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Showbiz Tonight
Owen Wilson Recovering in Hospital; Richards/Sheen Continue Battle
Aired August 29, 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: Ugly, ugly, ugly; the Denise Richards-Charlie Sheen battle over their kids takes another ugly turn. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Some of the dumbest moments ever to hit the Internet and TV. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
HAMMER: On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, shocking new details about Owen Wilson`s apparent suicide attempt. Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT investigates what may have pushed him over the edge. Could anything have been done to prevent what happened? Also, Owen`s disturbing reported battle with drugs. Why drug use is nothing new in Hollywood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Substance abuse is nothing new in Hollywood. It`s been going on forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, should we be surprised that so many stars have so many substance abuse problems? And does Hollywood hide celebrity drug use? It`s a SHOWBIZ special report, stars and drugs.
A new Katie Couric shocker. Tonight the CBS News anchor makes a startling and dangerous decision. Is she putting her life in danger and her family at risk? Tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the fired up debate over Katie Couric`s controversial decision.
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: Hi there everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood. In just a moment Katie Couric`s unsettling decision that some fear could put her in serious danger. Why is she doing it? That`s coming up.
HAMMER: First tonight, what really happened to Owen Wilson? SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been all over the story of Wilson`s apparent suicide attempt, And tonight we are learning startling new details about the private pain that may have led him to try to take his own life.
ANDERSON: A.J., it`s really hard to even describe how shocked Hollywood is over this. And tonight SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is doing some digging to bring you the details you haven`t heard before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Owen Wilson really seems like one of the most happy go lucky guys in Hollywood.
ANDERSON (voice-over): But we`re all beginning to see that happy go lucky public image of Owen Wilson may have been another Hollywood fantasy.
MIKE FLEEMAN, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE": There`s a long history of drug problems, perhaps even some depression.
ANDERSON: The new "People Magazine" has shocking new details of the deep pain that led Owen Wilson to apparently attempt suicide at his home in Santa Monica, California. "People`s" Mike Fleeman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT the magazine has learned it was a serious suicide attempt.
FLEEMAN: Owen Wilson nearly died. His friends, people close to him, say he almost didn`t make it. He slit his wrists.
ANDERSON: Now the question that haunts everyone is how could such a ridiculously successful and well-liked star be apparently tortured enough to do such a thing?
PIAZZA: I don`t think anyone has any clue that he might possibly be depressed.
ANDERSON: But depressed he apparently was. And SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has for you the very latest and shocking details of how Wilson`s charmed life masked an inner darkness that may have almost killed him.
FLEEMAN: There was some difficulty, some emotional problems that we didn`t know about.
OWEN WILSON, ACTOR: Obviously good quickness.
ANDERSON: From the moment Owen Wilson and his brother, Luke, made their film debut in the 1994 movie "Bottle Rocket," Owen is said to have trouble dealing with the ups and downs of stardom.
FLEEMAN: When that movie wasn`t going well in the editing room and with test audiences, he would disappear and be by himself for long periods of time. This has been something that he has been dealing with all of his life.
ANDERSON: Owen alluded to that inner turmoil in a 2005 interview with "Playboy Magazine." He says, quote, if a movie goes south, it might not capsize me the way it used to. But I still have a terrible fear of failure. I`m a huge worrier.
Such fear is not uncommon in the sun-kissed pressure cooker that is Hollywood.
PIAZZA: With being on top comes a really big price to pay, and you feel like you constantly have to be bigger and better than you were last year.
ANDERSON: "People`s" Mike Fleeman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the magazine has learned that pressure led to a drug habit.
FLEEMAN: We talked to people who said he used the hard stuff. He was in rehab twice in the last decade.
ANDERSON: Meanwhile, Owen`s star continued to rise. He got an Oscar nomination for co-writing "The Royal Tennebaums."
WILSON: We`re brothers from New Hampshire. We`re venture capitalists.
ANDERSON: And a reported 10 million dollar paycheck for "Wedding Crashers." But his personal struggles are said to have become even more overwhelming, especially after a high-profile tabloid romance with actress Kate Hudson.
FLEEMAN: Owen Wilson and Kate Hudson dated for several months. They broke up last May. After the breakup with Kate Hudson, he tooled around Europe for a few months. He seemed OK. When he got back to the U.S., he seemed more withdrawn, quiet, not really himself.
ANDERSON: But Fleeman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT it`s still hard to point a finger at what may have led Wilson to apparently attempt suicide.
FLEEMAN: But it`s pure speculation as to what, if anything, single thing triggered this. Only that he seemed to be taking a turn for the worse.
