to keep your lifestyle up. It`s a lot of -- it`s a big price, but it has to be en masse, it has to be the group, the collective spirit.
It also has to be the parents. It has to be the individuals that are suffering from other kinds of problems of body image and self-esteem. Writing letters to the studio execs, to the actors and actresses, and it has to be a group effort, of very, very big numbers really -- will -- to push the tide over, because it cannot be the individual.
ANDERSON: It`s a tough task. I want to present exhibit B. This may be something that`s not helping the cause here. It`s a Jenny Craig commercial, featuring Valerie Bertinelli and Kirstie Alley, virtually pleading for forgiveness for gaining weight. Let me repent for my sins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This ticks you off, doesn`t it?
EMME: Yes, it does take -- it ticks all of us off because I think there`s a feeling within America that we say, as women -- and I think a lot of our male compadres, here, say what is the big deal? I say a lot of times when I go out and lecture, I say very few people make the money, the $50 billion, and more. Very few people put that money in their pocket. It`s on our backs, as women, that we`re the losers.
We`re the ones that have the psychological problems after 10 million diets that we go yo-yoing around. Our bodies suffer. We have -- we cannot ever get back to our body balance, which every single body has a perfect balance.
ANDERSON: After the effects of --
EMME: Every single one. We have to be smart. We have to be smart. Right, Jessica?
ANDERSON: To be fair, I do want to highlight a show that the stars come in all shapes and sizes. It`s "Ugly Betty." We asked America Ferrara, the star of that show, to talk to us about how she feels about Hollywood`s responsibility to body image. Listen to what she said.
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AMERICA FERRARA, ACTRESS, "UGLY BETTY": 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 models. Let`s just put it that way.
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ANDERSON: That girl has a good head on her shoulders. She has a really great point, Jessica, Hollywood goes with what sells. It`s a business like everything else.
WEINER: Absolutely, and Emme mentioned this before, and, Brooke, we talked about this, too. Hollywood is about the bottom line, and right now if selling the image of an emaciated woman, or selling the image of one type of woman, is what we as consumers are buying, then Hollywood will keep churning that out.
EMME: We have to stand up.
WEINNER: Yes, we do have to stand up. And we have to remember that Hollywood, again, I can`t say this enough, they are human beings. They are real people out there. Sometimes when we talk about the media and we think it`s some outside force, but it really is individuals. And I would love to see these conversations taken into the boardrooms and the classrooms, and out in the Screen Actors Guild world, and within actors. Like having America comment like that is important because it has to be a dialogue. The change that we`re asking to see has to really happen from all of us.
ANDERSON: Well, hopefully this conversation that we started right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT will be a great starting point. Jessica Weiner, Emme, thank you both.
EMME: Pleasure, thank you.
WEINER: Appreciate it. Thank you.
ANDERSON: All right, the one place where it`s absolutely forbidden for famous women to gain weight is in the fashion industry. The models getting skinnier and skinnier, and there`s even been a push in some countries to get the scary skinny ones off the runway.
Former supermodel Rachel Hunter has a lot to say on this issue and how even the modeling world has changed since she was on the catwalk. What Rachel told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT next as the "Showbiz Weight Watch" continues.
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TYRA BANKS, TALK SHOW HOST: When it comes to modeling, models have always been thin. It`s just varying degrees of thin. When I was modeling girls were a size six, but people were still saying models are too thin. Models are too thin.
It was something that I constantly heard. We had picketers outside of fashion shows sometimes, because the models were too thin. People were saying that. I was even told when I was 123 pounds to lose 10 pounds and to go to 113.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Showbiz Weight Watch". I`m Brooke Anderson in New York.
You have to love the voice of reason about the scary skinny models of today. Especially when it comes from somebody who is a model herself. Rachel Hunter used to walk all those same runways, but she says things are much different now than even a few years ago, when she was at the top her game.
Rachel stopped by SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and told A.J. Hammer that she feels too skinny if she gets below 140 pounds when it seems like many of the models today are in the double digits. Rachel and A.J. got to talking about the ban on super skinny models on some international runways. A.J. asked her if she thought it was a good idea.
RACHEL HUNTER, FMR. SUPER MODEL: It was a hell of a lot different. I was a size eight. A size eight was a normal what girls were wearing at that time. You know, in and ways I`m sure a lot of women think that`s kind of skinny in a way, too.
But I think when it starts encroaching -- like making these girls sick and they`re doing things behind their back, and it`s a massive problem. To go to the ultimate of skinny where you are -- your bones are sticking out and stuff. It`s not easy. And it`s not easy on society, and society is absolutely screaming out for moderation. And to be, you know, the normalcy to be accepted and that needs to happen.
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ANDERSON: Rachel teamed up with Slim Fast for a campaign called "Find Your Slim". That is aimed at helping women get real about weight by setting realistic goals that are right for them. Not some unattainable unhealthy image that`s put out by Hollywood and the fashion industry. We say bravo to that.
OK, that is a wrap for this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the "Showbiz Weight Watch". Thanks so much for watching. I`m Brooke Anderson in New York. "Glenn Beck" is coming up next. That`s right after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News." Take care.
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