ANDERSON: Now Wilson is recovering here at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Famous friends like Woody Harrelson and Samuel L. Jackson have stopped by to visit, as have members of Wilson`s family who reportedly are still in shock, especially Owen`s brother, movie star Luke Wilson.
FLEEMAN: It was Luke who actually found Owen after the suicide attempt. We see him at the hospital, and he looked just terrible.
ANDERSON: Meanwhile, Owen`s sizzling hot movie career is, of course, on hold. Hollywood trade papers report he has dropped out of a movie being directed by his frequent collaborator Ben Stiller.
WILSON: The two most important people in the world to me.
ANDERSON: Right now he is in no position to promote his latest movie, "The Darjeling (ph) Limited." For now films are of secondary importance, because after Owen Wilson`s physical wounds heal, it`s clear that he has a host of hidden wounds he must deal with as well.
PIAZZA: He might have to take a breather, relax, and figure out how to get better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So many of us are just shocked at the seemingly happy go lucky Owen Wilson may have tried to kill himself. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Joining me tonight from San Francisco licensed psychotherapist Dr. Tara Fields, and from Los Angeles investigative journalist Pat Lalama. Tara, Pat, we just saw Owen Wilson, a guy known for being funny. He is talented, successful, gets to date gorgeous women. So many people say he seemed to have it all. What could be so bad?
But Tara, it`s just not as simple as that, is it?
TARA FIELDS, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: No, absolutely not, and I think there`s really an opportunity here with this story to have the same affect that Brooke Shields did, taking the lid off something that so many people experience, but feel so much shame about. Men get depressed, and what`s so dangerous about men getting depressed is that they don`t show it in the same ways that women do.
As women, we talk about our feelings. We know it`s OK to do that. Even though it`s 2007, men don`t feel comfortable talking about their feelings. They feel like they`ve got an image to put out there, and often when they`re feeling profoundly depressed, it comes out in anger. They push it down with drugs. And usually when a man is depressed and he attempts suicide, he is successful.
HAMMER: Then out there in Hollywood, of course, you see all the big- time stars driving their fancy cars, getting those 10 million dollar paychecks, as we were just hearing. Pat, it`s not always the appearances that are the truthful ones, is it?
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Absolutely. First of all, my heart goes out to Owen and his family and friends. Every family is touched by some disorder -- mental illness, drugs, alcohol. I don`t care who you are, you can`t hide. It`s somewhere. I hope for the best for him. And the lesson here is that all the goods, all the bling don`t mean a thing, and that people suffer inside. And here`s what I hope for Owen; I want him to heal, and I think he would be a phenomenal -- I hate to use the term poster child, but representative for younger people to see if you`re aching, if you`re in pain, don`t -- just don`t worry about the status junk. Come out, talk about it, and he could be a real leader in that.
HAMMER: As Tara said, also the fact that men don`t typically talk about this. He perhaps could be very helpful there as well. "People Magazine" is reporting that Owen Wilson had a history of drug addiction and that he checked into rehab twice over the past ten years. Tara, what role could addiction play in an apparent suicide?
FIELDS: Absolutely huge. You and I have talked about this before, why getting into the right in-patient treatment program is so important, because part of treatment is not just recovering from the drugs and alcohol, but once that`s put aside, then you have to get to what`s really fueling it, which is most often profound depression, feeling wounded. And I have treated celebrities, some that have won Academy Awards, and the most dangerous time is when they actually achieve their success, because they`re saying, god, when I get that Academy Award, when I get that next movie, the wound is going to heal. And all of a sudden they reach those goals, and the pain doesn`t go away.
So they either go into the drugs, the alcohol, and probably the best thing that can happen is when they finally can feel the depression. They have the right people around them who say we will hold you. You`ll finally deal with what`s been underneath the drugs and alcohol and get -- and finally be healed.
And I want to say one other thing. There is no one who is profoundly creative that is not going to battle with depression. It goes hand in hand, but, unfortunately, it`s been hard, especially for men, to tell the truth about it. And we as women also need to start making it safer and start listening.
HAMMER: And you mentioned, you know, when they`re at the success -- the height of success, they think everything is going to go away. That`s often opposite of what ends up happening, because you just have that much further to drop. Pat, does the pressure of Hollywood just make those extreme highs and lows inescapable?
LALAMA: Oh, my gosh, I would have to think you are way up or way down. There`s no in between. You have to put on a great front. You know, if the allegations of drug use are true, we don`t know that, but if they are, here`s the other thing, A.J. It`s one thing to have the pressures of celebrity. Then you`re battling addiction and alleged heavier drugs. You know, someone I know out here in Hollywood -- I actually -- trying to fight these kind of demons was banging himself on the head crying, saying I can`t stop, I can`t stop. I want to, but I can`t.
So imagine what somebody could be feeling like if that were the problem.
HAMMER: yes, it`s a rough road for sure. Pat Lalama, Dr. Tara Field, I thank you both for joining us tonight.
LALAMA: Pleasure.
HAMMER: As we know, Owen Wilson`s reported drug use not an uncommon Hollywood story. I have personally always been astounded by just how many stories there are of stars shocking substance abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody does drugs in Hollywood. Everybody does a lot of drugs in Hollywood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I don`t know what it is. Could be the fame, the money, the scene. Sadly, drugs, nothing new in Hollywood. Coming up, revealing SHOWBIZ special report, stars and drugs.
ANDERSON: A.J., another thing we hear about in Hollywood almost every day, a nasty breakup. I think Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen split and fight over their kids, well, this could take the cake as being one of the nastiest. Tonight it is getting even uglier. I`ve got it coming up.
I`ve also got Katie Couric`s startling decision that really affects her kids. It`s something that she previously said she wouldn`t do, but now is, and it could be really dangerous. That`s coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer. Angelina Jolie just wrapped a two-day trip to Iraq and Syria. You know Angelina does all kinds of humanitarian work. She is, after all, a United Nations goodwill ambassador. She made the trip to draw attention to the situation of, quote, hundreds of thousands of families uprooted by the ongoing conflict.
Angelina visited a camp of refugees displaced by the Iraq war, and she also visited U.S. troops serving in the region. Jolie has worked with the U.N. since 2001. She and Brad Pitt have donated more than a million dollars to help those affected by the ethnic war going on in Sudan. Really nice going, Angelina.
ANDERSON: Yes, good stuff for Angelina, but not so good for Katie Couric, the host of the long-time last place CBS Evening News. Tonight startling news that she`ll be reporting from Iraq for the next two weeks. Now, right before she left "The Today Show," Couric said she would never go to Iraq because she`s a single mother to her two girls.
With us tonight from Hollywood, consulting editor for TV Guide Mary Murphy and former TV news anchor and TV talent coach Terri Anzur.
Welcome to you both. We all know Katie`s trip to Iraq comes as she`s approaching her one-year anniversary of anchoring the CBS Evening newscast, which frankly, ladies, has been a ratings disaster. Given what she has said in the past, does this trip surprise you, Mary?
MARY MURPHY, TV GUIDE: It doesn`t surprise me. I think it`s absolutely what Katie Couric needs to do. She is the face of a network news organization, and there is only one story, and that is Iraq. And she has to cover it from Iraq. You know, remember, Katie has been there before when she was a correspondent -- a Pentagon correspondent for NBC.
She knows how to be on the ground. And she`s going to be on the ground for five days before she does any reporting.
ANDERSON: Well, it`s clearly a very dramatic move on the part of Katie. Terry, given how badly the CBS newscast has done, do you think it`s something she definitely desperately needs to do?
TERRY ANZUR, FORMER TV HOST: Well, I question why she didn`t do it sooner. As Mary said, this is by far the biggest story we have going right now, and even though CBS already has a number of good reporters on the ground, including Lara Logan, it means so much when the anchor of the broadcast goes and sheds light on a situation.
Remember when Walter Cronkite went to Vietnam, despite the fact that great correspondents like Morley Safer (ph) were already there, and LBJ saying if I have lost Cronkite, I`ve lost the nation. That`s what the anchor has the power to do. And Katie Couric has the power to really make a difference in this situation. It is about ratings, but it`s also about something else.
ANDERSON: Pardon me. We certainly know how dangerous Iraq is. Bob Woodruff, who became the anchor of "World News Tonight" on ABC was almost fatally injured. CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozer almost killed. Mary, is she, though, at the same time, doing something unnecessarily that really is dangerous?
MURPHY: Well, Katie won`t be going to the same place Bob Woodward was at, and also Kimberly. Remember, as we all know, producers go out into the -- into the most dangerous areas. She`ll be very protected. You know, she`ll be in a safe area. She already has tried on her flack jacket. I think it`s dangerous, but I think it`s essential for this newscast. And probably the reason she didn`t go before is that she has a brand new executive producer who is a gung ho, you know, veteran news man, who is saying it`s the time.
Remember, the Petraeus report is coming out on September 15th, and this is the timing of the show. This is why they`re going at this time, and I think Katie can do some very special reporting that we haven`t seen before, because she has a very special take on life, being a mother. It`s both her advantage and her disadvantage.
ANDERSON: Yes, a different perspective she may bring to this. I want to ask, though, when Brian Williams of NBC went, this wasn`t even a question though. Terry, what do you think? Is there a double standard because she is a woman?
ANZUR: This is definitely an issue with sexism here. First of all, when Brian Williams goes to Iraq, he is just doing his job. He also has a family, but nobody seems to think it`s a big problem. And you can also question why Charles Gibson of ABC has not gone. He is the successor to Peter Jennings, who was most famous for his work as a foreign correspondent, and that is something that isn`t even being questioned.
You don`t see people writing tell-all books about Charlie Gibson`s private life. But Katie has to stand up to that. So this is a chance for her to say, look, I have this job as CBS Evening News anchor because I can stand on my own two feet and cover a war story. Let`s just watch and see how she does.
ANDERSON: Yes, let`s just see what happens. I have to tell you, I was on the Internet today. A lot of blogs are calling this a PR stunt, almost a desperate last move by Katie. Mary, very quickly, is that fair?
MURPHY: It`s the exact opposite. I think it`s Katie just digging her heels in and saying, hey, I`m here to stay. This is not a desperate last move at all. This is the right move and the right time.
ANZUR: Every anchor needs a big story to establish themselves in the chair, and in this case the story didn`t come to Katie, so Katie`s got to go to the story.
ANDERSON: Got to go to the story. It makes me think of all the men, women, mothers, fathers in the armed forces who can`t come home after two weeks. They face dangers every day. God bless them all. Terry, Mary, thank you both for your insight.
Now we want to hear from you. It is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. Katie Couric going to Iraq, is it a bad idea? vote CNN.com/SHOWBIZTONIGHT. Send us an email at SHOWBIZ TONIGHT@CNN.com.
HAMMER: Brooke, I`ve got to tell you, I can only think about what Katie Couric`s kids must be going through right now. This has to be very tough on them.
ANDERSON: Absolutely, A.J. It`s never easy when your parents are high profile, and especially when their parents are at each other`s throats like Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, for example. A.J., their custody battle getting even uglier, if you can belief it. That`s next, also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Substance abuse is nothing new in Hollywood. It`s been going on forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You know, everyone is talking about Owen Wilson`s apparent suicide attempt, but how there could be a possible drug connection. People are talking about that. Very sad. Unfortunately, so common in Hollywood. Tonight my revealing SHOWBIZ special report, stars and drugs, straight ahead.
HAMMER: Brooke, Owen Wilson not the kind of guy we think about when it comes to drug use, depression, suicide. Here`s a guy that seems to have everything, so how can he be in so much trouble? I have a disturbing look at Owen`s private pain. That`s coming up at 30 past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards battle over their kids just keeps getting uglier and uglier. I just wish it would stop, that they would just stop. All right, here`s the latest. This past weekend was Charlie`s weekend with daughter Sam and Lola, who were hanging out with his fiance as well. Mom Denise gets to choose which nanny goes along with Charlie and their kids during supervised visits.
The thing is, this time Charlie claims the court-ordered escort was Denise`s assistant. That`s because apparently a real nanny wasn`t available, so, yes, Charlie got mad. And this is what he told us; "I was terribly insulted that she felt her assistant was a suitable replacement. If it`s unfortunate that I`m speaking, it`s unfortunate that an incredibly loving and responsible father and his terrifically capable fiance are being subjected to these transparent and unnecessary sanctions that have nothing to do with responsible co-parenting and everything to do with punishment and control."
So, of course, that got Denise fired up, and she lashed out with this; "I was disappointed to learn of my ex-husband Charlie Sheen`s current statement regarding our personal affairs. This was and should still be a private matter that we as responsible parents settled privately."
HAMMER: Brooke, why don`t we move on to something with a little levity, shall we? I know you have seen that Miss South Carolina Teen USA video.
ANDERSON: Yes, you know, her answer pretty dumb. Poor girl.
HAMMER: Pretty dumb. Plenty of other people have done plenty of dumb things on-line and on TV. We`ve got them. That`s coming up. Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD BRAGMAN, 15 MINUTES PR: Hollywood is a place of insecurity, and insecurity leads to drugs and addiction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You know, drugs in Hollywood, unfortunately, they seem to go together. Tonight with Owen Wilson recovering from an apparent suicide attempt and talk of a possible drug connection, I`m taking a revealing look at other stars and drugs. It`s a SHOWBIZ special report.
HAMMER: So many people tonight wondering how could it happen to Owen, a guy who seems like he has everything. What went wrong. Coming up Owen`s private pain. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT coming right back.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Everybody does drugs in Hollywood. Everybody does a lot of drugs in Hollywood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: "Stars and Drugs", there is a long and troubled history in Hollywood of stars going overboard, overdosing losing their careers, their relationships, even their lives. But why do fame and drug abuse so often go hand in hand? Tonight a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Stars and Drugs."
Welcome back for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer broadcasting tonight, and every night, from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood. You are watching TV`s most provocative entertainment news show.
OK. Time now for the latest on actor Owen Wilson`s hospitalization. Wilson is still at Cedars-Sinai hospital after an apparent suicide attempt this weekend. "People" magazine is reporting that Wilson had a long and secret history of drug abuse and was in rehab twice. Wilson has reportedly dropped out of the movie "Tropic Thunder" which director Ben Stiller is filming right now.
HAMMER: Well, tonight everybody is trying to understand Owen`s private pain. It is the subject of our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report. How can someone who really seemed to have it all be such a troubled person? Joining me tonight, from Hollywood, Ken Seeley, the lead interventionist in A&E`s hit reality show, "Intervention". Also, investigative journalist Pat Lalama and health and wellness expert Doctor Deborah King. Deborah King the author of "Truth Heals: What You Hide Can Hurt You." Which is something we`re dealing with tonight.
Ken Seeley, let me start with you. Because Owen Wilson, as I mentioned, really not the kind of guy that comes to mind when you are thinking about depression or drug use or suicide. Every time I have met him, he has always seemed so happy go lucky, such a grounded, down to Earth guy. Is this why we`re all so shocked by the fact that this is all coming out about him?
KEN SEELEY, LEAD INTERVENTIONIST, "INTERVENTION": Well, you`re right, A.J. This is not his normal behavior, and it`s just shocking to have this come up out of nowhere, but if it is true that he is an addict and alcoholic, then, yes, this is part of it. We succeed to the very best that we can be, and there`s still an emptiness within us, as addicts and alcoholics, and we just don`t know how to fill that without working in appropriate recovery program.
And if we don`t work that program and get the help that we need, the only answer is to end it. You know, end it through drugs, end it through suicide, end it through anything to numb that pain and that emptiness that sits within us, and feel that horrible place of despair. And right now, you know, if this is true what`s going on with him, we can only pray for him and let him know that we`re here for him and that we want him to recover and get the appropriate help, as he seems to be doing at cedars.
HAMMER: Something that I hear a lot from people on the outside looking in, is how hard they find it to see this guy as -- whether he`s depressed, or whatever he is going through -- of being able to reach that place. He is a celebrity. He dates beautiful women. He has tons of money. A guy who really seemed, on the outside anyway, to have it all.
Pat Lalama, does this just point out that living the Hollywood dream not really all it`s cracked up to be?
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: A.J., I would bury myself alive before I would reveal all the people I know who go to 12 step meetings, regularly -- people in Hollywood. It`s an epidemic. And, you know, it`s sort of like a double-edged sword because, you know, it`s one thing to struggle with addiction. My God, it`s a day to day hell for so many people. Then you take a person who is living under a microscope, who where the cameras are always on them. And then add to that the fact that he seems like such a great guy. And then there`s all these things put together.
A person I know who is a severe addict said to me, Pat, the drug owns you. You don`t understand. No matter what it seems like on the outside, wanting to get that next fix is the only thing you live for, and on the outside you`re trying to say I`m cool, I`m great, I`m a star. It`s hell. It`s a living hell.
HAMMER: Well, comedian George Lopez talked about that. He told me about being a star whose comedy comes from a dark place. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LOPEZ, COMEDIAN: There`s a lot of time that people are left to their own -- to themselves. So there is a lot of downtime. And there is a lot of false pumping people up with confidence that`s really not there. You`re great. This is going to do good. You look great. You look perfect. Your hair is right. Then when you`re alone, you`re just -- you deflate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Doctor King, let me go to you on this, because I know you work with so many celebrities, and we hear about so many who are depressed, who feel hopeless. Are we placing our stars on too high of a pedestal?
DR. DEBORAH KING, AUTHOR, "TRUTH": We`re placing them on way too high a pedestal. And, you know, they can only come down. There`s no other direction.
The benefit, though -- the flip side of what`s happened to Owen here is it`s really brought attention to the subject of depression in the U.S. It`s the most common problem, depression, anxiety. And how do we cope? Well, normally with drugs and alcohol. Instead of going within, you know, and digging out our feelings and finding out what`s really bothering us, we try to cope with Band-Aids. And ultimately, you know, everything is going to implode or explode.
HAMMER: I do see that as the silver lining. The fact that this is getting attention and hopefully we`re giving it the right kind of attention.
The nice thing to see as well, as I mentioned before, a lot of love and concern coming from both the fans, from the Hollywood community for Owen Wilson.
Ken Seeley, it`s hard for me to think about how hard it`s going to be for this guy, down the line, when he is doing his movies, going out in public. The first time he has to go out in public. Is this something that`s worthy of concern?
SEELEY: Absolutely, A.J., because what`s happening with him is he is going to be under that microscope, like Doctor King just said. Everybody is going to be detecting every step that he makes. And it`s going to be very difficult for him. And what we can do to support him is let him have that space. Let him go get what he needs to get that help and then give him that to come back, and welcome him. Because he will be, you know, right back to his excellence, as he always has been, but we have got to give him that space. Give him his the time to heal from what`s going on with him.
HAMMER: We do know that image is everything when it comes to Hollywood, which is inevitably why so many stars don`t run around saying, hey, I`m depressed. We didn`t know, for example, Halle Berry, she was suicidal. We didn`t know about that until she spoke out about it. Here`s what she told Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR, "LARRY KING LIVE": Is it true you once thought of taking your own life? Is that ever true?
HALLE BARRY, ACTRESS: Yeah. Sad, but true.
KING: What was the situation?
BARRY: Divorce.
KING: What snapped you out of it?
BARRY: The thought of my mother. When I was in that moment, and sitting in the car -- I was going to as asphyxiate myself in the garage. When I was sitting there, really with all my heart wanting to end my life, I thought of my mother.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Pat, you have been around these Hollywood stars for years. Is it just easier for them to hide their problems rather than deal with the ramifications of coming out and saying I`m depressed. I`m suicidal.
LALAMA: I think even when we are not a celebrity we feel like we have to hide because society says, oh, you`re mentally ill. That`s horrible. I think people shouldn`t feel that way. Listen, I got to tell you, when I covered Robert Downey, Jr., problem. I remember sitting in that courtroom going, oh, this guy is a goner. This guy is not ever going to heal himself. I am so regretful that I ever said that because he really has to come back. And this is a society that wants to forgive. And I believe Owen Wilson can come back, and I think we will forgive him.
HAMMER: Pat Lalama, Ken Seeley, Doctor King, I appreciate you all being with us tonight. Thanks so much.
LALAMA: Thank you.
SEELEY: Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: Well, there is not denying, it really is such a tragic story, but thankfully it does seem all of Hollywood is pulling for Owen Wilson. And Owen is starring in a new movie from his long-time friend and collaborator Wes Anderson. This film is set to come out next month. You won`t want to miss your very "First Look". We`ll have that coming up.
Also this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Substance abuse is nothing new in Hollywood. It`s been going on forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: There is a long and troubled history of stars using drugs in Hollywood. Why do fame and drug abuse so often go hand in hand? Coming up we are going to look for answers in a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report, "Stars and Drugs".
HAMMER: Then I think we need to move things over to the lighter side. And something that makes me laugh quite honestly, every single time I see it, only with a small amount of guilt, talking about Miss Teen South Carolina`s answer during the interview portion of the pageant. Truly an unbelievable piece of footage.
Coming up we`ll show you why Miss Teen South Carolina has a lot of company when it comes to embarrassing moments caught on camera.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s most provocative entertainment news show. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Owen Wilson`s reported drug use is shocking to some, but SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that, in fact, substance abuse is nothing new in Hollywood. Tonight our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT special report continues now as we reveal the ugly truth behind "Stars and Drugs".
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ANDERSON (voice over): Fame and fortune are not the only things that Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan have in common. Both of the 20-something starlets got into serious trouble because of a drug connection. Nicole admits using cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and the powerful prescription pill Vicodin. And cops have busted Lindsay twice now for suspicion of cocaine possession.
PEREZ HILTON, CELEBRITY BLOGGER: Everybody does drugs in Hollywood. Everybody does a lot of drugs in Hollywood.
ANDERSON: Perez Hilton has one of the most popular blogs out there when it comes to the stars and their private lives. He tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, Nicole and Lindsay are not alone. Drugs, he says, are simply everywhere in celebrity circles.
HILTON: It`s like mixing. I`m going it take some pills and booze and coke and weed and crazy.
ANDERSON: Crazy, but is drug use in Hollywood really anything new?
JULIA ALLISON, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Substance abuse is nothing new in Hollywood. It`s been going on forever, Marilynn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Chris Farley. This is absolutely nothing new.
CYBIL SHEPHERD, ACTRESS: I really think that the drugs were the problem with Elvis Presley.
ANDERSON: Actor Cybil Shepherd dated Elvis in the 1970s, until his pill use put an end to their relationship.
SHEPHERD: I think he was probably using all the time.
ANDERSON: Shepherd told CNN`s Larry King the Elvis she got to know in private was much different than the Elvis who performed in front of thousands.
SHEPHERD: The pressure of performing, as much as he loved it, as brilliant as he was at it, increased his drug use.
ANDERSON: Elvis relied on several different doctors and people in his inner circle to get him drugs. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you even today decades later it`s pretty much business as usual in Hollywood.
ALLISON: Celebrities are surrounded by enablers. They`re surrounded by people who will do anything to be near them.
CURT COBAIN, LATE SINGER: Come as you are .
ANDERSON: In the early 1990s Nirvana front man Curt Cobain was being called one of the most influential musicians in rock history. But offstage Cobain was suffering from a lifetime of depression and hiding a massive heroin addiction.
COBAIN: As of right now, officially, it`s over with.
ANDERSON: Overdoses, detox, and rehab didn`t stop him from using. On April 5th, 1994, Curt Cobain was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Huge amounts of heroin were in his system.
Just one year earlier drugs took the life of one of Hollywood`s most promising young actors. River Phoenix overdosed on a speed ball, a mixture of heroin and cocaine, after partying at L.A. hotspot the Viper Room. It killed him. He was just 23 years old.
CORY HAIM, ACTOR: For me I had to create a regiment. I had to disassociate with many people.
ANDERSON: Cory Haim and his best friend Corey Feldman know the pitfalls of being young and famous. They ran in the same circles as River Phoenix. And just like Phoenix developed hardcore drug habits. Haim`s habit almost cost him his life. Feldman tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he was lucky to catch his problem early on.
COREY FELDMAN, ACTOR: I became an addict. And I got through it. And I went to rehab. And I was actually sober, 100 percent sober, before I was 19 years old. But what I went through I went through very publicly and got it done and I got it out of the way.
ANDERSON: Comedian Chris Farley couldn`t get his habit out of the way.
CHRIS FARLEY, LATE COMEDIAN: Any attention is good, right?
ANDERSON: People noticed his health had deteriorated before he died of a cocaine and morphine overdose in 1997.
Jerry Garcia, front man for the Grateful Dead was fully hooked on heroin. A dependency that would haunt him as his health deteriorated. In 1995 his heart gave out. Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir says he noticed a difference in the band`s drug use as the years went by.
BOB WEIR, GRATEFUL DEAD: For some reason back in the late 1960s the kind of drugs we were doing were different. And the whole drug experience was like qualitatively different. It was an adventure. These days it`s an escape.
ANDERSON: And `80s pop sensation Boy George knows all about that.
BOY GEORGE, SINGER: It`s about running away. You know, there`s nowhere to hide. I can tell you that.
ANDERSON: Boy George and his band Culture Club were on top of the charts in the 1980s.
But his battle with drugs broke the band up, and by 2005 his cocaine possession arrest followed by a humiliating garbage cleanup sentence had once again put him in the spotlight.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FIFTEEN MINUTES PR: Hollywood is a place of insecurity, and insecurity leads to drugs and addiction.
ALLISON: We are already dealing with people with low self-esteem, people who want others to like them. They tend to be addictive personalities. It`s a recipe for substance abuse.
ANDERSON: Steven Tyler can attest to that. As the lead singer of Aerosmith he had unprecedented access to drugs. He, too, got hooked on heroin, but band mates weren`t having it. They asked him to go to rehab. He kicked the habit and is now clean and sober.
STEVEN TYLER, AEOROSHITH: It`s real important to take your power back because it`s so easy to give it away.
ANDERSON: Dallas Taylor, the former drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young knows about that. His heroin addiction cost him his job, but, luckily, not his life.
DALLAS TAYLOR, FMR. DRUMMER: I`m just really, you know, one of those few lucky ones because my peers -- or most of my peers are dead, you know, Jimmy Hendricks. I don`t know why I`m alive and they`re not.
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ANDERSON: Dallas Taylor, who you just saw in the piece, now works as a substance abuse interventionist. He specializes in helping addicted musicians and other entertainers.
HAMMER: Well, Owen Wilson certainly has a lot of friends and long- time collaborators in Hollywood, one being Ben Stiller. Wilson was scheduled to appear in Stiller`s film "Tropic Thunder" which is filming now, but has reportedly dropped out while he recovers from an apparent suicide attempt.
Wilson has also collaborated for years with director Wes Anderson. Together they wrote "Bottle Rocket" and "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums". And Wilson stars in Anderson`s new movie called the "Darjeeling Limited". It`s scheduled to come out next month. Here now is your "First Look".
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did we have a chance to make this kind of a life- changing experience, and I think we need it.
I want to become brothers again like we used to be.
You`re the two most important people in the world to me. This is incredible. Why haven`t we spoken in a year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we don`t trust each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that my belt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I borrow it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want us to be completely open and say yes to everything, even if it`s shocking and painful.
Do you have any questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to your face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. I guess the train is lost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did he say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says the train is lost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can a train be lost? It`s on rails.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s wrong with you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me think about that.
MALE SINGER: Where you going? I don`t know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing in this place?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Originally I guess we came here on a spiritual journey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don`t love me!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you too, but I`m going to Mace you in the face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that didn`t really pan out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder if the three of us could have been friends in real life. Not as brothers, but as people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be continued.
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HAMMER: "The Darjeeling Limited" is scheduled to be released on September 29th. The studio has not commented. They have no comment about whether the movie is still on track for that release given Owen Wilson`s tragic situation.
ANDERSON: Yesterday we asked you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day. It was this: Britney Spears, should she lose her kids? And 66 percent of you say yes, she should; 34 percent of you say no she shouldn`t.
Here are some of the e-mails we received.
Cheryl from New York writes, "I think she should lose her boys, temporarily. Someone needs to get this girl to a doctor and get her some help."
Dee from Pennsylvania thinks, "To say Britney should lose her kids is crazy. Are you saying no one can go out and have fun?"
HAMMER: All right. You might have heard about this. A Miss Teen USA contestant`s little answer to the question of why some Americans just can`t seem to find the United States on a map. She butchered it. I got to tell you -- despite the fact that it maybe makes me a bad person -- it makes me laugh every time. But take heart, Miss Teen South Carolina. You are not alone. Oh, no. The internet is packed with embarrassing moments, and we have the best of the worst next.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back it SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
By now you`ve probably seen the clip of Miss Teen South Carolina mangling her answer during the interview portion of the pageant. It`s really painful to listen to, so what the heck. Let`s hear it again. Here`s CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There you are, a model and beauty queen, and all of a sudden --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big loser of the day?
MOOS: Labeled the ditsy chick just because she had a little trouble handling the question, why can`t a fifth of Americans find the U.S. on a world map?
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: Follow her answer.
LAUREN CAITLIN UPTON, MISS SOUTH CAROLINA: I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don`t have maps.
MOOS: From there it went downhill, even worse than hearing Miss South Carolina Teen USA`s answer is seeing it in the subtitles someone added on YouTube.
UPTON: Everywhere, like, such as, and
MOOS: She was even mocked by a doll.
YOUTUBE DOLL: I personally believe.
UPTON: I personally believe --
MOOS (on camera): And I personally believe if you say something dumb these days, you end up getting more than 4 million hits on YouTube.
(Voice over): Four million and counting. Someone calling herself Miss West Carolina mapped out her own meandering monologue.
MISS "WEST" CAROLINA: So, nowhere else knows where everywhere else is.
MOOS: And so Miss Teen South Carolina joins a storied list of dumb moments spread globally on the Internet.
From the New Jersey guy lip syncing to a Romanian pop song to the "Star Wars" kid -- he ended up suing and reaching an out-of-court settlement from who first circulated the video.
Then there was the worst interview ever. A novice filling in on ABC News Now, interviewed actress Holly Hunter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holly, thank you so much for joining us.
HOLLY HUNTER, ACTRESS: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huh. All right, Holly. Thanks so much for joining us.
MOOS: Turns out the anchor`s earpiece malfunctioned and she couldn`t hear her interviewee. By the way, we couldn`t find any credible study that said a fifth of Americans can`t fine the U.S. on a map. But while once doing a geography story we did meet this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This boot is the United States, if I remember correctly, right?
MOOS (on camera): That is South America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the United States right here.
MOOS: Next thing you know they`ll be asking Miss Teen South Carolina to find her own state.
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ANDERSON: That was CNN`s Jeanne Moos for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: I love that.
That is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. "Glenn Beck" coming up next after the latest headlines from CNN "Headline News." Have a great night everyone. Take care.
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